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Oct. 07, 2015
Picture of the Week: LUX's Photomultipler Tubes
by Chau Tu
This honeycomb-like array is helping scientists on their search for dark matter.
dark matter
Sep. 30, 2015
10 Questions for…Dava Newman
by Chau Tu
The new NASA deputy administrator chats about her influences and the space agency’s big plans for Mars.
Aug. 17, 2015
Does Sound Affect the Way We Taste?
by Chau Tu
Research suggests that sound is the “forgotten sense” when it comes to how we perceive flavors.
Jul. 29, 2015
Picture of the Week: Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds
by Chau Tu
These picturesque clouds reveal a particular kind of turbulence in the atmosphere.
kelvin-helmholtz
Jul. 08, 2015
Picture of the Week: Axolotl
by Chau Tu
This critically endangered salamander reaches sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis.
axolotl
Jun. 23, 2015
Picture of the Week: Cock-Eyed Squid
by Chau Tu
This midwater cephalopod sports different-size eyes for different functions.
squid, cephalopod week, cock-eyed squid
Jun. 09, 2015
Picture of the Week: The Green Rose
by Chau Tu
This mutated rose has sepals instead of petals.
rose, green rose, botany
May. 15, 2015
Picture of the Week: Sun Halo, With Sundog Companions
by Chau Tu
When the sun interacts with six-sided ice crystals, ethereal optical effects can occur.
sun halos, robert greenler, physics, sundogs, ice crystal effects
Apr. 28, 2015
Picture of the Week: Pando, One of Earth's Largest Living Organisms
by Chau Tu
These quaking aspens are all clones of one mother stem.
Apr. 10, 2015
The Year Ahead in Science Film
by Chau Tu
This year’s SXSW Film festival highlighted our fears about emerging tech and concerns facing online and gaming communities.
sxsw, south by southwest, sci-fi, film, documentary
Apr. 10, 2015
Picture of the Week: Lion's Mane Mushroom
by Chau Tu
This pristine white fungus might have neuroprotective properties.
mushroom, lion's mane mushroom, bearded mushroom, fungi
Mar. 17, 2015
Overheard at SXSW 2015
by Chau Tu
Science Friday web producer Chau Tu is in Austin, Texas for SXSW Interactive + Film.
Mar. 12, 2015
The Art of Scent in Los Angeles
by Chau Tu
A nonprofit in Los Angeles opens the door on the secretive world of perfuming.
perfume, fragrance, chemistry, institute of art and olfaction, los angeles
Mar. 10, 2015
Picture of the Week: Plastiglomerate
by Chau Tu
Plastic is melding with marine debris in Hawaii.
plastic, hawaii, plastiglomerate, pollution, kamilo beach, marine debris
Feb. 27, 2015
In Memory of Leonard Nimoy
by Chau Tu
The Star Trek actor died on February 27, 2015. He spoke to SciFri about science fiction in this archival interview.
leonard nimoy
Jan. 28, 2015
Picture of the Week: Electric Eel
by Chau Tu
New research shows that the electric fish operates like a Taser to immobilize prey.
eel, electric eel
Dec. 22, 2014
Picture of the Week: Transgenic American Chestnuts
by Chau Tu
Researchers have developed a blight-resistant species that's nearly identical to the American chestnut tree.
chestnuts, genetic engineering, american chestnut, blight, restoration, transgenic trees
Nov. 25, 2014
Picture of the Week: Cranberries
by Chau Tu
Some tasty facts about the popular Thanksgiving treat.
cranberries, thanksgiving, cranberry, cranberry station, university of massachusetts
Nov. 20, 2014
Q&A With Emily Graslie
by Chau Tu
More with the Field Museum's Chief Curiosity Correspondent and host of the “The Brain Scoop” on YouTube.
emily graslie, science communication, field museum, museum, youtube, video
Nov. 11, 2014
Picture of the Week: 'Engagement Ring' in Space
by Chau Tu
A nebula and a star line up perfectly in the sky.
nebula, abell 33, star, white dwarf
Nov. 03, 2014
Picture of the Week: Death Under Glass
by Chau Tu
An exhibit at Philadelphia's Mütter Museum offers a peek through a forensic pathologist’s microscope.
