Leaders of NASA sit in an awkward position. While they are the head of a widely recognized organization, they’re often not the most famous individual in the agency. More people probably know the names of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronauts currently “stranded” on the International Space Station[1], than Bill Nelson, the...
Extraterrestrial life may look nothing like life on Earth − so astrobiologists are coming up with a framework to study how complex systems evolve
We have only one example of biology forming in the universe – life on Earth. But what if life can form in other ways? How do you look for alien life when you don’t know what alien life might look like[1]?
These questions are preoccupying astrobiologists[2], who are scientists who look for life beyond Earth. Astrobiologists have...
What is Salt Typhoon? A security expert explains the Chinese hackers and their attack on US telecommunications networks
Cyberattacks linked to the Chinese government that compromised large portions of the American telecommunications network have the U.S. government sounding the alarm. The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), has called it the “worst telecom hack in our nation’s history[1]” and noted that it makes prior...
Adults grow new brain cells – and these neurons are key to learning by listening
Your brain can still make new neurons when you’re an adult. But how does the rare birth of these new neurons contribute to cognitive function?
Neurons are the cells that govern brain function[1], and you are born with most of the neurons you will ever have during your lifetime. While the brain undergoes most of its development during...