Joss is the video production intern at Scientific American and a graduate student in the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting program at New York University. Follow on twitter at @jossfong
5 Things You Need to Know About Rosetta, the Comet Chaser – The Countdown #40
We’ve put robots on both the moon and mars, but scientists have never tried to soft-land a robot on a comet–until now. In this episode of The Countdown, we cover everything you need to know about the European Space Agency’s groundbreaking Rosetta mission.
5 Remarkable Facts About the Northern Lights – The Countdown #39
What causes the sky near Earth’s poles to light up with swirling, colorful light? In this episode of the Countdown, we explore the physics behind auroras and more.
5 Signs of Life on Mars – The Countdown, Episode 37
Could Mars support life? In this episode of The Countdown, we run through five intriguing lines of evidence that the red planet was not always as desolate as it appears, and may even be habitable today.
Can Microbes Clean Up Our Oily Mess? [Video]
With an estimated 70 oil spills every day in the U.S. and tons of plastic garbage littering our oceans, humans could really use some help cleaning up.
An Asteroid with Six Tails, and More – The Countdown, Episode 35
More to explore: Bizarre Asteroid with Six Tails Spotted by Hubble Telescope (Space.com) Liftoff! India’s First Mars Probe Launches Toward the Red Planet (Space.com) Kepler Telescope Finds Plethora of Earth-Size Planets (Scientific American) Chelyabinsk Eyewitnesses Help Scientists Resolve Meteor Mysteries (Scientific American) Gravity Maps Reveal Why the Moon’s Far Side Is Covered with Craters (Nature [...]
The Bizarre Phenomenon of Sleep [Video]
Sleep is such a large feature of our lives that it’s easy to forget how utterly weird it is. Every night, if we’re lucky, our brain cells switch into a synchronized pattern, putting our lives and minds on hold for hours.
The Coldest Place in the Universe – The Countdown, Episode 34
More to explore: ALMA Reveals Ghostly Shape of ‘Coldest Place in the Universe’ (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) United Nations to Adopt Asteroid Defense Plan (Scientific American) Earth’s Water Likely Came from Very Early Asteroid Strikes (Space.com) Sun Continues to Emit Solar Flares (NASA) Kepler Spacecraft Finds First-Known Tilted Solar System (Scientific American) And visit the [...]
What Is the Uncanny Valley? [Video]
Lifelike robots and animations can elicit a response that’s somewhere between uncomfortable and creeped out. Scientific American editor Larry Greenemeier explains why in our latest Instant Egghead video: More to explore: What Should a Robot Look Like?
Eye-Opener: Why Do Pupils Dilate in Response to Emotional States?
It has been said that the eyes are windows to the soul. Research has at least shown that the apertures of our eyes offer a glimpse into the mind