activity

In terms of seismic events on the red planet (or indeed any other planet besides Earth), this is the biggest one recorded so far: the NASA InSight lander has recorded a 'monster' of a marsquake, which is estimated to have hit magnitude 5 on the scale used on Earth.  That beats the previous record holder, a magnitude-4.2 marsquake that Insight recorded back on 25 August 2021. The new quake happened on Mars on May 4 of this year, the 1,222nd sol (or Martian day) of the lander's mission.A magnitude-5 quake on Earth would be…

(A) Student misconception device assembly using Zn and Cu electrodes short-circuited with Cu cut-out thin sheets. (B) Diagram of the device displaying materials used and device electrical configuration. (C, D) Illustrations showing how a misconception is corrected via trial and error (time) or by the instructor. Credit: SUTD The electrochemistry designette is a purposefully developed design activity which allows students to…

Worldwide sales of fitness trackers increased from US$14 billion in 2017 to over $36 billion in 2020. The skyrocketing success of these gadgets suggests that more people than ever see some value in keeping tabs on the number of steps they take, flights of stairs they climb, time they spend sitting, and calories they burn.  The manufacturers of these devices certainly want consumers to believe that tracking fitness or health-related behaviors will spur them on to increase their activity levels and make them healthier.Our…

Looking at big, mature trees, you may not think that their trunks sway much in the wind. They do to a certain extent, however … enough so that electronic measurement of the swaying motion can be used to monitor their growth cycles.Although trees sway in the breeze all year round, the manner in which they do so varies depending on how much water is present in their trunk, branches and leaves.In the spring and summer, for instance – when a tree draws in water as it produces leaves, flowers and/or fruit – it's particularly…

A powerful solar flare just erupted from the surface of the Sun – and NASA captured stunning footage of it.The X-class flare, the strongest produced by our star, was recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory as it burst from a sunspot on the lower left limb of the Sun at 9:25 am EDT (13:25 GMT) on Tuesday (May 3).  Sunspots are areas on the Sun's surface where powerful magnetic fields, created by the flow of electrical charges, knot into kinks before suddenly snapping. The resulting release of energy launches bursts…