Debriefs

Mars

MARS Perseverance Rover Reveals Key Discoveries

Christopher Plain·
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has made some exciting new discoveries, offering even more clues to the red planet’s complex, watery past. Plus, mission scientists say, these new discoveries will help direct the planned Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission planned for the...
cats

Is Your Cat Really Just a Psychopath?

Christopher Plain·
Your cat is most definitely a psychopath. At least, that’s what researchers behind a new study have determined. Plus, those same researchers have developed a questionnaire that can help you determine just how psychopathic your own cat is. BACKGROUND: PSYCHOPATHIC...
NASA app

New 3D NASA App Shows All Near Earth Objects

Christopher Plain·
A new app released by the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) provides users a unique tour of the varied array of space rocks known as Near Earth objects (NEOs) currently surrounding our planet. The 3D real-time visualization tool’s developers...
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...