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Posts Tagged ‘science’

Happy 200,000th, Hubble!

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on September 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

This month marked the Hubble telescope’s 200,000 orbit around Earth. That’s a lot of laps!

NASA marks Hubble’s 200,000th orbit around Earth with a stunning image

Hubble has been operating in space for more than 36 years and is still making discoveries. The space agency noted that the telescope has traveled over 5 billion miles around Earth during its lifetime and has made more than 1.7 million total observations. 

Click through to the article and the related NASA links to see an image of (checks notes) galaxy cluster MACS J0417, taken the day Hubble crossed that milestone. Here’s to science!

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Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash

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Pearls of Wisdom

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 19, 2026| 3 Comments »

I think this application of language to science is really cool, and speaks to the layered memories that are built by each successive generation, if only we know where to look.

Lost oyster beds rediscovered thanks to Gaelic and Scots language

“We thought that as native oysters are now really rare throughout Europe, is there a way to look where they used to be, using people’s memory and understanding – that can come through place names.”

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Photo by Moon Moons on Unsplash

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The Sound of Other Worlds

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »

It’s a beautiful day here, all blue fall skies and fluffy white clouds, and birds singing in the back yard. What, one might wonder, did the landscape sound like in eons past? Before technology? Even before humans? 

There are still a lot of questions to answer, particularly about dinosaurs and other creatures with soft tissue that has not traveled to us through time, but insects? That, we now have a better handle on.

What Did Jurassic Forests Sound Like? Like This.

Scientists spent over a decade reconstructing the calls of nine species of ancient insects to create the first accurate Jurassic soundscape.

Something to think about if you are a writer building a soundscape for your world. And having spent much of the weekend with mosquitoes buzzing in my ears, I can only say that insects certainly can make an impression!

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Photo by George Patient on Unsplash

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Going Bananas

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on September 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

What Happens When You Put an AI-Powered Banana Casino in a Monkey Reserve?

The team started by building a homebrew AI-powered facial recognition program called CapuchinAI. They then installed it on a computer outfitted with a camera and touchscreen, loaded it in a protective DIY box, and included a dispenser to dole out dried forest banana slices. When CapuchinAI detects a monkey’s face, the touchscreen turns on. If the monkey triggers it, the machine dispenses a tasty banana slice. Simple as that. 

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Photo by matthew Feeney on Unsplash

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For Those Who Like Sci in Their Fi

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 20, 2026| 1 Comment »

Do you like your fiction with a whole lot of responsibly deployed science? Seven Rasmussen, astrobiologist and author, has some suggestions for you! 

An Astrobiologist’s Guide to the Best Sci-Fi Reads

Flex your mantle cavities over here, because I’m going to tell you about my favorite books and the science in them, from the astrophysics of Gideon the Ninth to the evolutionary biology of Children of Time. Please bear in mind that my choices (in no particular order, mind you), while they are technically opinion, they are absolutely correct, written in stone, and enforceable by federal law.

In case your to-be-read list needs a bit of a boost:)

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Photo by Daniel Joshua on Unsplash

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Encounter with Mars

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on August 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday we flew to the Moon, so today what say we go to Mars? 

Created from thousands of images, the sequence begins with Mars as a small crescent in the distance. During close approach on May 15, the Red Planet’s cratered surface fills the imager instrument’s field of view. As the spacecraft departs Mars, the changing perspective reveals the planet’s icy south pole.   

Want to learn more about the mission? Here’s an article from NASA:

NASA’s Psyche Mission Delivers Mars Flyby Data, Time-lapse Video

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Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

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Double the Fun!

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on July 17, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A friend who knows I like rainbows and Star Wars sent this my way, and it is fascinating!

In case you’ve ever wondered what difference two suns would make:)

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Double rainbow but only one sun. Photo by Coralie Meurice on Unsplash

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Waxing Poetic

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on July 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

We recently spent some time on the road, and drove through some fascinating geology. I had a professor once who was known to wax poetic about highway road cuts, and he wasn’t wrong. Millennia of geological processes are exposed to the light. It got me thinking about geology in general and rocks in particular.

Here’s a general introduction that emphasizes the connection of geology to everything from plate tectonics to the location of our cities:

I’d rather have polished stones from my local highway than diamonds, actually. And for fun, here’s a video on labradorite, a very pretty example of Earth’s stone modification skills:

Thanks for taking us to the Geology Department open house that one time, Dad. I still remember the rock polishing demonstration:)

And if you have a moment next time you’re on the road, watch the road cuts as you go by. Earth’s secrets are out there, waiting for you.

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Photo by Brian Cornelius on Unsplash

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The 99%

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on July 8, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Another fun astronomy fact today (and for many other days!).

99% of people on Earth will get sunlight at the same time this Wednesday

On July 8, at about 11:10 GMT, about 99 percent of the world experiences sunlight at the same time.

That is pretty cool!

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Photo by Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash

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Hello Helios

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on July 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Apologies for being ever so slightly behind the times on this, but we just (as in yesterday!) experienced aphelion. That’s right, on June July* 6th at 1:30pm EDT, the Earth and all of its inhabitants (that’s us!) were 152,087,775 kilometers or 94,502,962 miles away from our favorite life-giving ball of fire.

Perihelion and Aphelion 2026

The Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical path, which means that there is one point on the path closest to the Sun and one point that is farthest away from the Sun.

And in case you were wondering: Aphelion: Earth is as far away from the sun as it ever gets. So why is it so hot?

(* edited because it’s July now, somehow; catch up, brain! And on a related “really far away from the Sun” note, we just watched Project Hail Mary and thoroughly enjoyed it:) 

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Photo by Andrey Câmara on Unsplash

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