Would a Space Force mean the end of NASA?
Oct 20, 2018 15:57 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science
Space, that final frontier, is something that catches the attention of a country naturally inclined to believe in ideas like Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism. But how well does a Space Force fit that bill? And...
Europe's set to blast off to Mercury – here's the rocket science
Oct 20, 2018 15:30 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science
The European Space Agency (ESA) will launch its BepiColombo mission to the planet Mercury from its spaceport near the equator in Kourou, French Guyana, on October 20. My involvement in the mission means that I will be...
A Goblin could guide us to a mystery planet thought to exist in the Solar system
Oct 20, 2018 15:25 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science
Out in the depths of the Solar system, astronomers recently discovered a small, icy object, named 2015 TG387. First observed in October 2015, it has been nicknamed The Goblin by its discoverers. It is currently almost...
How we solved an Arctic mercury mystery
Oct 20, 2018 05:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
In the Canadian Arctic, a mystery has troubled scientists and local communities for decades: Why do marine animals in the western Arctic have higher mercury levels than those in the east? The trend is seen throughout...
Bioenergy carbon capture: climate snake oil or the 1.5-degree panacea?
Oct 20, 2018 05:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
With the release of the latest special report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, its time we talk frankly about Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Sequestration, known as BECCS. It is one of the key technologies...
Evolution is at work in computers as well as life sciences
Oct 17, 2018 22:25 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology Science
Artificial intelligence research has a lot to learn from nature. My work links biology with computation every day, but recently the rest of the world was reminded of the connection: The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went...
How scientists are fighting infection-causing biofilms
Oct 17, 2018 22:23 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science
The surfaces people interact with every day may seem rather mundane, but at the molecular scale, there is more activity than meets the eye. Every surface we touch has its own unique chemical properties. Its because of...