We see a lot of time-lapse videos here at Visual News, but this one takes it to new heights all together: an altitude of over 200 miles to be exact. Filmed by astronaut/photographer Ron Garan from the windows of the orbiting International Space Station, this astoundingly beautiful video captures a view of brightly lit cities, continents, cloud layers and the magnificent aurora borealis as the ISS gracefully speeds around the earth. [Read more...]
Do you ever wonder what your brain is doing when you space out? Doctors around the world are looking into what happens when our minds go on “Default Mode” and, as this video points out, the findings are pretty surprising. Not only does activity go up in many quieter regions of the brain, but they may serve surprisingly important purposes. With the more we learn about the quieting of the brain, the more practices like meditation or simply spacing out in the shower look like they are good things for your head [Read more...]
A transparent sensor that is so stretchy it can be pulled to twice its original length and then bounce back perfectly has potential for use with prosthetic limbs, robotics, and touch-sensitive computer displays. [Read more...]
In this entertaining, beautiful and profound animation, psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist expounds on the uniquely ‘divided’ human brain. He details how this split in our heads was differently understood in the past and how it has altered our behavior, culture and society over time. So much insight you’ll need to use the pause button… a lot!
The audio in the video is taken from a lecture given by Iain McGilchrist as part of the RSA free public events program. The full lecture can be found here [Read more...]
A new equation is the first to predict the hydrophobic interactions of molecules. Such interactions explain why oil and water don’t mix, how proteins are structured, and what holds biological membranes together. The new formula is expected to affect applications in water filtration, membrane separations, biomedical research, gene therapy methods, biofuel production, and food chemistry. [Read more...]
Astronomers have uncovered some striking features in the gases emitted from the regions close to one of the brightest supermassive black holes known to exist. The black hole has a mass 300 million times that of the sun. [Read more...]
A new algorithm suggests there is information lurking in images that cameras have yet to tap. Like a camera, the human eye has an auto-focusing system, but human auto-focusing rarely makes mistakes. And unlike a camera, humans do not require trial and error to focus an object. [Read more...]
Penguins appear to use smell to determine if they are related to a potential mate, which suggests birds may have a more highly developed sense of smell than researchers previously thought. [Read more...]
Micro devices implanted inside tumors to generate oxygen boost the cancer-killing power of radiation and chemotherapy. The technology is designed to treat solid tumors that are hypoxic at the center, meaning the core contains low oxygen levels. [Read more...]
The days of the blood sample routine—arm out, make a fist, find a vein, and tap in—may soon be over, thanks to a new analysis method that requires only a pinprick of blood. A relatively new alternative to drawing blood from veins for analysis uses very small blood samples stored as dried blood spots (DBSs). [Read more...]
