By Scott Michael Slone

It’s quite remarkable to see what the power of an intelligent mob can do.

Distributed computing projects like Fold@home, which runs simulations of proteins to better understand their role in the body, help us to understand vastly complicated scientific and mathematical questions without the need for large dedicated supercomputers. They function on the basis that there already exist numerous computers in the world, like the one you’re reading this on. Continue reading “EteRNA is Turning Research on its Head”

By Scott Michael Slone

To those of you who use computers, you can understand the issues that can sometimes be caused by them. Faulty hardware, operating system issues, programs not working, drivers not installed properly, the list goes on and on. The average user has no end to the issues they could have, with many being very subtle and tricky to solve. A recent bug has been revealed in Climate modeling systems that will need to be handled if any model is going to have credibility, and there’s no tech support you can call when your model for a climate system doesn’t start. Continue reading “Bugs in the Climate System”

By Scott Michael Slone

You hear it humming and whirring, probably right next to you. It’s a small device that somehow takes your words and images and makes physical copies of them, all day long, and never stopping. It’s obviously your printer, but there’s a device coming around that would fit that description just the same, and yet has a much grander use. At the moment it exists as massive and expensive facilities, or centers and companies devoted to its use. It’s called nanofabrication, and researchers at Northwestern University are making it happen. Continue reading “Printing a Future”

By Scott Michael Slone

This article is by Scott Michael Slone, C2ST’s resident intern.

Robots are coming in from everywhere! By land, by sea, by air! Speaking of air, dozens of tiny robots known as quadrotors are making themselves visible! A quadrotor is a small flying robot that uses four propellers pointed upwards to fly. On their own they’re quite the acrobatic little fellas, and are capable of navigating themselves easily around their environment. The first video of this collection focuses on the swarm capabilities of the quadrotors being made at University of Pennsylvania. Continue reading “The Quadrotors are coming!”

By Scott Michael Slone

It has been nearly 36 years since the Voyager 1 was sent into space on its journey. Its purpose at the time: to take vivid and detailed pictures of the planets of our Solar System in a way that had never been attempted before. Eventually its primary mission was completed, giving breathtaking images of Saturn and Jupiter, as well as the famous picture of a “pale blue dot” known to some beings as Earth. Voyager 1 is still making its journey through the cosmos, and is now entering a region of space where the line between the Solar System and interstellar space is becoming more and more blurry. Continue reading “Voyager: Our Most Distant Explorer”

By Scott Michael Slone

The internet is abuzz with all sorts of videos on cool, weird, and interesting chemical reactions. I felt these were unique enough to share with you all, and thus compiled several of them. So here you have it, three reactions and three videos!

Continue reading “Mercury, Gallium, and Aluminum, oh my!”