NASA Releases Panoramic View of Mars! Warning: Contains billions and billions of pixels  A new interactive panorama of the Martian surface has just been released by NASA/JPL, and it’s just as cool as you’d expect. This massive view of the red planet is zoomable down to an incredible level of detail. Everything from the landing site to its eventual destination at Mt. Sharp is there in iron oxide-hued glory. I’ve included a few of my favorite views above. First, an L-shaped sequence of frickin’ laser beam scars left over from the mast-mounted ChemCam (pew pew science!) Next, some notably shiny rocks, their silver surface made visible through the rusty dust. Finally, “J-P-L” written in morse code thanks to the code drilled into Curiosity’s wheels.  You can go here to explore a few different interactive versions, but I’ve embedded my favorite below (click through to view, Tumblr Dashboard viewers). THIS IS AWESOME.
Zoom Info
NASA Releases Panoramic View of Mars! Warning: Contains billions and billions of pixels  A new interactive panorama of the Martian surface has just been released by NASA/JPL, and it’s just as cool as you’d expect. This massive view of the red planet is zoomable down to an incredible level of detail. Everything from the landing site to its eventual destination at Mt. Sharp is there in iron oxide-hued glory. I’ve included a few of my favorite views above. First, an L-shaped sequence of frickin’ laser beam scars left over from the mast-mounted ChemCam (pew pew science!) Next, some notably shiny rocks, their silver surface made visible through the rusty dust. Finally, “J-P-L” written in morse code thanks to the code drilled into Curiosity’s wheels.  You can go here to explore a few different interactive versions, but I’ve embedded my favorite below (click through to view, Tumblr Dashboard viewers). THIS IS AWESOME.
Zoom Info
NASA Releases Panoramic View of Mars! Warning: Contains billions and billions of pixels  A new interactive panorama of the Martian surface has just been released by NASA/JPL, and it’s just as cool as you’d expect. This massive view of the red planet is zoomable down to an incredible level of detail. Everything from the landing site to its eventual destination at Mt. Sharp is there in iron oxide-hued glory. I’ve included a few of my favorite views above. First, an L-shaped sequence of frickin’ laser beam scars left over from the mast-mounted ChemCam (pew pew science!) Next, some notably shiny rocks, their silver surface made visible through the rusty dust. Finally, “J-P-L” written in morse code thanks to the code drilled into Curiosity’s wheels.  You can go here to explore a few different interactive versions, but I’ve embedded my favorite below (click through to view, Tumblr Dashboard viewers). THIS IS AWESOME.
Zoom Info
NASA Releases Panoramic View of Mars! Warning: Contains billions and billions of pixels  A new interactive panorama of the Martian surface has just been released by NASA/JPL, and it’s just as cool as you’d expect. This massive view of the red planet is zoomable down to an incredible level of detail. Everything from the landing site to its eventual destination at Mt. Sharp is there in iron oxide-hued glory. I’ve included a few of my favorite views above. First, an L-shaped sequence of frickin’ laser beam scars left over from the mast-mounted ChemCam (pew pew science!) Next, some notably shiny rocks, their silver surface made visible through the rusty dust. Finally, “J-P-L” written in morse code thanks to the code drilled into Curiosity’s wheels.  You can go here to explore a few different interactive versions, but I’ve embedded my favorite below (click through to view, Tumblr Dashboard viewers). THIS IS AWESOME.
Zoom Info

NASA Releases Panoramic View of Mars! Warning: Contains billions and billions of pixels 

A new interactive panorama of the Martian surface has just been released by NASA/JPL, and it’s just as cool as you’d expect. This massive view of the red planet is zoomable down to an incredible level of detail. Everything from the landing site to its eventual destination at Mt. Sharp is there in iron oxide-hued glory.

I’ve included a few of my favorite views above. First, an L-shaped sequence of frickin’ laser beam scars left over from the mast-mounted ChemCam (pew pew science!) Next, some notably shiny rocks, their silver surface made visible through the rusty dust. Finally, “J-P-L” written in morse code thanks to the code drilled into Curiosity’s wheels. 

You can go here to explore a few different interactive versions, but I’ve embedded my favorite below (click through to view, Tumblr Dashboard viewers). THIS IS AWESOME.

Wil Wheaton on why being a nerd is awesome Mr. Crusher delivered a message to an audience member’s newborn girl on why it’s so great to be a nerd, and a little advice for future life. It’s a goosebump-inducing video, and you should watch the whole thing here, and maybe just paste it to your mirror or something. I don’t know how you’d paste a video to your mirror, but you should. My favorite parts: “Being a nerd… it’s not about what you love, it’s about how you love it… The defining characteristic that ties us all together, is that we love things. Find the things that you love and love them the most that you can.” A message that jives well with my own (see title of blog). I applaud you, Mr. Wheaton.
View Separately

Wil Wheaton on why being a nerd is awesome

Mr. Crusher delivered a message to an audience member’s newborn girl on why it’s so great to be a nerd, and a little advice for future life. It’s a goosebump-inducing video, and you should watch the whole thing here, and maybe just paste it to your mirror or something.

