Kate Rauner's Blog, page 3

Function Meets Fashion on the Moon

“A sleek-looking space suit is the product of a multi-year partnership between the Italian fashion brand Prada and American space infrastructure company Axiom.” Popular Science I realize NASA’s space suits have come a long way since Apollo. The classic lunar bunny-hop is about stiff suits as well as low gravity. If I were about to […]

That’s a Telescope?! #astronomy #SETI

If you’re expecting mirrors and lenses, or big dishes, this may confuse you.The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Western Australia is searching for signs of alien technology in galaxies beyond our own, focusing on low radio frequencies (100 MHz). Yes – galaxies beyond the Milky Way. This innovative study used the MWA’s large field of […]

Imaginative sci-fi story I

What Color is Your Hydrogen? #climatechange #alternativeenergy

Hydrogen is the most common element in the galaxy – our Sun is 92% hydrogen. But here on Earth? Hydrogen is so reactive, if the molecule does form, it won’t hang around for long. The only way to prepare hydrogen for use as a fuel is electrolysis of water in something as clean as lab […]

Deep ocean oxygen, not from plants! #ocean #science #lifesciences

Thousands of feet below the Pacific Ocean’s waves, scientists made a discovery so startling, they thought their equipment was broken. They detected the production of oxygen. Oxygen without any plants or any photosynthesis, because the ocean is so deep, sunlight never penetrates. The surprising biodiversity in this site was thought to survive on oxygenated water […]

What Do You See? #haiku #poetry #sciku

To stellar grandeur, Meteors show no respect – Dominate the sky.

Deadly Virus Killing Elephants, But Now There’s Hope #biology #vaccine #HoustonZoo

At the Houston Zoo, a devastating viral disease was killing young elephants. Keepers barely had time to react, because the animal could be dead a few days after showing symptoms. It started in 2008 for Houston, but: The disease, which can result in severe hemorrhaging and is fatal as often as 80 percent of the […]

Once-in-a-Lifetime? Hope It Doesn’t Fizzle #NASA #astronomy

The popular press is know for overblown hype, but I found this story on NASA too. Sometime between now and September, scientists expect a nova explosion in Corona Borealis. The constellation is also called the Northern Crown – sorry, those of you down under. This is a rare repeating nova: The first recorded sighting of […]

Evolution – Observed

One of the rarest of all evolutionary events has been observed. We multi-celled creatures owe our existence to some fairly odd-sounding events in the distant past. Endosymbiosis (what a great term) refers to one microbe engulfing another, but instead of digesting it, incorporating it into itself and its future generations. [This is] how our cells […]

Do you know this piece of lunar history? #spacehistory

I recently visited the best space museum I’ve ever seen – a place where you’re nose to nose with spacecraft that actually flew. Space-ready engines and an entire Titan rocket too. Replicas, like the Wright Brothers’ first airplane, are accurate enough to fly. The picture below features a reconstruction of the Kitty Hawk Flier that […]