Geology Is Like Augmented Reality for the Planet
It’s an abnormally hot day in September and I’m standing in a cattail marsh in eastern Wisconsin, trying to change the way my students view the world. They’re all distracted—by the heat, homesickness, or the fact that they’ve lost a phone signal. The guys on the university hockey team are snickering about something. I’ve brought…
Google and Facebook Backed an Event Denying Climate Change
This story originally appeared on Mother Jones and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have publicly acknowledged the dangers of global warming, but last week they all sponsored a conference that promoted climate change denial to young libertarians. All three tech companies were sponsors of LibertyCon, the annual convention of…
Quantum Physics Could Protect the Grid From Hackers—Maybe
Cybersecurity experts have sounded the alarm for years: Hackers are ogling the US power grid. The threat isn’t merely hypothetical—a group affiliated with the Russian government gained remote access to energy companies’ computers, the Department of Homeland Security published last March. In some cases, the hackers could even directly send commands to mess with hardware,…
How to Deconstruct a Football Tackle With Physics
Few things herald Thanksgiving as loudly as turkeys, flight delays, and long hours in front of the TV watching football. It's an important time in the football calendar, with the playoffs beginning to shape up for both college football and the NFL. But what about those impacts? I don't mind watching football, but there's no…
Launch an 80,000-Pound Sled off an Aircraft Carrier? Sure!
You might think this is a video showing the testing of the electromagnetic catapult system for an aircraft carrier, but you are wrong. No, this is a video of a near-perfect example of a real physics homework problem. Yes, that is what it is. First, you might ask, what is an electromagnetic catapult? So, you…
Kyrie Irving's Crazy Lean (Sort of) Explained by Physics
In a recent video, Celtics player Kyrie Irving stands on a basketball court, with his legs straight and feet planted together, and leeeeeeans forward. He looks like he's about to topple. But he doesn't. He calmly returns to a normal upright standing position, shakes out his arms and stretches his neck, and then leeeeeeans a…
You Are Getting Sleepy—Tagged Proteins May Point to Why
Two years ago, scientists in Japan reported the discovery of a mouse that just could not stay awake. This creature, which had a mutation in a gene called Sik3, slept upwards of 30 percent more than usual: Although it awoke apparently refreshed, it would need to snooze again long before its normal lab mates’ bedtime.…
Want a Robot to Really Get a Grip? Make It Like Baymax
The octopus is unique among animals in that it can essentially turn itself into liquid, Terminator style. Get yourself a 600-pound octopus and leave it unsupervised and the thing will squeeze itself into a quarter-sized tube and melt its way to freedom. And its manipulation superpowers are legendary—cram it into a jar and it’ll unscrew…
Space Billboards Are Just the Latest Orbital Stunt
In January 2018, Rocket Lab sent a surprise to orbit. Along with its normal payloads, the launch company deployed a shiny object it dubbed the Humanity Star—basically a 3-foot-wide disco ball. Its reflective surface would shine down on Earth’s inhabitants, visible to the naked eye for a few months. “No matter where you are in…
This Supple, Squishy Robo-Jellyfish Can Explore Ocean Reefs
Jellyfish float through the ocean like drones of the sea. Their simple nature makes them a natural muse for robot engineers building devices that can squeeze through tight spaces, check the ocean’s health, and eventually, explore the human body. This week, a team at Florida Atlantic University unveiled a new eight-inch wide robo-jellyfish built to…