Christopher Plain, Author at The Debrief

NASA Video Animates Space Laser Communication System

Christopher Plain·December 6, 2021

A November, 2021 video animation from NASA shows how their soon to be launched demonstrator spacecraft will test...

Researchers Achieve Mind Control Using Only Light

Christopher Plain·December 3, 2021

A form of mind control using only the power of light has been developed by a team of...

Venus Phosphine Signal Confirmed by Original Team

Christopher Plain·December 3, 2021

A year after the discovery of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus, a signal many believe could...

Tess Finds Mars-Sized Planet That is Dense as Iron

Find May Point to Entire System of Habitable Exoplanets

Christopher Plain·December 3, 2021

Researchers using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have discovered a relatively nearby (at least in astronomical terms)...

Bird-Like Robotic Claw Lets Drones Perch & Snare Prey

Christopher Plain·December 2, 2021

Researchers have developed a bird-like robotic claw and leg assembly that allows drones to land and perch on...

Twitter Users Best at Resisting Conspiracy Theories

Christopher Plain·December 2, 2021

A new study looking into the influence of social media on the spread of conspiracy theories found that...

Mysterious Area in Space Causes Spacecraft to Slow Down

Christopher Plain·December 2, 2021

A mysterious area of outer space directly above the Earth’s atmosphere causes spacecraft to slow down, and researchers...

Europa Becomes Next Target in NASA’s Hunt for Life

Christopher Plain·December 1, 2021

NASA’s hunt for extraterrestrial life has a new target, Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. According to researchers involved, a...

Engineers Study Friction to Make Floors Less Slippery

Christopher Plain·December 1, 2021

A pair of engineers from the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is delving deep into the science of friction,...

Pair of Supermassive Black Holes Closest to Earth

Christopher Plain·December 1, 2021

Astronomers have spotted a pair of supermassive black holes that are not only huge, but are also the...

Earth ‘On Course’ for Saturn-Like Ring of Space Junk

Christopher Plain·November 30, 2021

Space Junk is filling Earth’s orbit so rapidly that one researcher recently said he believes we are on...

Time Travel May be Possible Inside the Quantum Realm

Christopher Plain·November 30, 2021

Time travel may be possible after all, particularly in the quantum realm. And based on recently published research,...

TRAPPIST-1 Exoplnets’ Orbital Harmony May Aid Habitability

Christopher Plain·November 30, 2021

The orbital harmony of the seven exoplanets spotted in the TRAPPIST-1 star system may indicate that they endured...

Deep Red Light May Improve Naturally Declining Sight

Christopher Plain·November 30, 2021

Exposure to deep red light at the proper wavelength appears to dramatically improve naturally declining eyesight. And, the...

New Telescope to Search Alpha Centauri for ET’s Home

Christopher Plain·November 30, 2021

A new telescope will search Alpha Centauri, Earth’s closest stellar neighbor, for planets capable of supporting extraterrestrial life

“Super Jelly” Can Survive Elephant Stomp and Retain Shape

Christopher Plain·November 29, 2021

Researchers have developed a new type of hydrogel called “super jelly” that can withstand the crushing impact of...

First Handheld Railgun Matches 22 Rifle’s Power

Christopher Plain·November 29, 2021

The world’s first commercially available handheld railgun is now available for preorder. And according to the company selling...

Astrology Believers Less Intelligent and More Narcissistic

Christopher Plain·November 29, 2021

New research has shown that people who believe in astrology, or the idea that the movement of celestial...

Coffee May Help Prevent Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

Christopher Plain·November 26, 2021

According to a recent study, daily coffee consumption may help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and other...

How Much Oxygen is Already on the Moon?

Analysis Shows There May Be Enough to Support Earth’s Entire Population for 100,000 Years

Christopher Plain·November 26, 2021

How much oxygen is on the moon, you may ask? A recent analysis indicates that the top layer of rock and dirt, known as regolith, that covers the Moon’s entire surface has more than you probably think.

Videos Show What Happens if You Enter a Black Hole

Christopher Plain·November 25, 2021

What happens when you enter a black hole? It is a question posed by scientists and science fiction writers alike, but not one that can be easily tested in the real world.

Flying Saucer For One Only Weeks Away from Its First Flight

Christopher Plain·November 25, 2021

A flying saucer for one is being tested on tethers, and is only weeks away from its first free flight.

Canadians Hate Thanksgiving

And Four Other Bizarre Things I’ve Learned While Working at The Debrief

Christopher Plain·November 24, 2021

Christopher Plain celebrates Thanksgiving, Canadians, and four other bizarre things he has learned over the last year while working here at The Debrief.

Octopus Inspired Adaptive Camouflage Driven by Light

Christopher Plain·November 23, 2021

Researchers have developed an adaptive camouflage inspired by the natural hiding ability of cephalopods, which includes squids and...

Volcanic Winter Added To Massive Extinction Event

Christopher Plain·November 23, 2021

A prolonged “volcanic winter” caused by millions of tons of ash launched into the Earth’s atmosphere likely contributed...

NASA Wants Battelle to Put a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon

Christopher Plain·November 23, 2021

NASA wants Battelle to put a fission based nuclear reactor on the moon, and is asking anyone and...

New Propulsion System Flies in Space

Christopher Plain·November 22, 2021

A new propulsion system that uses electric power and iodine to create thrust has been successfully tested in...

