science
Topics and developments in science and medicine, presented by Futurism.
Wildlife Goes Extinct on Our Planet
Earth has had multiple mass extinctions. It will keep happening as a natural evolutionary cycle or perhaps because of the activities of man. The Endangered Species Act was set up in 1973 to save us from ourselves because, since the beginning of the 21st century, we have lost 17 animal species. For example, the Pinta Island Tortoise on June 24, 2012, whose ultimate survivor named Lonesome George, died at over 100-years-old. If we do not curb greenhouse gas emissions, we will cause more extinction.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
11 Little Known Facts About Nikola Tesla
1. Tesla Worked for Thomas Edison Tesla focused on engineering AC currents while Edison invested most of his money to the use of DC currents. This would lead to a rivalry between the two. Tesla spent his life working to harness enough electricity from the Earth alone to supply everyone and everything the energy demanded, for free. Edison worked to make a profit from it. He would eventually do everything in his power to discredit Tesla's work to promote his own and he would be relatively successful. Still today Tesla does not receive the credit deserved for his 700-plus patents throughout his lifetime.
By Kristin Wilson8 years ago in Futurism
Biodegradable Plastics Currently Available
Apparently, there already are two different types of biodegradable plastic on the market that we need to start introducing into manufacturing. These are known as oxo-biodegradable, (oxygen) and hydro-biodegradable (hydrolysis), both types emit
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
Climate Change Evidence
Denial is not just a dried up river in Africa. Earth has cooling periods also known as Ice Ages and warming periods, such as the global warming that occurs in 2018. There is much evidence of the existence of global warming. Shells in glacial deposits help scientists decide a “maximum age for the glacier advance.” These shells had been preserved for 14,000 years because of being well preserved. In the past, Britain and Ireland’s winters were very cold. This was in the remote past. Global warming is surely influenced by human activity but it is also part of a natural cycle of weather on this planet.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
11 Things You May Not Know About Albert Einstein
1. Einstein failed his first college placement test. It was clear from the beginning that Albert was rather different. He was considered to have a speech impediment that caused him to speak very slowly. He would rehearse full sentences in his head before he would speak them.
By Kristin Wilson8 years ago in Futurism
What Air Pollutants Do to a City
Air pollution does a lot of harm to city infrastructure all across the United States. Air pollution exists in an invisible state that not everybody can see. But it certainly affects your breathing. According to epa.gov, there are six common types of air pollutants. Cars are only one source of pollutant emissions along with planes, ferries, and trains. It is a little-known fact that death can be caused by air pollutants known as “fine particle matter (PM22.5)” which can cause premature death and harmful effects on the cardiovascular system” as well as other systems such as inflicting asthma on the respiratory system.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
5 Hormones You Probably Never Knew You Had
Okay so we've all heard of hormones and, if like me you managed to survive your teenage years, you probably have a fair idea what they can do to your body (and your mood). Teenage girls becoming moody and boys getting aggressive is always brushed aside with "it must be the hormones" which at times makes us wonder why we even need them anyway. For most of us, we will have been taught about hormones when we had a sexual education class at school, or perhaps by a parent/guardian, but what you don't realize is that you were only really taught about three or so hormones at best... Testosterone, Progesterone and Oestrogen. And you may have heard of a few other popular ones like insulin and adrenalin. So without further ado, let me change your perception of hormones forever with five hormones you are certainly glad you have with this medical students guide.
By Eoin Black8 years ago in Futurism
Toxicity and What It Does to the Body
Toxic leaks from landfills seep into our groundwater all the time. Imagine all that plastic just not biodegrading at all, staying put in that landfill for all time. We have access to many a lethal chemical on this planet right now. Toxicity cannot be resolved in one generation, in fact, it may take many but we need to quit ignoring all the problems it brings. Prolonged stress can cause reactions in the physical body. Poisons work inside the body but some will increase or lower the heart rate for example.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Futurism
DNA Testing—8 Things You Should Know
The discovery of DNA structure (along with technology improvements), made possible for us, without even seeing a doctor, to analyze our DNA and find out a lot about ourselves. Being a carrier of genetic instructions, DNA can tell us about our health risks, our ancestors, distant relatives, and our children. Public awareness about DNA tests grows each day, yet there are still many misconceptions about methods, accuracy, and outcomes of DNA analysis results. Here are the essentials that you should know about DNA testing.
By Nina Simons8 years ago in Futurism
Afterimages
Everyone has experienced an afterimage at some point in their life. Yet, most people don’t realize what they are. An afterimage is a faded illusion of an object continued to be seen for a brief moment, even after you have stopped looking at the actual object. Sometimes the colors are very vivid and bright, while other times, the colors are dull or even inverse or opposite from the original color. Afterimages can all look very different, varying from blotches of light, faded images of the original object, or of course in reversed colors. Afterimages happen all the time, try to recognize it the next time it happens to you.
By Grace Mitchell8 years ago in Futurism
Building Silicon Brains
What does the future look like to you? Perhaps you see quantum computing as the next big leap or envision a future powered by cold fusion. Maybe you think Artificial Intelligence will be the biggest game changer of all, but what you probably don’t have in mind is the most dated piece of hardware we have, a processor 100 million years old: the human brain.
By Corlett Novis8 years ago in Futurism
Strange Sounds: 'Frost Quakes'
What is that strange sound outside? During the summer of 2009, myself and an old friend heard strange sounds at night in Niagara Falls, NY. At the time I was living in a small trailer park, with my two sons, practically across the street from the Niagara Falls Air Force Base. While my friend was visiting me, he took an evening walk. When he got back, he asked me to join him outside so I could listen to something. He didn’t say why but told me that I just had to hear what he was hearing. I stepped out, into the dark street with him, and we could hear a strange hum that was echoing all around. It sounded like electricity humming through strings of an electric guitar. It was off in the distance... somewhere from the north, I surmised. We stood there for a bit, looking up at the sky, wondering WTH?! The strange sound that night lasted for hours! There had been reports to the Niagara County Sheriff Department and had been heard a half hour away in Lockport. AND also made our two local newspapers’ front page the next day, but no source of the strange noise was found.
By Lady Sunday8 years ago in Futurism
