Back in 2006, the International Astronomic Union passed a resolution to adopt a new, formal definition of a “planet.” According to their standards, bodies that orbit the Sun, are spherical, do not orbit other bodies and have cleared their orbits can be deemed “planets.” It was when this ruling was made that Pluto became known …
Author: Prentice, the Science Platypus
Prentice is the mascot of Insanitek.
Why a platypus? Well, why not? It's unusual, somewhat crazy, and evolution pretty much smashed a bunch of concepts together and said, "Try that."
Carlos Finlay: Mosquitoes, Yellow Fever, and a Big Case of “I Told You So”
Pop Quiz – What animal is responsible for the most human deaths every year? If you said “shark” or “alligator” or “snake”, you would be wrong. Sure, these animals are dangerous, but they actually result in very few human deaths each year. The animal that poses the biggest threat to humans is the mosquito. Mosquitoes …
Baby Walker Injuries are on the Rise: Is It Time for a Ban?
Baby walkers are seemingly harmless devices that offer fun to little ones and their parents alike. However, hospital emergency rooms treat more than 2,000 babies a year for injuries stemming from these walkers, and now, American pediatricians are calling for a ban (Cohen, 2018). “I view infant walkers as inherently dangerous objects that have no …
Lily Pads Know About Surface Tension
A picturesque feature of many ponds is the lily pad. One glance at Monet’s famous paintings and you’ll see that water lilies are beautiful, delicate, and unusual, floating on the surface of the water. Water lilies are unique plants that have adapted to their watery environment and harness the power of surface tension to keep …
Meet RangerBot, Out to Save the Great Barrier Reef from Starfish
The Great Barrier Reef faces a number of challenges, many of which can be directly blamed on humans. However, the Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish is one exception – it is a sea creature that merely feeds on healthy coral, posing a threat to the reef. To deal with the problem, researchers at Queensland University of Technology initially …
Taking a Low-Dose Aspirin May Not Have as Many Benefits as Previously Thought
New research shows that taking low-dose aspirin on a regular basis may not have as many life-saving properties as previously thought. According to one new study, taking aspirin does not help prevent first strokes or heart attacks in people at moderate risk for one. This was because the study participants had several health threats, such …
Good News: This Summer Has Spelled Demise for Ticks in the Northeast
Lyme disease is one of the conditions that can stem from being bitten by an infected tick, but luckily, the number of cases appears to be dropping in New England. This is good news, seeing as the Northeast is often one of the hardest hit areas for Lyme disease and other tick-caused ailments (“Here’s one …
The Science of Jumping
For athletes participating in many sports, the ability to jump higher could be the difference between getting a lot of playing time and sitting the bench. Jumping, from a physics standpoint, is more complex than these athletes realize. The action combines energy, inertia, mass, and momentum, with physiological and biomechanical factors. Understanding the science that …
Feel the Heat: Heatwave Related Deaths Expected to Spike by 2080
Heatwaves can be tolerable for people living in the Western world, assuming they have access to shelter from the sun and cool air. However, this isn’t always the case in other parts of the world, where the temperatures are scorching and there is nowhere to seek refuge. Now, scientists believe that the number of deaths …
Female Birth Control Goes Digital, Thanks to the FDA
We’ve all heard of the various female contraceptive methods, such as The Pill, but what if the latest form of contraception came in a digital form? This is now the case, thanks to approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Recently, the FDA approved the marketing of a new form of female contraception: an …