Category: Science

2020 Presidential Election Climate Change Culture Jay Inslee Science

Washington governor Jay Inslee is running in 2020 as the first climate change candidate

sudshr47 March 1, 2019

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The Democratic field in 2020 got a little more crowded — and someone is finally putting climate change center stage.

Washington governor Jay Inslee announced on Friday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president. But what really sets Inslee apart is his  commitment to being the climate change candidate. In fact, Inslee seems to be the first major candidate in U.S. history to make climate change his main platform for running. 

The main mission statement on Inslee’s campaign website is all about climate change, but it also illustrates how it can affect a large range of other issues, including the economy and national security. Read more…

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commercial spaceflight Nasa Science Space Spacex

Ripley, the SpaceX test dummy, is buckled in and ready for launch

sudshr47 March 1, 2019

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Space travel is set to take a pivotal step forward this weekend.

SpaceX, in the first test demonstration of a commercial crew capsule designed to eventually send astronauts to the International Space Station, plans to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft on Saturday, March 2, at 2:49 a.m. ET, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

The commercial spaceflight company has worked closely with NASA engineers to design a capsule that meets the agency’s rigorous safety standards. This six-day mission — which carries along a test dummy covered in sensors, nicknamed Ripley — endeavors to blast into space, attach to the space station, and then parachute back down to Earth.  Read more…

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March Mindfulness meditation Mindfulness Science Silicon Valley

How ‘neurosculpting’ can train your brain

sudshr47 March 1, 2019

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March Mindfulness is our new series that examines the explosive growth in mindfulness and meditation technology — culminating in Mashable’s competitive meditation bracket contest. Because March shouldn’t be all madness.

Having sliced open my skull Hannibal Lecter style, I removed the familiar folded lump of still-pulsing pink matter — brains only turn gray when they die — and placed it on a wooden workbench. After massaging it for a while, I picked up a steak knife and started slicing neatly between the hemispheres like I’m on a cooking show. Wait, that couldn’t be good.

“Stop!” my sleeping mind screamed at the image. “What are you thinking?” Read more…

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Bio Biotech infrared nanoparticles nanotech Science

A nanoparticle injection is all it takes to let these mice see in infrared

sudshr47 February 28, 2019

I know it’s everyone’s dream to see outside the wavelengths allotted to our visual systems. Well, as usual, mice have gotten there first, with the help of some clever scientists. By injecting specialized light-tweaking nanoparticles into a mouse’s retina, that mouse is suddenly and clearly able to perceive near-infrared light — suggesting the same could be possible for us, assuming you don’t mind a needle in the eye.

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D Wave D-Wave Systems developer tools IBM quantum computing Quantum Mechanics quantum supremacy qubit Rigetti Rigetti Computing Science simulation TC

D-Wave announces its next-gen quantum computing platform

sudshr47 February 27, 2019

D-Wave, the well-funded quantum computing company, today announced its next-gen quantum computing platform with 5,000 qubits, up from 2,000 in the company’s current system. The new platform will come to market in mid-2020. The company’s new so-called Pegasus topology connects every qubit to 15 other qubits, up from six in its current topology. With this, […]

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Amputees artificial limbs EPFL Gadgets Hardware Health medtech prosthesis Prosthetics robotics Science TC

Prototype prosthesis proffers proper proprioceptive properties

sudshr47 February 27, 2019

Researchers have created a prosthetic hand that offers its users the ability to feel where it is and how the fingers are positioned — a sense known as proprioception. The headline may be in jest, but the advance is real and may help amputees more effectively and naturally use their prostheses.

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Dna Test Mashable Shopping National-Geographic Science Shopping Amazon

Save $62 on the National Geographic DNA test kit on Amazon — it’s on sale for less than $40

sudshr47 February 26, 2019

Discovering your ancestry and your family roots just might be the key to unlocking who you are and where you came from. Tools like the National Geographic DNA Test Kit can help you on your path to self-discovery and it’s now on sale for just $37.99, …

View More Save $62 on the National Geographic DNA test kit on Amazon — it’s on sale for less than $40
Climate Climate Change cloud Global Warming GreenTech Science simulations Weather

Climate change kills off clouds over the ocean in new simulation

sudshr47 February 25, 2019

We all know climate change is affecting weather systems and ecosystems around the world, but exactly how and in what way is still a topic of intense study. New simulations made possible by higher-powered computers suggest that cloud cover over oceans may die off altogether once a certain level of CO2 has been reached, accelerating warming and contributing to a vicious cycle.

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Gadgets Hardware Mobile Science Space TC

Ubiquitilink advance means every phone is now a satellite phone

sudshr47 February 25, 2019

Last month I wrote about Ubiquitilink, which promised, through undisclosed means, to provide a sort of global satellite-based roaming service. But how, I asked? (Wait, they told me.) Turns out our phones are capable of a lot more than we think: they can reach satellites acting as cell towers in orbit just fine, and the company just proved it.

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Moon Science Space Spacex Tech

SpaceX launches moon lander, lands booster despite tough conditions

sudshr47 February 22, 2019

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SpaceX had another successful launch on Thursday night, despite some tough conditions.

Its Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where a trio of spacecraft, including a moon lander, came along for the ride.

Lift off took place at 8:45 p.m. ET, at the beginning of the 32-minute launch window.

Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/Cd8nGQwrhd

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 22, 2019

Bad weather threatened the recovery of the first-stage booster, but after 8-and-a-half minutes following launch, the booster successfully landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Read more…

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Carbon Dioxide Climate Change Global Warming Plants Science

Trump’s climate expert is wrong: The world’s plants don’t need more CO2

sudshr47 February 22, 2019

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Plants on Earth have flourished for hundreds of millions of years, yet President Donald Trump’s pick to lead his new climate team insists that they need more carbon dioxide to thrive.

Princeton physicist and carbon dioxide-advocate William Happer has been selected to head the brand new Presidential Committee on Climate Security, reports The Washington Post. The atomic scientist — who achieved recognition for his work on atomic collisions and telescope optics, not climate science — maintains that the planet’s atmosphere needs significantly more CO2, the potent greenhouse gas that U.S. government scientists — and a bevy of independent scientists — have repeatedly underscored is stoking accelerating climate change. Read more…

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