Tag: science
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Interview with Joanne Manaster – a multipassionate scientist
Joanne Manaster is a cell and molecular biology lecturer at the University of Illinois. She currently works as an online course developer and lecturer of science courses for the School of Integrative Biology. Prior to this current position, Joanne has taught histology, cell biology, and tissue engineering laboratories to biology and bioengineering students for nearly 20…
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A Secret Code to the Cosmos is Hidden in the Light
Are you watching the new Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey – the scientific documentary television series? I am, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it! The series is a follow-up to the 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which was presented by Carl Sagan. The all new Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey science documentary consists of thirteen episodes…
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The Science of Translation
Language is a fascinating and complex part of human society. Not even the most esteemed linguists can put a number on how many languages there are in the world – not to mention the various dialects within those languages (Linguistic Society, 2014). What’s most interesting – and what poses the biggest challenges for translators –…
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The Highlights of 2013
This year our writers churned out a host of fantastic articles, including a series of posts dedicated to women in space, written by Sharon Harnett. One of the most notable of the series was all about Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman astronaut. This year was the 50th anniversary of her historic spaceflight. We also had…
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The Future of Fertility Treatment: Advanced Embryo Selection
It is incredible just how far science and technology have come over the last few decades. In the past, men and women with fertility problems had very few options. Nowadays, there are more options than ever before and fertility treatments are becoming increasingly advanced and reliable. The latest breakthrough in fertility treatments is here in…
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Weekly Science Picks
Hello everyone. I hope you’ve all had a good week! It’s a balmy Autumn evening here in the UK where I sit as I write this – and I must say, this week’s science picks include something quite historic… Anyone with half an eye on the science news recently should know by now that it’s…
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The Best of Australian Science: August 2013
This month, we’d like to welcome our new writer Buddhini Samarasinghe, who is a molecular biologist, with experience in cancer research. Some of her upcoming stories will be bringing us fascinating contributions about the molecular mechanisms of cancers. As well, here is our usual monthly roundup. A wonderful variety of science and technology stories, covering…
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Weekly Science Picks
Welcome to this edition of Weekly Science Picks. What a busy news week – with the markets up, the transportation incidents with planes and trains, major flooding in China…well, there’s been a lot going on. And there were numerous stories of scientific importance reported on as well. So I’ve listed the stories I’ve found significant…
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Weekly Science Picks
A happy Science Sunday to everyone! As usual there’s been a lot happening in the world of science, so lets take a peek of the most interesting picks for the past week! Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) to launch! At the end of this month, NASA will launch IRIS. IRIS will watch the Sun and…
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Wind power: renewable energy for the cities of the future
Renewable energy? I’m a big fan! Unfortunately, so are modern wind turbines, which are the subject of intense arguments and criticism despite their many benefits. However, this view might be changed somewhat, by a new innovation by Farzad Safaei at the University of Wollongong (UOW) – a new type of wind turbine known as PowerWINDows. I’m…
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Seriously, NAPLAN to include Science?
In the last few weeks in Australian politics there have been critical discussions regarding the inclusion of science in NAPLAN (the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy). Without entering too much into the debate regarding the reported advantages or disadvantages of NAPLAN, it is heartening to hear that science is at the forefront of political…
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Weekly Science Picks
It’s been rather a turbulent week, all told. There’s been a lot going on in the news, both good and bad. Hopefully, this little handful of science news items will help you finish the last week and begin this next one on a lighthearted note! NASA’s Kepler mission has found a star system which…
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Postcard from Spitzer: weather on 2M2228 is hot and cloudy
Long distance weather reports are now a commonality. The report for 2MASSJ22282889-431026 is somewhat unusual. It forecasts wind-driven, planet-sized clouds, with the light varying in time, brightening and dimming about every 90 minutes. The clouds on 2MASSJ22282889-431026 are composed of hot grains of sand, liquid drops of iron, and other exotic compounds. Definitely not the first…
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Climate Change, Resilience, Communication
Climate Change Last week I listened to a webinar on climate change discussing findings of the draft report from the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee. Not much has changed from the year 2000 report, or the 2009 report. Well, a few changes: the science has improved, climate change is now being stated directly…