When you imagine a robot, you might picture R2-D2 in Star Wars, the Omnidroid from The Incredibles or the big-armed machines that build cars on an assembly line. But there’s a new robotic system that doesn’t resemble any of these. Instead, it looks like some kids forgot to pick up their toys. The robot is a collection of plastic, neon-green […]
This robot’s parts are helpless alone, but turn smart as they team up Read More »
Every year, the Joint Mathematics Meeting brings more than 5,000 math lovers together. It’s the largest math meeting in the world. In January 2019, mathematicians flocked to the meeting in Baltimore, Md., to learn about new ideas and talk about their work. Many even — believe it or not — came to admire the latest
For these artists, math is their muse Read More »
The debate over one of the most contested exams in medical education comes to a head. The next few months may bring a seismic shift to a medical school milestone, the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1. Aspiring doctors typically take it after their second year of medical school, and a good score
Settling the Score Read More »
What does Absolute Zero mean? Temperature tends to be relative — the air is below freezing, her fever is above normal. But scientists probe the extreme ends of the spectrum of what’s called absolute temperature: At the upper limit, absolute hot is a theoretical furnace where the laws of physics melt away. On the flip side, absolute zero —
Life at the bottom Read More »
By harvesting the everyday energy of static electricity, scientists may have found the world’s most plentiful source of renewable, sustainable power. The plastic gizmo in Zhong Lin Wang’s hand doesn’t look like tomorrow’s solution to our looming energy crisis. It’s about the size and shape of a small grapefruit, but smooth and translucent. As he
The Energy Scavengers Read More »
Climate and weather are related — but not the same. Climate describes patterns of weather in an area over long stretches of time. Weather refers to specific events, such as hot days or thunderstorms. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and floods are all examples of extreme weather. When extreme weather occurs, people often want to know if climate
What is attribution science? Read More »
The sun hurls giant plasma cannonballs at the Earth. What’s the worst that can happen? In the darkest hours of March 13, 1989, people all across North America noticed something odd overhead. They called friends and neighbors, asking the same question. Have you seen the sky? From New York to Florida, Cuba and Honduras, people
Space weather forecast: Big storms ahead Read More »
Climate scientists say that rising global temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions are making some extreme weather events increasingly likely and severe. They predict that heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes and other weather-related disasters will continue to set records and send damage costs soaring, even as countries around the world pledge to reduce emissions in response
Extreme Weather: Will Global Warming Produce More Disasters? Read More »
One way to get drugs through the blood-brain barrier: smuggle them across using sound waves. The blood-brain barrier, a name given to the tightly packed vascular cells in the brain’s capillaries, keeps the central nervous system remarkably free of most pathogens. But that defense is a major challenge for delivering drugs that treat brain disorders.
Riding a Wave of Sound Read More »
November is election time, and not only for voters in the United States. On November 16, hundreds of scientists will gather in Paris, France, for the most unusual election this year, if not this century. Maybe ever. The voting scientists won’t be choosing new leaders or passing new laws. They’ll be voting on something more
Scientist vote to fix the world’s weight-loss problem Read More »
