Earth’s gravity pull is opening cracks and faults on the Moon

Image via NASA.

Article
Featured Researcher: Thomas Watters
Affiliation: Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

Research Interests: Dr. Watters’ research interests are in planetary tectonics, planetary geology and geophysics, and remote sensing. His research involves the identification and characterization of tectonic landforms and the development of kinematic and mechanical models for their origin.

This 125-million-year old bird possibly flew above dinosaurs

Image via USC.

Article
Featured Researcher: Luis Chiappe
Affiliation: Natural History Museum, Los Angeles

Research Interests: Dr. Luis Chiappe supervises all of the Dinosaur Institute’s programs. His expertise is centered around the evolution of archosaurs, a group of reptiles that includes crocodiles, pterosaurs (flying reptiles), dinosaurs and their descendants, the birds.

Artificial skin can feel pressure, then tell your brain about it

Image via Stanford.

Article
Featured Researcher: Alex Chortos
Affiliation: Stanford

Research Interests: Nanotechnology Engineering, focusing on materials and devices for electronic skin.

Rocks Traveled Far in Ancient Martian Rivers

Image via University of Pennsylvania.

Article
Featured Researcher: Douglas Jerolmack
Affiliation: University of Pennsylvania

Research Interests: Experimental geophysics, with a focus on geomorphology (the “science of scenery”). His research focuses on the spatial and temporal evolution of patterns that emerge at the interface of fluid and sediment on Earth and planetary surfaces.

Company reveals 3D printed superhero prosthetics for kids

Article
Featured Company: Open Bionics

Open Bionics is a company that wants to bring advanced, cheap 3D printed hand prosthetics.

Were dinosaurs warm or cold blooded? New stdy suggests it’s in between

Image via Marine West Ecology.

Article
Featured Researcher: Aradhna Tripati
Affiliation: University of California, Santa Cruz

Research Interests: She specializes in expanding our knowledge of how ‘clumped’ isotopes (i.e., the occurrence of multiple rare isotope substitutions in molecules) in carbonates can be used as a tool to address pressing questions pertaining to climate change, earth systems history, geochemistry, geobiology, and sedimentary geology.

Something is blocking light from a distant star

Image via PSU.

Article
Featured Researcher: Jason Wright
Affiliation: Penn State University

Research Interests: Prof. Wright studies nearby stars, their ages and activity levels, and most of all their planetary systems. He finds and characterizes new planets around other stars.

Ecotourists are helping domesticate wildlife

Image via TED.

Article
Featured Researcher: Daniel Blumstein
Affiliation: University of California Los Angeles

Research Interests: Broadly, he is interested in the evolution of social and antipredator behavior and the ramifications mechanisms of behavior have for higher level ecological processes and for wildlife conservation. A main theme in his research is integrating knowledge of animal behavior into conservation biology.