5 Things Science Hasn't Proven

Despite my ardent belief that Science will one day be the solution to everything, it is still in its infancy. So, here are five important things that scientists have barely scratched the surface of.

Building a space shuttle? Just add water!

4D printing, that's a thing, right? I'm sure you have heard of 3D printing: printing objects that have breadth, length and height. Now, scientists at MIT have invented a printer which final product has an added time parameter to it! So the answer to the first question is, YES!

Image from http://washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2013/05/01/what-you-may-not-know-about-4d-printing/

What does that mean exactly? It means that the final product is not the first thing that is printed. Instead, after printing the basic structure of the desired product, it starts to fold into the final one. This is done by using two polymers that react differently with water, causing the structure to fold in a specific way after making precise mathematical calculations.

However, the concept is still in its early stages. Currently, the printed model can only fold in one direction and the final product is fixed after the folding is completed. What the team wants to achieve is a final product that can continue to change itself and react even after it is 'complete'. Furthermore, the folding of the initial form is still quite unpredictable and tends to form spirals. At the moment, all the scientists are able to print is an MIT logo and a cube.

Nevertheless, this is still an exciting new field with virtually limitless prospects. For example, many everyday objects can be printed using this technology and can eliminate the need to build things like furniture. Also, people who own this printer can order blueprints from companies for their desired objects and print them at home, without leaving the comfort of their seat. This device has extraterrestrial applications too, such as building an entire space lab or shuttle in space!

PS: Watch the video here: http://video.mit.edu/watch/4d-printing-mit-self-folding-strand-13803/

Hydrogen's Selfie

Finally, the atomic world has caught up with the latest human trend: taking selfies. Although the method used to capture the image of the hydrogen atom was first hypothesised more than 30 yeas ago, scientists have only recently been able to create this new 'quantum microscope'

Image from http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2013/may/23/quantum-microscope-peers-into-the-hydrogen-atom

Antibacterial Ants!

Ants are undoubtedly one of the most successful creatures on the planet, with 10,000 of them for every human being. Working and cooperating effectively just like a human army, they are present on every single continent except Antarctica. (Some of their bites are even said to be as painful as a bullet shot.) And a reason for their success is: they are antibacterial.

Image from http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metapleural_gland

5 Things You Didn't Know About The Flu

Think that after the many years you have lived on this Earth and after the numerous colds you've had, you would know more about the flu? Think again. Here are 5 relatively unknown facts about the flu!

Image from https://www.doctorsatyourhome.com/what-to-do-when-you-have-the-flu/

Mars and Life and Clay

Yet another possible indication of ancient life on Mars has been found. Of course, this is not definitive proof but it is just so exciting to think about the numerouse forms of life that Mars could have supported!

Image from http://www.terradaily.com/reports/What_Do_You_Call_A_Microbialite_999.html

New Satellite-less GPS

Ever been in a situation when your GPS made you drive in circles? Well, scientists for the British military have discovered a new method that will revolutionize your GPS systems! Instead of using satellites, why not try quantum physics (it's not rocket science).

Image from http://www.calycanto.com/maps/gps-map-of-baja/

The Secret to Immortality!

Ever since mankind first realized that we were going to die, we have been frantically searching for ways to prolong our brief existence. We have resorted to magic, medicine and the First Emperor Qin of ancient China even tried mercury (which obviously led to his death). However, the answer is oddly, jellyfish.

Image from http://amandatasse.com/2013/07/03/miralab-part-2-game/

A Dedication to Warehouse 13

As an avid fan of science, sci-fi is like wonderland to me. Warehouse 13 was one of the few shows which taught me that the world is a place of endless wonder (as mentioned by Mrs F).

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warehouse_13_(season_5)

Are you short? If yes, congrats!

Good news for short men all around the world! Finally after all the years of being poked fun at, we can finally tell the tall people: in your faces!

