Notices by Flipboard Science Desk (sciencedesk@flipboard.social)

A homemade rocket constructed by a group of college students has smashed a series of world records after launching farther and faster into space than any amateur rocket. @LiveScience reports: https://flip.it/Tzy5KS
#Space #Science #Rockets #SpaceTravel #SpaceShips #SpaceExploration

How long is a light-year? Here are some ways to think about it.

From @Mashable: "This astronomer's unit measures distance, not time."

https://flip.it/FinBTn

#Astronomy #Space #Time #NASA #Science

Can cats associate human words with images? A study suggests they might.

From Earth.com: "The study builds upon earlier research that suggested cats could discern when humans called their names, and even recognize photos of familiar people."

https://flip.it/QEZOUD

Here's the full study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-74006-2

#Cats #Animals #Science #Pets

Climate change will continue having a major impact on the planet, but here’s one sign of how a multi-pronged approach can take some of the heat off in the future: Selectively bred corals show that it is possible to improve their heat tolerance even within a single generation. While not a panacea, selective breeding could be a tool for nature conservation. @ScienceAlert explains: https://flip.it/rePdLS
#Science #ClimateChange #MarineLife #Biology #Corals #GlobalWarming #Environment

Are neutrinos the key to communicating with aliens?

From MIT Press Reader: "While the odds are slim, neutrino technology may be the best — and perhaps only — way to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations."

https://flip.it/d4Tep3

#Space #Aliens #Extraterrestrial #Science

A U.S. park ranger wrote about a dropped Cheetos bag in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. It hit a nerve.

From @outside: "The discarded Cheetos bag attracted all sorts of flora and fauna, namely mold and bugs, and within a day of its discovery, the pile of Cheetos had become a thriving neighborhood for creepy crawlies. Poor park rangers had to spend 20 minutes cleaning up the mess."

https://flip.it/7fdAYb

#Litter #Nature #Conservation #Environment

We have some incredibly powerful telescopes that have given us spectacular views and allowed us to look back to the early days of the universe. But what if we could access an even better telescope that already exists? Using a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, it might be possible to use the sun as a gigantic telescope to peer deep into the cosmos. Space.com has more: https://flip.it/yH22Ur
#Science #Space #SpaceExploration #Sun #JWST #Telescope

The Florida grasshopper sparrow was near extinction only a few years ago. Now, there’s rekindled optimism for North America’s most endangered bird after the release of the 1,000th captive-raised sparrow into the wild. Read more from @InsideClimate: https://flip.it/gD152f
#Science #EndangeredSpecies #Animals #Birds #Birdsofmastodon

Should we think twice about fluoride?

@Vox reports: "Too much fluoride might lower IQ in kids, a new [U.S.] federal report says. The science (and debate), explained."

https://flip.it/tf4lo2

#Fluoride #IQ #Science #PublicHealth #Dental

If one of your elementary school teachers admonished you for fidgeting in your desk, maybe it was them, not you, who had the problem. According to research, misokinesia, the stressful sensations caused by seeing others fidget, affects as many as one in three people. Read about it at @ScienceAlert: https://flip.it/2UyjnJ
#Science #Psychology #Disorder #Human #Brain

For more stories on the human condition, follow @humans-ScienceAlert.

Ouch! Scientists say they've figured out which paper is most likely to give you a paper cut.

@popsci reports on the work of researchers at the Technical University of Denmark: https://flip.it/1ogFye

#PaperCut #Science #Paper #Physics

How are Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams going to get home? The question has plagued Boeing — and concerned many others in general — since the damaged ship docked at the International Space Station in mid-June, turning an eight-day flight into a monthslong epic that has left the pilots stranded. Time magazine has more, including an extreme contingency plan that would involve flying the Starliner home empty. https://flip.it/VdsmJU
#Science #Space #SpaceExploration #NASA #Boeing #ISS #Starliner

Humans know very little about the deep sea. That may not stop us from mining it. Sigh.

From @grist: "With a newly elected leader, the International Seabed Authority must decide the future of more than half of the world’s ocean floor."

https://flip.it/4KQ.Qj

#Ocean #Mining #Environment #Science #ClimateChange #FossilFuels

The American West’s megafires are silencing birds.

@grist reports: "One sound index used to monitor biodiversity fell by as much as 15 percent following particularly smoky days, according to a new study."

https://flip.it/Cec9L-

#Wildfires #Birds #ClimateChange #Climate #Biodiversity #Science

Astronomers and stargazers are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a "new" star, which will burst into view in the skies any night now. The T Coronae Borealis nova will soon appear above our heads for the first time in 78 years. Live Science has more: https://flip.it/ZkMJc8
#Science #Space #Stars #Borealis #Sky #Astronomy

Seven eruptions have taken place along Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, close to Reykjavík since 2021, giving Earth scientists the opportunity to better understand how volcanoes work — for many years to come. @ScienceAlert has more, including why the country is so volcanically active. https://flip.it/SiKelI
#Science #Geology #Iceland #Volcano

NASA’s Lunar Gateway has a big visiting vehicles problem.

From @arstechnica: "The Gateway — a small space station that will fly in a halo orbit around the Moon and spend most of its time far from the lunar surface — was initially supposed to launch in 2022."

https://flip.it/_oxs1Y

#Moon #Space #NASA #SpaceX #Science

"Sharks living off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, according to new research, the first time that the drug has been detected in free-ranging sharks."

CNN reports: "Cocaine pollutes the sea due to sewage discharges from humans who use the drug, as well as the illegal laboratories that produce it," according to researchers.

https://flip.it/Cy3mxr

#Sharks #Ocean #MarineBiology #Animals #Cocaine #Drugs #Environment #Science

Astronauts and cosmonauts have continuously occupied the International Space Station since 2000, creating a floating laboratory for scientific experimentation and more. But someday it will have to be destroyed. Science Focus tells us how NASA intends to do it: https://flip.it/BrsFtX
#Science #Space #ISS #NASA

Follow @sciencefocus for more science articles.

A 4,000-year-old Greek hilltop site mystifies archaeologists. It could spell trouble for new airport plans.

AP reports on the find "from Crete’s Minoan civilization, famous for its sumptuous palaces, flamboyant art and enigmatic writing system. Resembling a huge car wheel from above, the ruins of the labyrinthine, 1,800-square-meter (19,000-square-foot) building came to light during a recent dig by archaeologists."

https://flip.it/ZS1f60

#Archaeology #Greece #Crete #Minoan #History #Science