The Finch That Lost Its Way … And Started Its Own Species
Lost at sea for he couldn’t remember how long, our protagonist found refuge on the island of Daphne Major amongst the Galapagos island chain. It was the late 1970s and he had traveled nearly 100 kilometers to his destination. Without the ability to get home, he didn’t despair, rather, he assimilated with the locals. In only three...
Thanksgiving Survival Guide: Be the Cornerstone of Conversation
Ah, the holiday season. The time of the year when you’re obligated to spend time with your pretentious cousin who studied abroad in Spain and never lets you forget it. Or maybe it’s your father-in-law who’s always asking about your future career plans (spoiler alert: he’ll be dissatisfied with anything but ‘doctor’ or...
Carl Sagan Day, the best day in the cosmos? We think so
Today, November 9th, is officially Carl Sagan Day! In honor of the holiday, we’ve decided to take a quick look at the famous astronomer, cosmologist, and author’s life as well as some of his most memorable quotes. Carl Sagan's contribution to science, astronomy, and technology has been crucial for human innovation, we have a lot...
Interstellar Asteroid Takes Detour Through Our Solar System On Cosmic Road Trip
This week, astronomers observed a small asteroid speed past the sun. It may not sound too remarkable at first. There are asteroids flying around all over our solar system, aren’t there? But, what makes this asteroid, charmingly and temporarily known as A/2017 U1, so special is that it may have come from outside of our solar...
Michio Kaku Clears up God Discovery
Several months ago there was a flurry of headlines claiming that Michio Kaku had proven the existence of God. In this exclusive interview with the famous physicist, Kaku elaborates on what happened. I&T Today: You recently made a lot of headlines with your discoveries regarding the possible existence of a higher intelligence. Could...
Have We Really Just Entered the "Anthropocene" Period?
The task of researching, categorizing, and documenting the unfathomably ancient Earth’s timeline belongs to stratigraphers – scientists who study the features of rock strata to learn our planet’s geological history. Stratigraphy might sound like an insulated, esoteric pursuit; dividing Cambrian time into new sections isn’t...
Elon Musk Update: Big Falcon Rocket to the Red Planet
Nine years ago, SpaceX successfully launched their first rocket. Since then, the company, led by the ambitious Elon Musk, has proven time and time again how determined they are to advance both extraterrestrial and terrestrial travel. Once again, Musk has presented the world with another announcement that, if it came from anybody else,...
Scientist Purposely Shocked By Electric Eel
Electric eels are one of the most fascinating underwater creatures as, let’s be honest, they’re basically Pokémon. Shaped like serpents with the ability to shock with the power of over 800 volts, they’re definitely not your average sea dweller. Well, one scientist with a particular interest in the electric eel was brave enough to...
Solar Eclipse Proves the Earth is Flat (According to Flat-Earthers)
This week, the people all across the United States had the opportunity to view a magnificent astronomical event. If you’re like me, you took it as a moment to step out of the office, spend some time outside, and witness a potentially once-in-a-lifetime scientific phenomenon. It was neat, really, seeing the usually near-empty park full...
What You Need To Know For The 2017 Solar Eclipse
The upcoming solar eclipse has people buzzing, with eclipse fans voicing their excitement and eclipse-related merchandise flying off of store shelves. At least, I assume that’s what’ going on. Well, in keeping with that hype, let's take a look at some of the essentials you should know about the 2017 solar eclipse. 1) The Eclipse...
The Medieval Working Class, More Than Face Value
Little is known about the lives of the working class from medieval England. A new project at the University of Cambridge, called “After the plague: health and history in medieval Cambridge,” wants to change that by piecing together biographies based on recently exhumed remains. After nearly 400 bodies were discovered in a...
Larvae Methane Fart Rockets, Propel Climate Change
For years, cows and the larger agriculture industry have been blamed for the large amount of methane released into the atmosphere. Cows need to eat plenty to fill their four stomachs, which means they, well, fart a lot – producing a substantial amount of methane, which traps 28 times more heat than CO2. But scientists at the...
Searching for Life Beyond Earth with the SETI Institute
Is E.T. real? Can we travel to Mars? How far away are the stars? Are there other worlds we can travel to, and what are they like? Can we discover life on other worlds? Intriguing questions like these motivate young people to pursue STEM careers and to gaze at the night sky and wonder: Are we alone in the universe? SETI Institute...
Radiation found on Japanese robots after Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant Explosion
In March of 2011, Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered several devastating radiation explosions when the plant’s cooling systems were knocked out by a tsunami. In the aftermath, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), tasked with investigating and cleaning up the reactor site, started sending robots probes into the...
Scientists Edit Human Embryos for the First Time
Yesterday, the science journal Nature published a study titled “Correction of a pathogenic gene mutation in human embryos.” This was big news to the science community. Essentially, what happened is, for the first time in U.S. history, scientists successfully edited the DNA of viable human embryos using the gene-editing tool CRISPR....
Would You Eat Jellyfish Chips?
In nearly 26 years of eating (including while I type this sentence), I have seen some pretty interesting food trends. From the brief obsession with kale to the great gluten wars of the 2010s to the ongoing practice of taking a picture of your food instead of eating it, there are some pretty unique mealtime trends. Well, I’m going to...
New Study Finds Evidence of Extractable Water on The Moon
The Moon had long been assumed to be a dry and desolate place. However, in 2008, that notion began to shift when water was found trapped in lunar volcanic glass. Debate ensued shortly after as to just how much was hiding under the lunar surface. Many argued that the water content of the samples was not representative of the rest of the...
Lisa Randall: Enlightened on Dark Matter
Dr. Lisa Randall is a scientist who is comfortable pondering the enigmatic reaches of the universe, and trying to make sense of it. She has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, and is the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. She is the author of numerous books, including...
Trillion Ton Iceberg Breaks off of Antartica Ice Shelf
Imagine the size of London: 1,583 square kilometers (611 square miles). Now imagine an iceberg as big as London. Finally, imagine an iceberg four times that size – an iceberg that could hold almost four Londons. That’s the size of the iceberg that just broke off of the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica. It weighs approximately 1.12...
