Daily Archives: April 25, 2019

The Rare Earth Hypothesis

Posted on April 25, 2019 by epiphany9

I was inspired by Victoria’s post to think more about the Fermi Paradox, and specifically, explanations of the uniqueness of intelligent life on Earth. The Rare Earth Hypothesis is one such explanation; it postulates that conditions favorable to life (and particularly intelligent life) are incredibly rare in the universe. It is in opposition to hypotheses […] Continue reading →

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Are Extremophiles Our Roommates?

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Campbell Flower

Extremophiles are microorganisms that can survive in extreme conditions, such as high temperatures or great acidity. A recent study has found extremophiles in a location much more familiar to us, and it’s actually in the homes of humans. The study took samples from water heaters across all 50 states. Around 50% of the tested samples … Continue reading Are Extremophiles Our Roommates? → Continue reading →

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The Twins Study

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Campbell Flower

NASA has conducted a study that looks at the effects of being in space on the human body, and they are calling it the “Twins Study”. The two test subjects are identical twin astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly. Mark and Scott are the only twins to have traveled to space. The information collected can be … Continue reading The Twins Study → Continue reading →

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Adaptive Archaea

Posted on April 25, 2019 by epiphany9

Discovered in 1970, Archaea might be the least well-known of the three domains of life (the others being Bacteria and Eukaryota), but it is a fascinating and diverse group of organisms and quite possibly the first on Earth. Like bacteria, archaea are unicellular, prokaryotic organisms, meaning that they lack nuclei and other membrane-bound organelles in […] Continue reading →

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Fission Rocket Engines: Soon?

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Rivers Cornelson

NASA has revived the dreams of many optimists hopeful of smashing the dire predictions of the ideal rocket equation. Insane designs have long been dreamed of by lunatics attempting to create breakthroughs with the power of the atom, but a NASA research program in the 70’s laid encouraging groundwork for a possible fission rocket. NERVA … Continue reading Fission Rocket Engines: Soon? Continue reading →

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Project Orion: Humanity’s Best Hope?

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Rivers Cornelson

In the 1950’s and 60’s, optimism about the new discoveries related to fission of atoms and available energy ran rampant. Ambitious designs of all kinds were created based around the new marvel of nuclear energy. Eager to harness the massive potential of fission and fusion reactions, scientists and engineers at NASA began to ponder the … Continue reading Project Orion: Humanity’s Best Hope? Continue reading →

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The Case for Tardigrades

Posted on April 25, 2019 by IanO12

I can’t remember if it was Cosmos or Planet Earth, but it was narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. My roommate and I were watching it before bed, and it was fascinating. Almost the entire episode was dedicated to tardigrades, more colloquially known as water bears. These microscopic animals are uncannily resilient. Like, scarily so. According […] Continue reading →

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Where is everybody?

Posted on April 25, 2019 by victoriayaden

Despite evidence that suggests that there should be extraterrestrial civilizations, we have not yet detected any signs of these civilizations. This issue is called the “Fermi Paradox,” after Enrico Fermi—a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Compared to the lifespan of the universe, our sun is relatively young at 4.6 billion years old, so there are older stars […] Continue reading →

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