Most Rocky Exoplanets are Probably Nothing Like Earth

But They Are Still the Best Places to Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Christopher Plain·November 22, 2021

Rocky exoplanets are widely considered the best places to search for extraterrestrial life. However, a first of its...

Four Legged Snake is a Fake

Christopher Plain·November 22, 2021

A fossil of a four-legged snake initially thought to be an evolutionary missing link has turned out to...

Invasion Scientists Sound Alarm on Planetary Biosecurity

Potential Contamination of Earth from Extraterrestrial Environments Seen as Existential Threat

Christopher Plain·November 18, 2021

Invasion scientists concerned about the threat of potentially invasive microbiological organisms from somewhere other than Earth have written...

Can Psychedelic Mushrooms Reduce Alcohol Cravings?

Christopher Plain·November 18, 2021

A new study looking into potential treatments for alcohol use disorder has shown that psilocybin, the active compound...

Theory Says Black Holes May Offer Space/Time Shortcut

Christopher Plain·November 18, 2021

Black holes may indeed be shortcuts through space and time, just like science fiction always promised. And unlike...

Mysterious Sonic Boom Heard Over Southern California

First thought to be an Earthquake, the window-rattling boom was most likely a test flight of an undisclosed military aircraft.

Christopher Plain·November 17, 2021

A mysterious sonic boom rattled residents in parts of coastal Southern California on Monday, leading many to believe...

Grandmas Really Are The Best Finally Proven By Science

Christopher Plain·November 17, 2021

Grandmas really are the best! And scientists were able to prove it by scanning the brains of grandmothers...

Using Cannabis During Pregnancy May Give Children Stress

“Hey mom, your pot smoking is LITERALLY stressing me out!”

Christopher Plain·November 16, 2021

According to a new study, moms who use cannabis during pregnancy may inadvertently predispose their unborn children to...

Colonists in Off-World Simulations Show Independence

Christopher Plain·November 16, 2021

Colonists living in a pair of off-world simulations designed to mimic life on Mars and other potentially habitable...

Space Travelers Might Use Mushrooms as Radiation Shields

Christopher Plain·November 16, 2021

Space travelers and off-world colonists may use mushrooms as radiation shields thanks to a special type of fungus...

Next Supervolcano Eruption Might Happen Without Warning

Christopher Plain·November 15, 2021

The next time a supervolcano eruption pours enough ash into the atmosphere to alter the Earth’s climate, humanity...

International Space Station Moves to Avoid Collision with Exploded Satellite

Christopher Plain·November 15, 2021

The crew of the International Space Station (ISS) fired maneuvering rockets last week to avoid being struck by...

Paralyzed Mice Walk Again Thanks to New Drug

Christopher Plain·November 15, 2021

In a medical first, paralyzed mice with a “severe spinal cord injury” have regained the ability to walk....

Near-earth asteroid may be broken off chunk of the moon

Christopher Plain·November 12, 2021

A team of astronomers believe that a near earth asteroid could actually be a lost fragment of Earth’s...

Can Kinetic Launch Send Satellites to Space without Bulky Rockets?

Christopher Plain·November 12, 2021

A Pentagon sponsored launch services company has completed the first successful test of their kinetic launch system. Designed...

Penis Worms Unseat Hermit Crabs as First to Live “Hermit Life”

Christopher Plain·November 12, 2021

Sorry hermit crabs, but you weren’t the first to steal other folk’s discarded homes and make them your...

Researchers Merge AI with Brain Stimulation to Dramatically Boost Mental Function

Novel Process May Lead to Treatments for Severe Mental Illness

Christopher Plain·November 11, 2021

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School working with specialists from Massachusetts General Hospital have demonstrated that...

Tatooine exoplanet orbiting two suns, Tatooine-style planet, Star Wars-style planet

Astronomers Develop Technique to Spot Exoplanets Orbiting Two Suns

Christopher Plain·November 11, 2021

A team of astronomers has developed a new technique designed to quickly and accurately identify exoplanets orbiting two...

Alternative Propulsion Conference to Showcase Live “Anti-Gravity” Experiments

The Three Day In-Person Event Features Livestream on Saturday, November 13th

Christopher Plain·November 11, 2021

The Alternative Propulsion Energy Conference (APEC) will livestream a range of anti-gravity related experiments online this Saturday, November...

New NASA Video Highlights How Often Asteroids Hit Earth

Christopher Plain·November 10, 2021

After an asteroid the size of a small refrigerator recently whipped by Earth at an altitude of only...

New Exoplanet Hunting Tool Begins Search for Alien Worlds

Supercomputer Based System Uses Advanced Spectroscopy to Spot Earth Sized Planets

Christopher Plain·November 10, 2021

A new instrument named NEID, the NN-explore Exoplanet Investigations with Doppler spectroscopy, has come online, providing a powerful...

Nuclear Fusion Researchers Record Highest Output Level Yet

Approximately 2/3 the Input Energy this Latest Result is a Massive Increase Over Previous Records

Christopher Plain·November 10, 2021

Nuclear Fusion researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory working in the National Ignition Facility have recorded the...

“Critical to Life” Signs of Water Found in Distant Galaxy

Christopher Plain·November 9, 2021

Researchers studying the galaxy SPT0311-58, which is over 12.8 billion light years away, say they have found signs...