The tech world is advancing at a dizzying pace and the latest innovation is the use of a new laser technique that creates highly hydrophobic material. The paper that details the discovery was published in the Journal of Applied Physics. As seen in the photo, the water droplet simply slides off the material, without leaving any trace behind it, which means that the material it is on is extremely … [Read more...]
Cone Snails Attack Their Prey with Insulin Venom
A new study revealed that cone snails attack their prey with a insulin venom, a venom that has very high doses of insulin in it. Cone snails are very slow-moving creatures and this is the main reason why they’ve developed such a complex and potent venom. The insulin venom is used by cone snails on their prey, which is fish mostly. Previous studies have shown that cone snails have a very potent … [Read more...]
MIT Discovered an Easier Way to Map Brain Cells
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a new and much easier method to enlarge and to map brain cells. The method makes use of a technique called expansion microscopy and allows scientists and researchers to take high resolution photos of the brain cells so that they can recreate the functions of each and every neuron inside the human brain. Making the … [Read more...]
Mass Mortality in Animals Researched and the Results are Worrying
A new report on the study of mass mortality in animals reveals that the frequency of such events is increasing and in most cases there is no particular factor to blame, but a multitude. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles, Yale University and UC Berkley have reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences their results after careful examination of 727 animal … [Read more...]
Surreal Images of Comet Whizzing past Mars Captured by Hubble
On October 20, a comet the size of a small mountain whizzed past the Red Planet. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory captured surreal images of this once-in-a-million-years event with the help of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The comet, often referred to as Siding Spring, is a new arrival in the inner solar system. As a matter of fact, this is the comet's first orbit around the Sun. Specialists … [Read more...]
Scientists Using Satellites to Detect Underwater Mountains & Map the Ocean’s Seafloor
Scientists know more about the surface of the Red Planet than about the sea floor of our own planet. Eighty percent of our sea floor is still unmapped, but this may change in the near future. A new map that is based on untapped streams of satellite data will be available soon. This map was created by a Scripps Institution of Oceanography team. Apparently, the map built by the University of … [Read more...]
Volcano Tornadoes Filmed for the First Time in Iceland
If you thought death by lava was terrifying wait 'till you see what Iceland has in store for us. Last week, the country's stormy, cold weather combined with a smoldering volcanic eruption gave birth to an even more terrifying way to die in volcanoes: the volcano tornado. On September 4, two new lava-spouting fissures emerged in Iceland. They are visible from space. The lava erupted from the … [Read more...]