Check out this amazing bridge made with 3-D printing technology. Click on the image to go to DeZeen design magazine to see more. This is the future and it's unlimited!! Makes my mind swirl and get excited for the new. With all amazing technology though, we need to think about the long term, and longer term.
This weekend I bought Big Hero 6 for the family to watch. I didn't know it was all about a kid science inventor that makes ordinary into amazing! When I saw the microbots that he presented in the beginning of the movie I remembered an interview I heard last year about research being done on tiny robots that could act together to make things and take a variety of shapes. So, obviously, I went and googled it. The following are a few links to articles I found that link the REAL science to the Big Hero 6 movie. The Philae, which is a fridge size space probe that will be used to study the comet in various ways, landed on comet 67P after its launch from the Rosetta Stone Space ship. The comet is currently 310 million miles (that's approximately 744 million km) away from Earth. This glorious moment in human aerospace history has been over 15 years in the making, spending over 2 billion dollars! The Rosetta, which carried the Philae probe took off from Earth 10 years ago and scientists have been waiting all this time for the perfect moment, the perfect comet to launch the Philae and land. There have obviously been problems along the way, but space engineers, astronomers, and astrophysicists (to name a few of careers for you) have worked tirelessly to figure out solutions. The 67P comet orbits using Jupiters gravitational field and happened to be at the perfect location, with a speed (of a whopping 50,000km per hour!) and orbiting angle that would increase the slim chances of the Philae's landing. Believe it or not, it was a harpoon like device that enabled the Philae to attach to the comet. Ironically an ancient weapon used for hunting has enabled us to achieve this great feat in human history. The scientists interest in studying comets stems from the believe that possibly comets may have been the key to life here on Earth. They hope to use the transmitted data from the Philae to find out if in fact it was a collision of comets on or near Earth that brought water and the necessary elements for life's creation. See more from the following websites: Wow, this is a breakthrough of breakthroughs. The nerve cells in our bodies, our neurons are the only cells that do not undergo Mitosis (cell replication). This is why it is so important to protect your head and spine. Our spinal cord and brain are made up of nerve cells that help us to control our every thought and movement.
The only nerve cell that CAN undergo mitosis is in our nose. They are olfactory cells (cells that help us smell). These cells regenerate like our other cells in our body. Scientists have been trying to use these special regenerating nerve cells to help repair broken, damaged nerve cells in other parts of our body. This would help cure people with paralysis or other nerve damage. Well, looks like a group of scientists have done it! A man who was paralyzed from a stabbing which penetrated his spine is now able to walk using a frame!! The nerve cells in his nose were transplanted to the broken spinal cord and these cells have regenerated to repair the nerve cells in this broken section of the spine. Because the cells are from his own body, the transplant is relatively simple because his body recognizes his own cells and doesn't see them as foreign bodies. Read the article for more information!
|
Inspiring Science for YOUWhenever I hear of, or find interesting stories of inspiring science, I will post what I can find here. You never know, something here may get you wondering, thinking, and imagining what you can do with Science & Technology when you grow up! Archives
October 2015
Categories |