Debriefs

DNA

Storing Information in DNA Takes Huge Leap Forward

Christopher Plain·
Researchers say they have created a dramatically more efficient means of storing information within DNA than those currently available, potentially 100 times more. Such a breakthrough is significant, the researchers say, because storing information within DNA is much more robust...
nasa video

NASA Video Animates Space Laser Communication System

Christopher Plain·
A November, 2021 video animation from NASA shows how their soon to be launched demonstrator spacecraft will test laser communications in space, both between two satellites as well as between the International Space Station and Earth. Dubbed the “Laser Communications...
handheld railgun

First Handheld Railgun Matches 22 Rifle’s Power

Christopher Plain·
The world’s first commercially available handheld railgun is now available for preorder. And according to the company selling the first of its kind portable electric cannon, the muzzle velocity and projectile power is comparable to many 22 caliber rifles. BACKGROUND:...
adaptive camouflage octopus

Octopus Inspired Adaptive Camouflage Driven by Light

Christopher Plain·
Researchers have developed an adaptive camouflage inspired by the natural hiding ability of cephalopods, which includes squids and octopi.  And, the researchers behind the achievement note, their system requires no external sensors, stimuli or power systems, but functions using only...
Volcanic Winter

Volcanic Winter Added To Massive Extinction Event

Christopher Plain·
A prolonged “volcanic winter” caused by millions of tons of ash launched into the Earth’s atmosphere likely contributed to the largest mass extinction event since the dinosaurs. Known as the End-Permian-Mass-Extinction event, or EMPE, which occurred about 250 million years...
four legged snake

Four Legged Snake is a Fake

Christopher Plain·
A fossil of a four-legged snake initially thought to be an evolutionary missing link has turned out to be an entirely different animal altogether. Researchers had long expected to find a fossil of the theoretical evolutionary step from lizards to...
reduce alcohol cravings

Can Psychedelic Mushrooms Reduce Alcohol Cravings?

Christopher Plain·
A new study looking into potential treatments for alcohol use disorder has shown that psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, can reduce alcohol cravings in alcohol addicted lab rats. Specifically, the research team conducting the study found that the...
Mysterious Sonic Boom

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·
A mysterious sonic boom rattled residents in parts of coastal Southern California on Monday, leading many to believe they had experienced an earthquake. Reports of the shaking and rattling reached California Technical Institute (Caltech) seismologists who check for earthquakes, but...
Colonists in Off-World Simulations

Colonists in Off-World Simulations Show Independence

Christopher Plain·
Colonists living in a pair of off-world simulations designed to mimic life on Mars and other potentially habitable environments reduced their communication frequency with mission control over time, signaling a growing independence from Earth. This reduction in total communications also resulted...
Paralyzed Mice Walk Again

Paralyzed Mice Walk Again Thanks to New Drug

Christopher Plain·
In a medical first, paralyzed mice with a “severe spinal cord injury” have regained the ability to walk. The startling outcome is thanks to a new drug developed by researchers at Northwestern University, who hope to approach the Food and...