Solar panels perched on the roofs of houses and other buildings are an increasingly common sight in the U.S., but rooftop wind systems have never caught on. Past efforts to scale down the towering turbines that generate wind power to something that might sit on a home have been plagued by too many technical problems […]
Originally published in April 1956 Credit: Scientific American Advertisement “The U.S. will release 88,000 pounds of fissionable uranium 235 for research and development and for fueling nuclear power reactors, President Eisenhower announced last month. Half of the uranium will be sold or leased to approved groups in the U.S.; the rest will be available to […]
Little is more enticing than the prospect of seeing alien worlds around other stars—and perhaps one day even closely studying their atmosphere and mapping their surface. Such observations are exceedingly difficult, of course. Although more than 4,000 exoplanets are now known, the vast majority of them are too distant and dim for our best telescopes […]
In the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, three longtime friends—author David Blankenhorn, family therapist Bill Doherty and family research scholar David Lapp—were bothered by the animosity that seemed to have grown exponentially between Democrats and Republicans. The divide went beyond differing opinions on candidates and policies, they believed. Rather liberals and conservatives increasingly […]
Front line health care professionals, particularly nurses, physician assistants and doctors, are experiencing a range of complex emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic. They risk their lives to save others. They place their loved ones at risk because of their exposure. This makes them fearful. They are forced to make hard decisions concerning life and death, […]
Depression, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders can also influence physical health; they are linked with increased risk of heart disease, for example, and shorter life expectancy. Recent research suggests this may be related to accelerated aging—and new work finds that a form of purely psychological therapy can have a protective physiological effect. A study led […]
As the global strategy for slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic changes from containment to mitigation, millions of residents are being asked to shelter in place, leaving their homes only for essential needs. This limitation of movement and social interaction has been a major stress test for marriages. In China, the strain of life […]
For 20 years, even before the movement had a name, Hilton Kelley was fighting for environmental justice in his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. The Gulf Coast city of 55,000 is home to a disproportionately high number of industrial polluters in relation to its population, as well as to the largest oil refinery in the country. […]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called them a ‘game changer’. Antibody tests have captured the world’s attention for their potential to help life return to normal by revealing who has been exposed, and might now be immune, to the new coronavirus. Dozens of biotech companies and research laboratories have rushed to produce the blood tests. […]
Mirsky (left) attempts to interview Arctic expert. Credit: Robin Lloyd Some “highlights” from the last 13.5 years of this podcast. In keeping with the net increase in entropy of the universe, this is the 3000th episode of 60-Second Science. So we’ll take a break today from our usual coverage for some brief comic relief. Because […]