Weekend Project: Do Osmosis With Food

NASA announced Tuesday the discovery of an unprecedented number of planets beyond our solar system — astronomers have confirmed the existence of 1,284 new worlds orbiting distant stars.

These planets beyond our solar system — exoplanets — were discovered with the help of NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, which launched in 2009.

“When NASA decided to build and launch the Kepler Space Telescope, we did not know if exoplanets — especially small, rocky exoplanets — were common or rare in the galaxy,” says Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “We now know that exoplanets are common, that most stars in our galaxy have planetary systems, and that a reasonable fraction of the stars in our galaxy have potentially habitable planets.”

NASA Spots 1,284 New Planets, Including 9 That Are ‘Potentially Habitable’

Photo: W. Stenzel/NASA

That is what it looks like it you try to burn biscuits straight out of the packet.

This is what it looks like if you try to burn biscuits after you soak them in liquid oxygen:

Adding liquid oxygen means that the biscuits (the fuel in this reaction) can burn to their full potential. When you just burn them in air, there isn’t enough oxygen (one side of the fire triangle of heat, oxygen and fuel), and that limits the reaction.

INSIDE THE INVENTIVE MIND Matt Ganis IBM Social Media Analytics  Olympian Internet Firewall Creator

“I think we learn as we play – the silly experiments we come up with today could be at the core of very serious solutions we develop tomorrow.”

I’ll say it again: Scientists have created a synthetic stingray that’s propelled by living muscle cells and controlled by light.

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But the ultimate goal isn’t a cyborg sea monster - it’s a human heart.

“I want to build an artificial heart, but you’re not going to go from zero to a whole heart overnight,” says Kit Parker, a bioengineer and physicist at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute. “This is a training exercise.”

Full, fascinating story here.

Materials: 1. 9" balloon 2. CD 3. water bottle pop-top cap 4. A hot glue gun 5. Push pin Steps: 1. First, cover the center hole of the CD with a piece of tape and poke 6 holes in the tape with a push pin. 2. Next, use the hot glue gun to glue the cap to the center of the CD. 3. Then, blow up the balloon and pinch its neck. 4. Next, make sure the pop-top is closed and fit the neck of the balloon over the pop-up portion of the cap. 5. Finally, put the craft on a smooth surface and pop the top open. Lesson: The air flow created by the balloon causes a cushion of moving air between the disc and the surface. This lifts the CD and reduces the friction, which allows the CD to hover.

How to tie dye milk–well, theoretically. It didn’t work quite as well as planned. You need to use high fat milk (2% or whole) to get the right effect. A drop of dish soap will cause the fat and water in the milk to mix, altering the surface tension and causing the dye to move. Learn how to do it (correctly) here.

The Solar Experiments | No. 1 Solar Updraft

Making breakthroughs in renewable energy technologies takes some serious creative energy. Future scientists, take some inspiration from this pinwheeling solar windowsill gadget. All you need is paper, aluminum foil, a lampshade and some household tools. Find that great big ball in the sky and voilà— a solar twist on wind energy to keep those inventive wheels turning.

Fun Science Experiments

I remember when I was a child I had a book of fun science experiments. There were some experiments that I wanted to do and others that I did do. So, I feel like sharing some of them because everyone should do them some point in their lives. Be it they do it with friends, with their kids, siblings or whatnot. It’s fun and it’ll help to add to the good memories we already have.

1. Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption - One of the most popular experiments of modern times is the Diet Coke and Mentos Geyser. Made popular by Steve Spangler, this experiment is a lot of fun and sure to amaze your friends and family (assuming you do it outside rather than in the living room).

2. Invisible Ink with Lemon Juice - Making invisible ink is a lot of fun, you can pretend you are a secret agent as you keep all your secret codes and messages hidden from others. All you need is some basic household objects and the hidden power of lemon juice.

3. Make Your Own Rock Candy - Also known as Sugar Crystals and it’s my favorite experiment to do because it’s easy and tasty. They are made by crystallizing sugar and making it yourself means that you can make as many as you want, with any color and flavor you want.

4. Glow in the Dark - It’s always fun to make and see things glow in the dark. There’s actually a lot of experiments that deal with this, from making drinks that glow, glowing water, fake neon sign, glow in the dark alum crystals, glow in the dark crystal snowflakes, glow in the dark ink, glowing slime, glowing bubbles, glowing flower, and so on. 

5. Change the Color of a Flower - This is a very simple experiment and only requires a few things to make it possible. Water, food coloring, a cup (or vase) and a flower. It’s always fun to see a flower change into a different color that’s uncommon for it’s kind. Such as blue or purple roses, aqua magnolias, green carnations, etc. 

Make Delicious Ice Cream In 30 Seconds With Dry Ice!

It’s the perfect time for some homemade ice cream and today on DNews Labs we’re gonna show you how to make some in less than a minute.

The human brain in comparison with those of other animals. The diverse yet unified pattern of nature never fails to amaze me.