I don’t know how you’d paste a video to your mirror, but you should.

My favorite parts:

“Being a nerd… it’s not about what you love, it’s about how you love it… The defining characteristic that ties us all together, is that we love things.

Find the things that you love and love them the most that you can.”

A message that jives well with my own (see title of blog). I applaud you, Mr. Wheaton.

Check out this ferroputty devouring a magnetic cube. It’s very simple, as the iron-infused putty is being pulled around the magnet using physics we’re all familiar with. But this is pretty much exactly how I would imaging a Gumby-themed alien horror film going down, and that give my nostalgia the willies. Coolest use of magnets since these trippy ferrofluid music videos by Afiq Omar. Find out more (and where you can buy your own ferroputty) at PsVid. As usual, Tumblr’s GIF rules prevent me from posting the cool one above, but here is the animated gulp:
View Separately

Check out this ferroputty devouring a magnetic cube. It’s very simple, as the iron-infused putty is being pulled around the magnet using physics we’re all familiar with. But this is pretty much exactly how I would imaging a Gumby-themed alien horror film going down, and that give my nostalgia the willies.

Coolest use of magnets since these trippy ferrofluid music videos by Afiq Omar.

Find out more (and where you can buy your own ferroputty) at PsVid. As usual, Tumblr’s GIF rules prevent me from posting the cool one above, but here is the animated gulp:

I’m not a bad dresser by any means (I mean, just check out my stunning wardrobe in the IOTBS YouTube vids), but I’ve certainly never been called a “fashion guru”. That being said, I think I know good stuff when I see it. And these pants from Shenova Fashion on Etsy are awesome. As is most of the other stuff in the shop. Honestly, if I saw anyone wearing those neuron/retina leggings, I would walk up and high-five you without warning, because they would be incontrovertible proof of your awesomeness. I would high-five the pants, too, but I don’t think that would come across quite like I intend. I believe this is where you say “Shut up and take my money”. Let’s have a little round-up … what other cool science-fashion have you seen out there?
Zoom Info
I’m not a bad dresser by any means (I mean, just check out my stunning wardrobe in the IOTBS YouTube vids), but I’ve certainly never been called a “fashion guru”. That being said, I think I know good stuff when I see it. And these pants from Shenova Fashion on Etsy are awesome. As is most of the other stuff in the shop. Honestly, if I saw anyone wearing those neuron/retina leggings, I would walk up and high-five you without warning, because they would be incontrovertible proof of your awesomeness. I would high-five the pants, too, but I don’t think that would come across quite like I intend. I believe this is where you say “Shut up and take my money”. Let’s have a little round-up … what other cool science-fashion have you seen out there?
Zoom Info

I’m not a bad dresser by any means (I mean, just check out my stunning wardrobe in the IOTBS YouTube vids), but I’ve certainly never been called a “fashion guru”.

That being said, I think I know good stuff when I see it. And these pants from Shenova Fashion on Etsy are awesome. As is most of the other stuff in the shop. Honestly, if I saw anyone wearing those neuron/retina leggings, I would walk up and high-five you without warning, because they would be incontrovertible proof of your awesomeness. I would high-five the pants, too, but I don’t think that would come across quite like I intend.

I believe this is where you say “Shut up and take my money”.

Let’s have a little round-up … what other cool science-fashion have you seen out there?

Dolphins Call Each Other by “Name”!! “Cool” is finding out that dolphins are among the handful of species on Earth that can recognize themselves in the mirror. “Cooler” is finding out that dolphins “name” themselves from a young age with a signature whistle used to signal their identity to other dolphins. “Ice Cold” is the new discovery that dolphins call out other dolphins’ signatures when they are separated. It’s like calling out for a friend in a crowded room! They even put their own slight tweak on the call, the effect of their unique anatomy (sort of like their voice, if dolphins had “voices”). I would probably hesitate at calling this something like true “language”, because when we do that we’re prone to attach a lot of human characteristics to it. But it’s definitely an amazing case of animal intelligence and perhaps even culture. This isn’t the only whale that passes on its calls to others. Humpback whales have been shown to trade and teach mating calls across entire oceans, like the cetacean version of foreign language classes! Dolphins amaze me at every turn. But lest you think they’re 100% awesome all the time, let Deep Sea News remind you of several reasons that dolphins are complete a$$holes.
Pop-upView Separately

Dolphins Call Each Other by “Name”!!

“Cool” is finding out that dolphins are among the handful of species on Earth that can recognize themselves in the mirror. “Cooler” is finding out that dolphins “name” themselves from a young age with a signature whistle used to signal their identity to other dolphins.

“Ice Cold” is the new discovery that dolphins call out other dolphins’ signatures when they are separated. It’s like calling out for a friend in a crowded room! They even put their own slight tweak on the call, the effect of their unique anatomy (sort of like their voice, if dolphins had “voices”).

I would probably hesitate at calling this something like true “language”, because when we do that we’re prone to attach a lot of human characteristics to it. But it’s definitely an amazing case of animal intelligence and perhaps even culture. This isn’t the only whale that passes on its calls to others. Humpback whales have been shown to trade and teach mating calls across entire oceans, like the cetacean version of foreign language classes!

