What would it look like to orbit a black hole? Many black holes are surrounded by swirling pools of gas known as accretion disks. These disks can be extremely hot, and much of the orbiting gas will eventually fall through the black hole'sevent... Continue Reading →
Excess heat given off by smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices can be annoying, but beyond that it contributes to malfunctions and, in extreme cases, can even cause lithium batteries to explode. To guard against such ills, engineers often insert... Continue Reading →
"Dualism addiction? If you’ve never heard of this you better wake up and hide your children because it is far worse than workaholism (which might in fact be caused by dualism addiction), TVism, shopaholism or any drug addiction. It is... Continue Reading →
Although it looks more like an entity seen through a microscope than a telescope, this rounded object, named NGC 2022, is certainly not algae or tiny, blobby jellyfish. Instead, it is a vast orb of gas in space, cast off... Continue Reading →
Eating extra servings typically shows up on the scale later, but how this happens has not been clear. A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by a multi-institutional team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reveals a... Continue Reading →
Beta-amyloid plaques, the protein aggregates that form in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, disrupt many brain functions and can kill neurons. They can also damage the blood-brain barrier -- the normally tight border that prevents harmful molecules in the bloodstream... Continue Reading →
A beautiful landscape painting, a beautiful piano sonata -- art and music are almost exclusively described in terms of aesthetics, but what about math? Beyond useful or brilliant, can an abstract idea be considered beautiful? Yes, actually -- and not... Continue Reading →
A colossal, head-on collision between Jupiter and a still-forming planet in the early solar system, about 4.5 billion years ago, could explain surprising readings from NASA's Juno spacecraft, according to a study this week in the journal Nature. Astronomers from Rice... Continue Reading →
Scents of Science 