Winter holidays in many cultures originated as ancient people observed the changes in the sun’s height in the sky and the corresponding length of the day. Every day for the past six months the Sun has been lower in the sky and there have been fewer hours of daylight. This past Wednesday, December 21st, the… Continue reading Winter Solstice
Author: Fred Estes
Nanotechnology
Big Things from Small Particles Nanotechnology is a branch of science and technology focused on the study and application of tiny particles and structures. This interdisciplinary field combines many areas of study, such as physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, engineering, and computer science. One example of nanotechnology at work is Tethys, the device developed by… Continue reading Nanotechnology
Dragonfly Robot
Nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the science, engineering, and technology at the molecular level, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. At Duke University, bio-medical engineers have created a robot shaped like a dragonfly with a soft body that operates without electronics. This miniature robot is driven by air pressure through microchannels in its hydrogel body. DraBot, as… Continue reading Dragonfly Robot
Emerging Technologies
Start of an exploration “May You Live in Interesting Times” though reputed to be an ancient Chinese curse, it is actually Western and recent. We certainly live in interesting times. Technology has become an important part of our lives, and it certainly is interesting. New technologies are always emerging, always building on what came before,… Continue reading Emerging Technologies
Happy Thanksgiving!
A New Hot Jupiter
Discovering Exoplanet TOI-2109b Looking out my west-facing bedroom window on a clear, dark night, I see hundreds of stars, each just a point of light. Many of those stars may be like our sun with a system of orbiting planets. We’ve long suspected that other suns have other planets. Back in 1979, Gordon Walker began… Continue reading A New Hot Jupiter
What’s a Virus, Anyway?
During this Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve all been thinking more about viruses and, like Anika Chebrulo, how to stop them. Learning about Anika’s work and Covid-19 (Link to Worst Pandemic Ever?) made me realize I wanted to know more about viruses and how they worked. If you classify viruses as alive, then viruses are the most… Continue reading What’s a Virus, Anyway?
How She Did It
Anika Chebrolu’s Research Process Almost 7 million people around the world have died from the coronavirus since the beginning of this pandemic and just over 1 million in the United States as of this posting. You can see updates on the CNN link above. Anika Chebrolu, a Texas high school student, stands out among scientists… Continue reading How She Did It
Anika Chebrolu and Her COVID Research
Wondering Why do so many people die of viruses each year? wondered then-fourteen-year-old Anika Chebrulo. While recovering in bed from her own severe case of flu in 2019, the 8th grader from Frisco, Texas decided to learn more. Her question led to the discovery of a possible therapy for COVID-19. Learning and Entry Once recovered,… Continue reading Anika Chebrolu and Her COVID Research
Inside the Box
Gitanjali Rao’s Epione Gitanjali Rao, an award-winning inventor, was 13 years old when a family friend became addicted to her prescription opioid drugs. She learned that over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 suffer from some form of addiction to prescription drugs. Also, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, over 130… Continue reading Inside the Box