Saturday, October 15, 2022

'Bit of Panic': Astronomers Forced to Rethink Early JWST Findings

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October 14, 2022

Astronomy

'Bit of Panic': Astronomers Forced to Rethink Early JWST Findings

Revised calibrations for the James Webb Space Telescope's instruments are bedeviling researchers studying the distant universe

By Alexandra Witze,Nature magazine

Neurology

A Supersmeller Can Detect the Scent of Parkinson's, Leading to an Experimental Test for the Illness

This Scottish woman's hypersensitive nose picked up a chemical signature of Parkinson's disease that has been used to develop a skin-swab diagnostic

By Diana Kwon

Health Care

This Indigenous Scientist Helped Save Lives as COVID Devastated the Navajo Nation

Crystal Lee grew up the granddaughter of Navajo medicine men. As COVID wreaked havoc on her community, she decided to act

By Tulika Bose

Climate Change

Greenland Is Disappearing Quickly, and Scientists Have Found a New Reason Why

Meltwater from Greenland churns the ocean, speeding the loss of glaciers like stirring ice cubes in a glass of water

By Chelsea Harvey,E&E News

Cancer

Engineering the Treatment of Early-Stage Lung Cancer [SPONSORED]

Early-stage lung cancers are not only difficult to diagnose—they've also proved difficult to curatively treat.

By Scientific American Custom Media | 06:03

Conservation

These Technologies Help You Live Lightly on a Fragile Planet

Ecologically and socially friendly "convivial technologies" help Earth and us

By Anitra Nelson,Vincent Liegey

Planetary Science

DART's Smashing Success Shows Humanity Can Divert Asteroids

NASA confirms that its DART spacecraft nudged the asteroid Dimorphos into a new orbit

By Rahul Rao,Nature magazine

Epidemiology

How the Pandemic Shortened Life Expectancy and New Drugs on the Horizon: COVID, Quickly, Episode 40

In this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about why we've had years shaved off our average collective life since 2020. Also, we talk about "mabs" and why you might want to know what they are.

By Josh Fischman,Tanya Lewis,Jeffery DelViscio | 07:43

Planetary Science

Jupiter's Ocean Moon Europa Is Ready for Its Close-up

Fresh data from the Juno probe's flyby of Europa could help scientists learn whether this icy moon of Jupiter is habitable—or even inhabited

By Daniel Leonard

Climate Change

U.S. Secretary of the Interior: Satellites Will Help Us Fight Climate Change

As USGS takes over operations of a Landsat satellite, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland explains how the data gathered will help the Biden administration's climate change plans

By Deb Haaland

Anthropology

Desecrated Human Skulls Are Being Sold on Social Media in U.K.'s Unregulated Bone Trade

The human remains trade is thriving on Facebook and Instagram

By Patrick Pester,LiveScience

Reproduction

Male Birth Control Is in Development, but Barriers Still Stand in the Way

A scientist who has been developing male birth control since the 1970s says safe, reversible and affordable options are possible

By Christina Chung-Lun Wang,The Conversation US
BRING SCIENCE HOME
Diapers: What Keeps Babies and Astronauts from Springing a Leak?

The secret of the vanishing water: How does chemistry help seal away water in diapers and other absorptive products? Try this gooey science activity and find out!  Credit: George Retseck 

When we think about diapers we usually think about babies. But did you know that astronauts also have to wear diapers sometimes? Astronaut "diapers" are called maximum absorbency garments (MAGs), and astronauts wear them when they have to stay sealed in their spacesuits for long periods of time, such as during spacewalks or when their spacecraft leave orbit to reenter the atmosphere to return home.

For babies and astronauts, the most important thing for a diaper is to prevent leaks. But did you ever wonder how a disposable diaper actually works? What's inside the diaper that allows it to absorb all that wet stuff without making a mess? In this activity we're going to explore the substance in diapers that allows them to stay leak-free—in a cradle and in outer space!

Try This Experiment
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Scientist Pankaj

Today in Science: Humans think unbelievably slowly

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