The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Space Coast
In 2011, NASA retired its 30-year-old shuttle program when Atlantis returned from its mission, touching down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This week, btw takes a look at what has happened to the area after the loss and the revival that is emerging in its place. The Space Age In a […]
Your Brain in a Digital World
Last week, btw brought you a story about what happens to the brain when you do more than one thing at a time. This week we go further, looking at the ways your brain responds to some of the things you are likely to be engaged in every day. Your Brain on Music Listening to […]
Gravitational Wave Discovery: 100 Years in the Making
Perhaps you’ve heard news about the discovery of “gravitational waves?” About how a team of scientists discovered the sound of two black holes colliding a billion light-years away, and how that discovery confirmed renowned physicist Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity? In case you don’t know what any of this means, this post is going to give you […]
Remembering the Space Shuttle Challenger
On January 28, 1986, NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven who were on-board, including the first civilian into space. Amid the wave of tributes in recent weeks, btw remembers this tragedy and points out some lessons. Background In 1972, President Richard Nixon announced the development of NASA’s space shuttle program. Unlike previous missions, the new […]
UN Climate Change Conference
Over the years, btw has brought you stories about Climate Control—what it is, what it does, and measures proposed to slow its effect. Last week, around 25,000 representatives from nearly 200 countries came together in Paris for talks aimed at creating a legally-binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions globally. Key Issues From November 30 to […]
Meet Homo Naledi
Earlier this month, paleoanthropologists in South Africa announced that they have discovered a new species of hominid. Hominid is the name of the biological family that includes both primates and humans. This discovery has the scientific community reevaluating our understanding of human evolution. The Discovery The project began when an amateur caver found a unique […]
Patents: For the Benefit of Society
You have probably seen a copyright symbol– © –printed inside of your favorite books or on the backs of CDs. But what do you know of the patent? Both copyrights and patents protect the originators of intellectual property–any idea, process or invention that comes from a person’s mind. Patents, however, can be a very complicated […]
Earth Day: More Than Just a Hippie Holiday
Do you have plans to plant some trees this April 22nd? Maybe you’re going to don a plastic vest and rid your local park of litter, or send an email to your local officials about recycling programs you’d like to see get started in your community. Or maybe you want to take part in a […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Protest Sparks Growing Tension in Ukraine Last week, more than 70 people were killed and more than 500 injured in a anti-government protest gone horribly wrong. In the aftermath, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was removed from power by the nation’s parliament and is currently missing. The situation that sparked the controversy was a trade deal […]
Measuring Risk and Reward of Drilling in the Arctic
The long-running national debate over our dependence on non-renewable energy such as oil, natural gas and coal is not likely to end soon. While industry experts and lawmakers disagree over the severity of the problem and potential solutions, the reality remains that our supply of fossil fuels cannot possibly keep up with the growing demand […]