Dolphins amaze me at every turn. But lest you think they’re 100% awesome all the time, let Deep Sea News remind you of several reasons that dolphins are complete a$$holes.

Bacteria Found Deep Under Antarctic Ice After drilling into Lake Whillans, a dark, isolated lake that lies under a half-mile of Antarctic ice, scientists have found bacteria living happily there. Everywhere on Earth that we look for life, from basking in rainbow-colored mineral ponds to laying dormant for 86 million years in seabed clay, we find life. If it can happen in all of these Earthly environments, just imagine what non-Earthly environments may hold. Science is so exciting. Let’s keep looking. (more on these cool bugs at the NY Times)
Pop-upView Separately

Bacteria Found Deep Under Antarctic Ice

After drilling into Lake Whillans, a dark, isolated lake that lies under a half-mile of Antarctic ice, scientists have found bacteria living happily there.

Everywhere on Earth that we look for life, from basking in rainbow-colored mineral ponds to laying dormant for 86 million years in seabed clay, we find life.

If it can happen in all of these Earthly environments, just imagine what non-Earthly environments may hold. Science is so exciting. Let’s keep looking.

(more on these cool bugs at the NY Times)

Source: The New York Times

The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram This guy is killin’ it. It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here. Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here) I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more. Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.
Zoom Info
The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram This guy is killin’ it. It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here. Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here) I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more. Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.
Zoom Info
The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram This guy is killin’ it. It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here. Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here) I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more. Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.
Zoom Info
The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram This guy is killin’ it. It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here. Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here) I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more. Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.
Zoom Info
The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram This guy is killin’ it. It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here. Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here) I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more. Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.
Zoom Info
The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram This guy is killin’ it. It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here. Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here) I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more. Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.
Zoom Info
The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram This guy is killin’ it. It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here. Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here) I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more. Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.
Zoom Info

The Scientifically-Inspired Art of Luke Jerram

This guy is killin’ it.

It would be difficult to find a science-inspired artist more consistently amazing than Luke Jerram. His best-known work is surely his blown-glass microbes and viruses, which have graced Tumblr dashboards and Facebook walls the world over. A beautiful gallery, with behind the scenes photos of glass in action, here.

Top L-R: HIV, Human Papilloma Virus and Swine Flu

Less-known, but equally as impressive are his sonic sculptures, where invisible sound waves are visualized as silent, three-dimensional experiences

Middle L-R: 28 seconds of Hiroshima, 9 minutes of Tohoku (prev. here)

I think his most remarkable work is a musical installation called Aeolus (lower left), where a field of taut cables vibrate with the wind due to vortex effects, creating music within the tubes of the arch. I’ve featured that musical installation before, with links to the physics behind it, if you’d like to read more.

Last, but not least, a scientific-glassware chandelier that I am sure that many of us would be happy to hang in our homes … or finely appointed labs.

I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. Check out Luke Jerram’s full website and portfolio here, and be prepared to be amazed.

It’s Okay To Be Smart Episode 1: Life by the Numbers

Check out the first episode of my new YouTube science series from PBS Digital Studios! I’m practically co-workers with Big Bird now!

This episode is all about the scale of life on Earth. So there’s now over seven billion people on Earth, but does that make us a successful species by numbers alone? And while humans may be getting heavier every day, how does our weight stack up to the rest of biology?

We’ll learn about “biomass” while we take a trip through some forests, a spoonful of soil and deep into the oceans to find out just how much stuff there is out there. 

Click here to subscribe to It’s Okay To Be Smart on YouTube.

Have an idea for a future episode or have a question for me (Joe)? Tweet me, leave a comment on YouTube or email me.

project-argus: kaiyves: project-argus: Science Corps International tees from ThinkGeek Go and vote for the next member of the team to reveal their power!  Who will it be: Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Rosalind Franklin or Carl Sagan? MAKE THIS A COMIC! PLEASE! Oh, yeah. I would totally watch this cartoon, too. Science is the greatest superpower of all.
Zoom Info
project-argus: kaiyves: project-argus: Science Corps International tees from ThinkGeek Go and vote for the next member of the team to reveal their power!  Who will it be: Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Rosalind Franklin or Carl Sagan? MAKE THIS A COMIC! PLEASE! Oh, yeah. I would totally watch this cartoon, too. Science is the greatest superpower of all.
Zoom Info
project-argus: kaiyves: project-argus: Science Corps International tees from ThinkGeek Go and vote for the next member of the team to reveal their power!  Who will it be: Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Rosalind Franklin or Carl Sagan? MAKE THIS A COMIC! PLEASE! Oh, yeah. I would totally watch this cartoon, too. Science is the greatest superpower of all.
Zoom Info

project-argus:

kaiyves:

project-argus:

Science Corps International tees from ThinkGeek

Go and vote for the next member of the team to reveal their power!  Who will it be: Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Rosalind Franklin or Carl Sagan?

MAKE THIS A COMIC! PLEASE!

Oh, yeah. I would totally watch this cartoon, too.

Science is the greatest superpower of all.

(via sciencejokes)

Source: project-argus