If someone said you could change the world, would you believe it? If you had an idea that could save countless lives, would anyone listen? Watch this talk by Jack Andraka, a teen who discovered a revolutionary way to detect certain cancers. Discover what he did, how he did it, and what it took to get people to listen.
Tag Archives: Science & Nature
Tool Use Found in Octopuses
When we think of intelligent animals, we usually think of mammals, such as dolphins and dogs. So it might be surprising to learn that a creature that seems much more primitive—the octopus—is capable of planning, strategizing, and using tools.
Your Brain Perceives Reality By Hallucinating
Are our minds playing tricks on us all the time? Click this link to watch an animated video that explains what perception and hallucination have in common.
How reintroducing wolves helped save a famous park
Wolves had been absent from Yellowstone National Park for more than 70 years when they were reintroduced in the 1990s – and their return had some surprising benefits.
Colorblind viewfinders in Virginia parks allow guests to experience fall foliage in full color
Virginia is known for its vibrant, breath-taking autumn views, but people with colorblindness were often left out from fully enjoying the scenery. That is, until one park ranger set out to make a change.
Teen is one of the first ever to get his genes edited. Why he says the process is ‘cool and freaky’
Johnny Lubin, one of the first in the world to try a new kind of medicine that uses a gene-editing tool called CRISPR to offer a potential cure for sickle cell disease.
NASA clears $5 billion Jupiter mission for launch after review of suspect transistors
Europa, one of Jupiter’s many moons, is an icy environment with a saltwater ocean beneath its surface. NASA plans to learn more about this ocean by sending the Europa Clipper into Jupiter’s orbit.
What Causes Déjà Vu?
It’s an eerie feeling: You walk into a place you know you’ve never been before but are overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity—a memory you can’t quite reach. Has this all happened before?
The sensation is known as déjà vu, and though it is hard to study, scientists are slowly figuring out why it happens.
The 10 Most Intriguing Science Breakthroughs of 2023
It’s too early to know what the greatest scientific discoveries and achievements of 2024 will be, but now that we’ve had some time to reflect on last year, here is one site’s opinion on what the Top 10 most intriguing advancements of 2023 were. Which ones do you agree with? Are there any you think should have made the list?
Scientists Say They’ve Discovered A New Human Organ
Quick! How many organs are there in the human body?
Don’t worry, I can’t remember, either. But whatever that number is, some scientists are proposing that we add one more to the list—a newly discovered system of fluid-filled tissue that goes throughout the body called the interstitium. And understanding it may open up brand-new options for treating everything from cancer to immune disorders to gum disease!
Video shows isolated Amazon tribe emerge from rain forest in Peru amid threat from loggers
Logging in the Amazon rainforest could threaten the health and wellbeing of an isolated tribe known as the Mashco Piro people.
This year’s Olympic flame isn’t a flame at all—and that’s a good thing
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris had a goal of being the most environmentally-friendly games in history. One way to meet this goal was by asking the question: “What if the Olympic flame looked like a flame, but wasn’t one?” Learn how engineers came up with the illusion at the heart of the Olympic Games
Science and Poetry: Predation or Symbiosis?
Though poets often draw on imagery from nature, science and poetry often appear to be set in opposition to each other. Can the world of facts mesh with the world of emotions? In this essay, poet and scientist Pireeni Sundaralingam analyzes the complex relationship between the two.
5 ways to face your fears through travel
By traveling to exciting new places, confronting phobias might turn into a thrilling adventure. Explore five sites people can visit to overcome fears such as heights or the dark.
Earthquakes, Megaquakes, and the Movies: Lights! Cameras! Disaster!
Tornadoes, ice ages, asteroids, megaquakes, and sometimes angry aliens: Hollywood sure enjoys disasters! Read this article about the differences between Hollywood’s view of earthquakes and the views of the scientific community. Learn the real-world science behind movie myths and mayhem.
The CIA’s Most Highly-Trained Spies Weren’t Even Human
Pigeons that guide missiles to their targets? Cats that spy on secret meetings? Trained spiders? Read this article to learn why Bob Bailey, the first director of the Navy’s dolphin training program, says he’s never found an animal he couldn’t train—and find out what his animals have been trained to do.
Toddler born deaf can hear after gene therapy trial breakthrough her parents call “mind-blowing”
Opal Sandy, a little girl born with genetic deafness, can now hear for the first time thanks to gene therapy designed to treat certain types of deafness.
Seeing things that aren’t there? It’s called pareidolia.
Have you ever looked at an electrical outlet and thought it looked like a face? Or looked at a cloud and seen a bunny rabbit? If so, you’ve experienced the phenomenon of pareidolia. But why does our mind create faces out of random shapes? Read this article to learn more.
How Retailers Are Using AI To Manipulate Consumer Shopping
Have you ever wondered why some products appear at the top or bottom of online shopping search pages? Or why some items appear twice? Or why you may see identical items with different prices? Artificial Intelligence is powering more and more online and it has a growing ability to influence consumer decisions—and to do so in ways the consumer is unaware of.
Is the Loch Ness Monster a Giant Eel?
While scientists don’t believe there is a giant monster hiding out in Loch Ness, they are considering what creatures could live there based on DNA testing.