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Scents of Science

Think different.

Month

August 2019

M27: Not a Comet

While hunting for comets in the skies above 18th century France, astronomer Charles Messier diligently kept a list of the things he encountered that were definitely not comets. This is number 27 on his now famous not-a-comet list. In fact, 21st century astronomers... Continue Reading →

Feeling like myself again

The biggest competition is myself. I am not looking to follow others or pull them down. I'm planning to test my own boundaries. I lost my balance a year ago...but now I'm getting back to my old self. Note to... Continue Reading →

New molecule could help improve heart attack recovery

Imagine there were a drug that you could take soon after a heart attack that could reduce damage by protecting healthy heart muscle tissue. "Cardiologists say that when a heart attack occurs, time is muscle," said Robert Gourdie, director of... Continue Reading →

NGC 2170: Angel Nebula Still Life

Is this a painting or a photograph? In this classic celestial still life composed with a cosmic brush, dusty nebula NGC 2170, also known as the Angel Nebula, shines near the image center. Reflecting the light of nearby hot stars, NGC 2170 is joined by other... Continue Reading →

NGC 1499: The California Nebula

Drifting through the Orion Arm of the spiral Milky Way Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of California on the west coast of the United States. Our own Sun also lies within the Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,500 light-years from... Continue Reading →

Shedding light on how the human eye perceives brightness

Japanese scientists are shedding new light on the importance of light-sensing cells in the retina that process visual information. The researchers isolated the functions of melanopsin cells and demonstrated their crucial role in the perception of visual environment. This ushers... Continue Reading →

Scratching the surface of how your brain senses an itch

Light touch plays a critical role in everyday tasks, such as picking up a glass or playing a musical instrument. The sensation is also an essential part of the body's protective defense system, alerting us to objects in our environment... Continue Reading →

Smiling really can make people happier

Smiling really can make people feel happier, according to a paper published in Psychological Bulletin. Coauthored by researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Texas A&M, the paper looked at nearly 50 years of data testing whether facial expressions can... Continue Reading →

Optic nerve stimulation to aid the blind

Scientists from EPFL in Switzerland and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Italy are developing technology for the blind that bypasses the eyeball entirely and sends messages to the brain. They do this by stimulating the optic nerve with a new type... Continue Reading →

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