Science Art: Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon Boie), 1898
The word “halcyon,” meaning “calm, idyllic, happy times” came from the Greek name for these little guys, who were said to bring, well, halcyon days. […]
Science
Cheaper sodium batteries are getting better.
Notebook Check reports optimistically on a vanadium battery breakthrough that stands to make sodium-ion batteries, which rely on cheap minerals, a real competitor for the […]
Ready for the next pandemic? Check with your local farmers.
KFF Health News has a not-so-cheerful outlook on the US national health services in an article about livestock farms with a headline that starts “How […]
Science Art: Andromeda Galaxy, by Isaac Roberts, 1888.
It was this photograph’s anniversary today, or so said Robert McNees, posting on Bluesky’s science-communication feed. On the 29th of December, 1888, a Welsh businessman, […]
There are amphibious mice in the Amazon.
Reuters reveals the discovery of 27 new species in the Peruvian Amazon, including a strange species of amphibious mice: Scientists also discovered a spiny mouse, […]
Mars lander following its nose
Advances in Space Research has a novel idea for a Martian lander. Instead of mapping out the likeliest landing spot from way down here on […]
Science Art: Cross Section of a Young Root, by Roman Vishniac, c. 1978.
This is an image from “the birth of photomicrography.” It’s also an image from the fondly remembered Omni magazine, an issue from 1978 which I […]
Lucid dreaming by phone
Science News shares an app created by Northwestern University neuroscientists that’s designed to cue your almost-sleeping brain to launch you into a lucid dream: Before […]
Farewell, murder hornets. We got you.
AP News reports that a particularly dramatic “invasive exotic” species – Vespa mandarinia, the Asian giant hornet, better known as the “murder hornet” – has […]
Science Art: 10,000 convex and nonconvex regular polygons, by Arthur Baelde.
This is from the “Posters about Mathematics” section of Wikimedia Commons. The description says: “For a young child, a shape can be called a square […]
How do you explain that your kid’s robot friend is dying?
Alas, poor Moxie. Aftermath is making me hope a lot of parents have found copies of The 10th Good Thing About Barney – because thanks […]
Chinese “Wheeler” security robot unveiled.
LiveScience reports on Chinese firm DEEP Robotics’ answer to Big Dog – a robot they named “Lynx” that can crawl up hills with long, jointed […]
Robot manta is faster than ever – and smooth.
NC State researchers have used the mighty manta ray as a moving inspiration to design their fastest-yet swimming soft robot: “Two years ago, we demonstrated […]
Science Art: Lindblad Travel ad, 1969.
Today, the company that produced this add is known as Lindblad Expeditions, and is so closely associated with National Geographic that it’s often known as […]
Personalities count… for wolves.
Sentient Science reports on an unexpected flaw that might interfere with human attempts to reintroduce wolves into the wilds of Colorado. The problem isn’t the […]