Exercise, the Serial Killer

Remember when your, teacher, coach, doctor and parents told you that exercise was good for your body? They were wrong! Exercise can kill you. And no, I am not joking.

New Hope for Type 2 Diabetics

Image from http://037ad1e.netsolhost.com/blog/?ai1ec_event=free-diabetes-support-group-class-series&instance_id=

Alas, there may be a possible medical treatment for this disease that has reached epidemic levels. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a condition whereby the liver becomes resistant to insulin due to a diet high in saturated fat. This results in high blood glucose levels and if not controlled early, can lead to heart and blood vessel disease, eye, nerve, kidney and foot damage etc.. Severe conditions of foot damage may even require amputations.

Tiny Shrimp, Giant Sperm

Arrows are pointing at the nuclei of the sperm cells. Image from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140513204635.htm, credit to R. Matzke-Karasz

However men around the world may hope to have the largest sperm to attest to their manhood, we have lost to an unlikely rival: shrimp. Discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Fossil Site by researchers from the University of New South Wales, these tiny crustaceans known as ostracods were almost perfectly preserved and fossilized.

How To: Ace Your Test

Image from http://www.drugdevelopment-technology.com/projects/rasagiline/rasagiline1.html

A team of neuroscientists and neurosurgeons have finally found a way to improve learning! Now the chance of getting an A on that dreaded (insert hated subject) test doesn't seem so remote anymore :)

World's fastest arm within arm's reach!

Image from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2626598/Catch-Watch-incredible-robot-arm-never-drops-thing-set-blasted-orbit-grab-space-junk.html

Scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have devised a novel solution to catching objects in a split second! They created a bionic arm, 1.5m long with 3 joints, and programmed it at the Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory at the EPFL to catch (or dodge) any object thrown at it within five hundredths of a second. That's 0.05s!

Ahoy! Wait, the high seas are closed?

Image from http://worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing

Although I heard about this journal published in PLoS Biology a while back, I still think it deserves to be put out there.

The researchers that published the journal titled, Close the High Seas to Fishing?, used a mathematical model and ideas from game theory to suggest a highly controversial method to reduce overfishing -- close the high seas. High seas, defined as parts of the ocean not under any country's jurisdiction, make up about 58% of the world's oceans. Although I agree with them that the problem of overfishing has reached critical levels and current measures are insufficient, I do have my doubts about this method.

Happy 140th Birthday Dorothy Hodgkin!

Image from Wikipedia

Dorothy Hodgkin was one of the notable biochemists of the 20th century. One of her greatest contribution to Science was advancement of X-ray crystallography, a technique used to determine the 3D structure of bio-molecules, for which she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. Using this technique, she and her colleagues uncovered the structures of a steroid known as cholesteryl iodide, penicillin, vitamin B12 and even insulin.

What I find amazing about her and other female scientists in her era and before is their courage to pursue their passion regardless of what society thinks about them. #girlpower! They also pave the way for girls in future generations to enter the male-dominated world of Science, which is fortunately becoming less 'testosterone-packed'. By doing what they believe in, they have also benefited the world in so many different ways.

With that, I shall end this post with this quote by Robert Frost, 'Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.' Go pursue your dreams!

The Sun has a Sibling?!

Credit: Ivan Ramirez/Tim Jones/McDonald Observatory
Image from: sciencedaily.com

You didn't read that wrongly -- yes, the Sun has a sibling. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have discovered a 'long-lost brother' of the Sun. The star, HD 162826, is 110 light years away in the constellation Hercules and is only 15% larger than the Sun.

Welcome!

Greetings my fellow Science enthusiasts! This blog was created to let the whole world know whatever that is going on in the world of science. I will be posting the latest scientific discoveries and discussing them everyday! As a personal fan of Astronomy and Biology, I will mainly be focusing on these two topics. But not to worry, there will be a dash of physics, engineering and mathematics to spice things up too! Enjoy!

Nic