Michael Collins, Apollo 11 pilot, dies at age 90
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 588 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 command module pilot and first astronaut to orbit the far side of the moon alone, has died at age 90 of cancer.
"Today the nation lost a true pioneer and lifelong advocate for exploration in astronaut Michael Collins," NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a statement published Wednesday (April 28). "As pilot of the Apollo 11 command module — some called him 'the loneliest man in history' — while his colleagues walked on the moon for the first time, he helped our nation achieve a defining milestone.
[Read More]Mysterious Volcano Lightning Creates Pretty Pictures
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 486 words
| Trudie Dory
It may look like the special effects from a disaster movie, but the bolts of lightning photographed in the plume of the ash-spewing Icelandic volcano are real. Thing is, the process that creates volcano lightning remains a bit of a mystery.
Several photographers have taken pictures of the stunning light show shooting from the angry mouth of Eyjafjallajokull, which has been pumping a cloud of ash into the atmosphere for several days.
[Read More]New coronavirus variant in NYC has vaccine-evading mutation
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 410 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A new coronavirus variant with concerning mutations is on the rise in New York City, according to news reports.
This latest coronavirus variant, dubbed B.1.526, first emerged in New York in November 2020, and it now accounts for about 25% of coronavirus genomes that were sequenced from New York in February and posted to a global database called GISAID, according to The New York Times.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology identified B.
[Read More]Siberian Permafrost Reveals Perfectly Preserved Ice-Age Baby Horse
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 437 words
| Patria Henriques
The astonishingly intact body of a young foal that died between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago was recently unearthed from melting permafrost in Siberia. Its mummified remains were so well-preserved by icy conditions that the skin, the hooves, the tail, and even the tiny hairs in the animal's nostrils and around its hooves are still visible.
Paleontologists found the mummified body of the young horse inside the 328-foot-deep (100 meters) Batagaika crater during an expedition to Yakutia in eastern Siberia.
[Read More]What Is E. Coli?
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1161 words
| Trudie Dory
Escherichia coli (known as E. coli) is a group of bacteria that typically lives in the intestines of humans and animals and helps keep our guts healthy. Certain types of the bacteria, however, can occasionally cause severe illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The types of E. coli that cause the majority of harmful infections in the U.S. produce a toxin called Shiga, and are appropriately called Shiga-toxin-producing E.
[Read More]Whodunit solved when 'sword' is found embedded in thresher shark
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 698 words
| Patria Henriques
When a dead thresher shark washed up onshore, it was obvious what had killed it — a swordfish had stabbed it from behind and left a large hunk of its "sword" embedded in the beast, a new study finds.
No one saw the actual attack, so it's unclear why the swordfish jabbed the shark. But the two ocean predators may have been competing for prey, the researchers said.
"The most likely scenario is that both species were hunting on a school of fish or on squids in the deep,"
[Read More]World Trade Center: Ground Zero on September 11, 2001
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1097 words
| Fernande Dalal
Large enough to require its own ZIP code, the iconic World Trade Center contained the world's tallest buildings when it was dedicated in 1973. More than 50,000 people worked in the buildings, with another 200,000 visiting each day before its destruction in a terrorist attack in 2001.
HistoryOriginally proposed at the close of World War II as a means to encourage trade in New York City, construction on a "
[Read More]Yosemite Aflame: Rim Fire in Photos
Posted on April 1, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 389 words
| Patria Henriques
Rim Fire in California, Aug. 26, 2012On Aug. 26, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of the Rim fire burning in and near Yosemite National Park. Red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected unusually warm surface temperatures associated with fire.
Rim Fire, California, August 2013On Aug. 22, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of the drought-fueled Rim fire burning in central California, near Yosemite National Park.
[Read More]'Mad Mike' wasn't trying to prove 'flat Earth' theory on ill-fated rocket launch
Posted on March 31, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 773 words
| Fernande Dalal
Following the tragic death of 'Mad' Mike Hughes, we revisit the real reasons why he launched himself into the air aboard his homemade steam rocket(opens in new tab), knowing how risky the stunt was.
This past weekend (Feb. 22), Hughes, 64, a daredevil and amateur rocketeer, tragically died during the launch while filming for the Science Channel's show "Homemade Astronauts."
Hughes was attempting to launch to 5,000 feet (1.5 kilometers) into the air on private property near Barstow, California.
[Read More]First Image Made of an Atom Spinning
Posted on March 31, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 578 words
| Trudie Dory
Physicists have discovered a way to play with matter on a subatomic scale, reaching into atoms to manipulate the spin of electrons. What's more, the scientists were able to capture the first images of the action with a special microscope.
Spin is one of three basic properties of electrons, along with charge and mass. Basically, spin describes an electron's angular momentum, which is related to the way an electron moves around an atom's nucleus (which includes the protons and neutrons) – the spin can either be "
[Read More]