In the late 1950s, American scientists very publicly readied a crew of monkeys for a series of trips into Earth orbit and back. As far as the researchers knew, Project Discoverer was an actual, honest-to-Ike peaceful scientific program. Naturally, they were wrong about that. In reality, their work was part of an elaborate cover-up masking a spy satellite program. At The Primate Diaries, Eric Michael Johnson reports on some fascinating space history.
A brief history of space monkeys and spies
NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft touches asteroid Bennu, sends rubble flying, high hopes it grabbed sample
The NASA Osiris-Rex spacecraft "crushed rocks and sent rubble flying as it briefly touched an asteroid, a strong indication that samples were collected for return to Earth, officials said Wednesday," reports AP. More at the OSIRIS-REX Sample Return Mission site: "OSIRIS-REx TAGS Asteroid Bennu." Excerpt: Captured on Oct. 20, 2020 during the OSIRIS-REx mission's Touch-And-Go… READ THE REST
Scientific paper about being bitten by a weird snake
Meet the leaf-nosed snake, a peculiar Madagascan species with a gift for crypsis. Reading about it I found my way to Envenomation by the Malagasy colubrid snake Langaha madagascariensis, which turns out to be "This God Damned Snake Bit Me!" written up as a formal scientific paper. To avoid harming the snake and to prevent… READ THE REST
Sasha Sagan interviews a series of inspiring female scientists
In Violet magazine, writer Sasha Sagan, author of the must-read For Small Creatures Such As We, is interviewing a series of inspiring and diverse female scientists. First up is evolutionary biologist Dr. Michelle Trautwein, "curator of flies" at the California Academy of Sciences. followed by South African chemist/nanotechnologist Dr. Tebello Nyokong of Rhodes University, and… READ THE REST
FlipNetik are mesmerizing desk toys with a strange power all their own
Fidget toys are made for relieving anxiety and stress, but there's a very ephemeral quality to finding fidget toys that actually do the job. Many are just clutter on your desk or can even be just kind of annoying. But the best ones slip into your hand almost unconsciously, providing a very soothing tactility and… READ THE REST
These Apple accessories will go great with that new iPhone 12 — and they're all on sale
With the announcement of the iPhone 12 just a few days ago, everybody is assessing their smartphone needs and making the big decision about upgrading. While the smartphone may be at the heart of these latest tech questions, it's probably also a good time to give your entire Apple device collection a once over and… READ THE REST
Get access to Streaming Services, a VPN Service, Fitness Classes, Playstation Plus, and More For 80% Off
It's no newsflash to say the world is full of entertainment options. Heck, just restricting yourself to the digital universe, there are hundreds, even thousands of ways to learn new skills, improve your life, and yes, just relax and veg out on videos whenever you like. But with that many options for entertaining yourself, where… READ THE REST
