Articles by Carrie Poppy
The UK Is Eliminating All Coal Power Plants In Next Nine Years
Some call the move to phase out coal power a victory. Others say it is cynical hypocrisy. The U. K. government has announced that it is phasing out coal power, and expects to achieve total elimination in the year 2025.
Engineers Discover New Law Of Sound And Cereal
Rice Krispies could be the solution to detecting when post-avalanche snow is safe to walk through. Picture this: scientists in a lab at San Diego State University fill a tube with Rice Krispies, slowly crush them with a trash compactor and turn the sounds into music.
World’s Smallest Submarine Is One Molecule In Size
The fastest submarine in the world could soon swim through your bloodstream. Researchers from Houston's Rice University have developed the smallest submarine ever invented, and it's so small, it could swim through your blood stream.
New Dry Pellets Become Glue When Smashed
The genius invention will make it possible to bind tiny pieces of smartphones, cars and planes. You know when your apartment is full of cockroaches, so you try everything possible to murder them, including using that disgusting sticky gel that goes in the cracks of your cupboards, but then you end up getting it all over your hands and dishware as you try to plug up the crevices? No, just me? Fine.
Why Is Graphene The Miracle Material?
The strongest material on Earth is only one atom thick. How will we use it? Have you heard the one about the actor who was told he was an overnight success? He looked at the reporter, puzzled, and asked, "Which night was it?" Any sudden fad or success story is usually the culmination of months or years of hard work and—let's face it—luck.
Building A Solar-Powered Oasis Underground
An exclusive interview with the co-founder and creator of New York City's underground forest. "This is a project with no client. No one asked us to do this.
New Theory Might Tell Us How Galactic Magnetic Fields Form
Physicists at Princeton may have the answer to how magnetic fields form around stars and galaxies ... and it's totally counter-intuitive.
Science Images Of The Week: UFOs, Carl Sagan Day, A Disabled Orangutan And More
This week's science images are full of awe and aww. In this weekly column, science writer Carrie Poppy puts together the most striking and telling science images from the past week's news for your viewing pleasure.
What The Heck Is World Science Day? (And Why Should I Care?)
World Science Day is a real thing. Here's why you should care about it. When we heard about World Science Day at Tech Times, my editor Brian turned to me (if emailing from across coasts can be counted as "turning toward me") and said, "Can you write about this? Like, what is World Science Day, and why the heck should I care?" Of course, Brian was kidding .
New Super Light-Absorbing Metamaterial Is Inspired By Lotus Leaves
The material absorbs virtually all light in the visible spectrum, making it potentially useful for astronomers and solar energy engineers.
Physicists Use Sound To Levitate Cells And Check For Cancer
The technology is adapted from a process used to find miniscule impurities in rocket fuel. Utah Valley University physicists are using a levitation trick to gauge the density of individual cells, as a step toward better cancer and Alzheimer's diagnoses.
Electron Beams Reveal Surprising Way That DNA Replicates
Cutting-edge technology provides a brand new look at the DNA replication process, and it looks very different from what scientists previously thought.
Hospitals Are Throwing Away Donor Organs Because It’s The Weekend
New findings show that usable donor organs are being harvested but discarded at a significantly higher rate over the weekend.
Doctors Turn Immune Cells Neon Green To Watch The 'Jedi Cells' Kill Cancer
The process has been demonstrated in mice, and researchers hope it will suggest new ways to target cancer treatment in humans.
MIT Scientists Announce Ultraefficient Solar Cells
The new technology could make solar panels thinner, lighter, and more effective. The secret is quantum mechanics.
'Minecraft' Offers A New World For Chemistry Nerds And Students
The world allows users to fly through proteins and get an atom's-eye view of molecular life. Minecraft, the $2. 5 billion open-source video game, is one of the most popular games on the planet.
Insects Inspire Lenses That Can See Almost Twice As Much As The Human Eye
The new microlenses will be used as surgical tools and in security cameras, but could be adapted for many applications.
Brain Freezes Don't Freeze Your Brain
Although the pain may seem to be in your brain, it is actually something else entirely. And it can't hurt your brain.
NASA Releases Photos Of Halloween Asteroid That Is Five Football Fields Long
The asteroid passed by Earth on Halloween morning, missing us by a distance equal to seven Earths. We recently reported on an asteroid that had just been discovered, and was expected to pass by Earth on Halloween.
One Of The Best-Preserved Land Dinosaurs Has Been Found
The dinosaur bears a striking resemblance to emus and ostriches, suggesting a close kinship with modern land birds.
How Does A Balloon Pop? Researchers Say It Depends
For the first time, French physicists capture on video the process by which a balloon bursts or is popped.
How Ghost Hunters Demonstrate Hauntings - And Why It's Mostly Nonsense
From local ghost hunters to the bigwigs on TV, paranormal investigations use the same methods to prove that spirits are all around us. But all their 'findings' can be explained scientifically.
UK Scientists Use Sound To Levitate Objects
Bristol University engineers have created a 'tractor beam' that uses sound to move particles through space.
Female Sex Hormone Could Save Combat Soldiers' Lives
Estrogen helps block sepsis, a quickly fatal infection that spreads through the entire body after trauma.
New System Could Give 16 Million People With Special Needs Internet Access
The project, undertaken by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and funded by the federal government, would automatically format any device to the user's needs and preferences.
Scientists Found The Part Of Your Brain That Multitasks. And It’s Bad At It
New research supports the hypothesis that the thalamic reticular nucleus is the 'switchboard' controlling our attention. But it only has so much attention to give.
Breakthrough Surgery Gives Dogs Their Faces Back
Using human reconstructive surgery techniques, one vet was able to give a labrador his face back after a debilitating accident.
UN Says Put Down The Red Meat To Help Avoid Cancer
A U.N.-based health agency says there is probable evidence that all mammal meat causes cancer, and conclusive evidence that processed meat does.
New York City Plants Its Millionth Tree, Ahead Of Schedule
New Yorkers swept past their original plan to plant a million trees in a decade. Fighting climate change one tree at a time, the city met its goal with two years to spare.
High-Definition Video Of Spider Crickets Serves As Blueprint For Tiny Robots
The insects have evolved to sail through the air and land in amazingly efficient ways. That is perfect for robots involved in disaster relief.
