SHATTERED

The Feminine Face of Space

Museum of Cosmonauts, 1984 - 2015 

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.

How To Make A Rocket For Less Than A Dollar

You can use sugar and kitty litter to make a rocket that shoots up over 2,300 feet (700 meters). And it cost less than $0.50 to make. Learn how: http://bit.ly/1G0hn8O

Heat and air movement demonstration 2 of 2. When you light a tea bag on fire, it creates a column of hot air that’s inclined to rise. And when the tea bag becomes light enough, it gets carried along!

If you want to try it yourself, there’s more information here. Make sure you’re using a simple paper teabag that you can unfold into an approximately cylindrical shape–fancy ones, like the pyramids, won’t work. And please take appropriate fire safety precautions! I keep a fire extinguisher handy for these demos.

Density experiment. Salt water has a higher density than fresh water, causing the egg to float in it! 

Five Things to Know About NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins

Among the newest crew on the International Space Station is U.S. astronaut Kate Rubins, who will assume the role of Flight Engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49. Here are five things you should know about her:

1. She was chosen from a pool of over 3,500 applicants to receive a spot on our 2009 astronaut training class.

After being selected, Rubins spent years training at Johnson Space Center to become an astronaut. She learned how to use the complex station systems, perform spacewalks, exercise in space and more. Some training even utilized virtual reality.

2. She has a degree in cancer biology.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1999, Rubins went on to receive a doctorate in Cancer Biology from Stanford University Medical School Biochemistry Department and Microbiology and Immunology Department in 2005. In other words, she’s extremely smart.

3. Her research has benefited humanity.

Rubins helped to create therapies for Ebola and Lassa viruses by conducting research collaboratively with the U.S. Army. She also aided development of the first smallpox infection model with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NBD. It will be exciting to see the research come out of a mission with a world-class scientist using a world-class, out-of-this-world laboratory!

4. She is scheduled to be the first person to sequence DNA in space.

During her time at the space station, Rubins will participate in several science experiments. Along with physical science, Earth and space science and technology development work, she will conduct biological and human research investigations. Research into sequencing the first genome in microgravity and how the human body’s bone mass and cardiovascular systems are changed by living in space are just two examples of the many experiments in which Rubins may take part.

5. In her spare time, she enjoys scuba diving and triathlons…among other things.

Rubins was on the Stanford Triathlon team, and also races sprint and Olympic distance. She is involved with health care/medical supply delivery to Africa and started a non-profit organization to bring supplies to Congo. Her recent pursuits involve flying airplanes and jumping out of them – not simultaneously. 

Rubins is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station at 12:12 a.m. Saturday, July 9. After her launch on Wednesday, July 6, the three crew members traveled 2 days before docking to the space station’s Rassvet module. 

Watch live coverage of docking and their welcoming starting at 11:30 p.m. EDT Friday, July 8 on NASA Television.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Coke cans in acid and base. Destroying things with science!

As fundamental forces go, gravity is pretty weak. It can easily be overcome by air pressure, as this classic demo shows.

Celebrating Women’s History Month at the Museum

March is Women’s History Month, and through the month, we’ll be looking to our nearly 150-year past, exciting present, and bright future to bring you stories of women in science here at the American Museum of Natural History. Today, we’re taking a look at a few of the women who help shaped the Museum in it’s early years. 

Pictured is herpetologist Mary Cynthia Dickerson, author of Moths and Butterflies (1901) and The Frog Book (1906). In 1909, Dickerson became one of four founding curators in the Museum’s Department of Herpetology and Ichthyology. Within 10 years, she laid the foundation for a standalone herpetology department, which formed under her direction in 1920.

Delia “Mickie” Akeley, wife of explorer and taxidermist Carl Akeley who conceived the Akeley Hall of African Mammals, was herself an adventurer and artist. She assisted Carl as he perfected a novel method of taxidermy, and collected specimens on several key expeditions to Africa. And it’s a good thing she did—on a trip in 1909, Delia saved Carl’s life after he was attacked by a bull elephant.

Curator of Micropaleontology Angelina Messina found beauty and wonder in some of the Museum’s tiniest specimens. She joined the staff in the 1930s, and with the help of Assistant Curator Eleanor Salmon, prepared catalogs of foraminifera—miniscule organisms that provide important markers to geologists and hold vital records of ancient climates within their fossilized chambers. 

Another trailblazer, anthropologist Margaret Mead, joined the Museum in 1926, at the age of 25, as an assistant curator. Two years later, she published her best-selling book Coming of Age in Samoa, which introduced readers to the value of looking carefully and open-mindedly at other cultures and is still taught in anthropology classrooms.

This March, we’ll be profiling women in science across the Museum, so make sure to follow along on the Museum’s social media channels: @AMNH on Twitter, Instagram, and on Facebook and tumblr.