Sure, the stuff NASA is working on now is cooler but from 1981 until 2011 the Space Shuttle was the whole show. Over the course of 30 years NASA sent more than 350 people up on 135 shuttle missions. If you’re feeling a bit nostalgic or you’re tired of waiting for NASA’s next generation spacecraft YouTuber…
How much sleep do you actually need (science video)
No one I know gets ‘enough sleep’ as far as I know. There are always reasons not to or things keeping us up. But, how much sleep is ‘enough’? Part of it depends on genetics but for most people the answer actually is 7-8 hours/night. What you may not know is that there are potential…
Why your daughters need more Star Trek
There has been a great deal of discussion, for many years, about the lack of women in science and technology and how to fix it. Although I haven’t been able to find any actual studies or surveys on the topic, I’d like to propose a hypothesis: The lack of women in science and technology begins…
When will robots take over the world? They already have (video)
There is (probably) no reason to fear the robot uprising. As this video from The Atlantic points out, the robots have already taken over. They currently run our communications systems, our banking systems, parts of our military and more. We’ve happily let them take over and we will continue to. In fact, as time goes on, the…
Scully Likes Science (an X-Files Remix)
I recently re-watched part of the X-Files and am baffled that there isn’t a reboot underway. It seems like everything is getting a do-over including Star Trek, Stargate and Battlestar Galactica. The X-Files was a great concept, and a great series that could be done much better now with modern production values and special effects…
Short video on how you, personally, are connected to the first life on Earth and the big bang
Carl Sagan famously said that ‘we are all star stuff’. While that sounds nice there are a lot of people out there who don’t know what that really means. This short video from Kurzgesagt explains all of that – exactly what kind of star stuff you are and how you personally are came from the Big Bang…
Things that you ‘know’ about the human brain that are wrong (science video)
People who are anti-science frequently say that “science is always changing its mind”, what is more accurate to say is that “science is always expanding what it knows”. This sometimes causes changes in conventional wisdom. It’s also true that many misconceptions have been created by people who don’t really understand science trying to explain science.…
Short animation explains how your immune system works
Ok, sure, your immune system puts the US Dept. of Homeland Security to shame. To be fair though, it did evolve over millions of years instead of being crammed together over a few months in a bill so large that no one actually read it. This 6 minute animation from Kurzgesagt explains just part of…
Glove allows you to play piano “like Beethoven”
If you know how to type at any speed you probably understand the concept of “muscle memory”. Your hands “know” where all the keys are, but you may not consciously be able to say where they are. The same basic thing applies to dancers and musicians. They know how to move or how to play…
Amazing video shows 3.5 billion years of your evolutionary family tree
You probably have a relative who talks your ear off about genealogy, or at least tries to. If they’ve been at it awhile they’ve probably traced your family tree for 3 or even 4 centuries. Here is a video you can send them to speed up their work a bit: If you ever feel insignificant…