Have you ever wondered how the US got to the point where funding missions to space just isn’t that important? Paul Hildebrandt wondered, and he’s launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a documentary and answer that question.
Continue ReadingFIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” and is part of Dean Kamen’s mission to promote his own love of science and technology. One of his most well-known efforts is FIRST Lego League, which reaches kids as young as six years old.
Continue ReadingHow will the economic, citizen rights, environmental, and health issues related to fracking affect you?
Continue ReadingAmelia Earhart would have been 115 today had she lived through her ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1937. Earhart was the epitome of female inspiration in the face of seemingly impossible odds. While her disappearance remains a mystery, her iconic status still inspires women everywhere to break gender boundaries in pursuit of their dreams. Google has chosen to celebrate Earhart’s birthday with a Doodle befitting this impressive woman.
Continue ReadingI was nine years old when I first wanted to be an astronaut, and my first hero was Sally Ride. I looked up to her as a woman, a scientist, and an astronaut. Sally Ride’s integrity never faltered, even as a woman in a male-dominated profession for much of her career.
Continue ReadingWhat better way to endure a grueling 26.2 mile race than with the excitement of a total solar eclipse in the sky above? That’s what the city of Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia is planning with the first-ever Solar Eclipse Marathon. The next total solar eclipse will occur on 13-14 November 2012, with the event crossing the International Date Line such that those in Australia will see it on very early on the 14th, while those in Chile will see a partial eclipse near sunset on the 13th. There is a very narrow strip on the planet that will be under a total eclipse. Of that very narrow strip, only a very small percentage will be on land, including Port Douglas.
Continue ReadingHave you ever wondered what one of the greatest scientific discoveries of our time sounds like? Wonder no longer! After the announcement of the Higgs boson discoveries last week, researcher Domenico Vicinanza immediately went to work sonifiying the data. Now that the general populous can finally hear what the Higgs boson evidence sounds like, hopefully all of us can understand the data leading to this momentous discovery. Could the mysteries of the universe be holding a waltz beat? How about a jazz rhythm? R&B? Pop? Country? Turns out the score has a distinctly latin flair, similar to a habanera beat.
Continue ReadingWhile Pluto may have been demoted to dwarf planet status, it seems that the little celestial body has plenty more secrets to share. A fifth moon was found during a July 7th infrared observation, using the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3.
Continue ReadingKeep brains active 30 ways this summer.
Continue ReadingMy thoughts about mermaids and Norfolk’s mermaid art got me thinking about the numerous other cities in America that have used city symbols as a vehicle for artists to show their creativity. I’ve seen them in many of the cities I’ve visited, and I know there are many more. This website attempts to keep up with community art projects worldwide. This can be a great way to explore a city you’re visiting, particularly with kids: see if the city has a map or scavenger hunt of the sculptures.
Continue ReadingThere has been a rise in speculation from the international physics community about the contents of a press conference that has been called by scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), to be held at 9am Geneva time (3am EST) on July 4, 2012. Physicists expect that the announcement will be positive proof of the Higgs boson particle and a successful mission for the team. The anticipation reached a frenzied state yesterday when scientists from the Tevatron at Fermilab in Illinois announced that they had found significant supporting evidence for the existence of the Higgs boson.
Continue ReadingLast Fall, First Lego League teams of kids ages 9-16 were challenged to research the problem of food contamination and develop solutions that would make food safer. Teams from over 60 countries then submitted their ideas which received nearly a million votes that narrowed it down to just four finalists.
Continue Reading30 summer project ideas for kids.
Continue ReadingBarbara McClintock: Nobel Prize Geneticist, a biography by Edith Hope Fine, is free on Kindle June 16 and 17.
Continue ReadingEver since becoming a writer for GeekMom, I’ve found that there are geeky gifts lurking around every corner, you just have to know YOUR geek. Read about some last minute suggestions for Father’s Day.
Continue ReadingTonight is the last time that any of us will be able to view the transit of Venus across the solar plane. The planets won’t be in such perfect alignment for another 105 years, so head outside and carefully watch the celestial bodies dance before your eyes.
Continue ReadingThe Story Collider tells personal stories of lives in science.
Continue ReadingThe United States’ Landsat Earth observing program is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. This program has allowed scientists from all over the world to observe landscape changes on a massive scale through detailed photography of the Earth’s surface. To celebrate this historic anniversary, NASA is offering the chance for six lucky members of the American public to receive a chronicle of Landsat images from the past 40 years. Learn more about Landsat and enter NASA’s contest.
Continue ReadingStephen Pakbaz has been working on a Lego 1:20 scale model replica of the Mars Curiosity rover, currently on its way to the red planet aboard the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). Would you buy scientifically accurate models? Come support this cause.
Continue ReadingOur oldest son, who’s in 3rd grade, brought home the classic “build a volcano and make it explode” class project. We started with several items that were essentially recycled: an empty soda bottle, a leftover piece of plywood for the base, a cardboard box and our old phone book. In class, the volcano was subjected to the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment to simulate an explosion. Our son told us that his volcano had the most powerful explosion in the class.
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