histology, death, tattoo, forensic pathology, medical examination, skin
Oct. 06, 2014
Picture of the Week: Fukang Pallasite
by Chau Tu
This rare type of meteorite offers insight into asteroid formation, as well as earth's geologic processes.
pallasite, fukang, meteorite
Oct. 02, 2014
Is MSG Bad for Your Health?
by Chau Tu
Monosodium glutamate has gotten a bad rap for causing allergies, but is it justified?
msg, monosodium glutamate, health, food additive, umami
Sep. 22, 2014
Picture of the Week: Fused Staghorn Coral
by Chau Tu
This hybrid coral could withstand climate change better than its relatives.
coral, florida, miami, hybrid, ocean, environment
Sep. 19, 2014
Solve the Science Friday Crossword Puzzle!
by Chau Tu
Test your Science Friday knowledge with this crossword puzzle challenge by constructor Fred Piscop.
crossword, puzzle
Sep. 02, 2014
Picture of the Week: Prehistoric Leafcutter Bee Pupa
by Chau Tu
Discovered at La Brea Tar Pits, the pupa helps reveal clues to what the environment was like in Southern California during the Pleistocene Epoch.
tar pits, la brea, bee, leafcutter bee, john harris, anna holden
Aug. 25, 2014
Picture of the Week: Great Bowerbird’s Bower
by Chau Tu
Male great bowerbirds build these structures strictly to attract females for mating.
bowerbirds, great bowerbird, australia, bower
Jul. 08, 2014
Picture of the Week: Domed Land Snail
by Chau Tu
This tiny snail lives in one of the world’s deepest cave systems.
snail, domed land snail, croatia, tiny animal, shell, new species, cave
Jul. 03, 2014
Picture of the Week: Kawah Ijen Volcano
by Chau Tu
This Indonesian volcano burns blue at night, but that’s not lava you’re seeing.
volcano, crater lake, kawah ijen, sulfur, sulfuric acid, miners, indonesia
Jun. 09, 2014
Picture of the Week: Munk's Devil Ray
by Chau Tu
This small ray can breach several feet into the air, causing a loud slapping sound upon its return to the ocean that has earned it the nickname “tortilla.”
devil rays, mobula rays, jumping, breaching, munk's devil ray, cabo pulmo, mexico, gulf of calilfornia, ocean
Jun. 03, 2014
Picture of the Week: The Eye of the Sahara
by Chau Tu
The Richat Structure, or the “Eye of the Sahara,” can be seen from space and might be 100 million-years-old.
richat structure, dome, eye of the sahara, target, dome, michel jebrak
May. 28, 2014
Why Do Songs Get Stuck in Our Heads?
by Chau Tu
Why some tunes lodge in our brains isn’t so clear. Here are a few theories.
earworms, music, repetitive listening, song stuck in our heads
Apr. 28, 2014
Picture of the Week: Llareta
by Chau Tu
This hard-as-a-rock South American cushion plant can live thousands of years.
llatera, plant, bolivia, andes, peru, chile, oldest plant, catherine kleier, cath kleier, philip rundel
Apr. 17, 2014
The Sounds of Space, in Indie Music
by Chau Tu
A new compilation of indie rock music includes sounds collected from the Voyager space missions.
Mar. 12, 2014
Estimate Pi by Dropping Sticks
by Chau Tu
A simulator based on one of the oldest problems in geometrical probability approximates pi.
pi day, pi, 3.14, buffon's needle
Mar. 07, 2014
Picture of the Week: Utah Inversion
by Chau Tu
The Salt Lake Valley's topography lends itself to a natural phenomenon called an inversion, which traps air pollution.
utah, salt lake city, air, pollution, inversion, chemistry
Feb. 21, 2014
Letting the Inner Athlete Shine, With a Techno-Boost
by Chau Tu
For Olympians, there’s interplay between natural athletic ability and suits that provide that extra edge.
technology, olympics, tech doping, doping, swimsuits, LZR racer, athlete, athletic ability, competition
Feb. 10, 2014
Seeing (and Feeling) the Future of Virtual Reality With the Oculus Rift
by Chau Tu
SciFri tests out the cutting-edge virtual reality device at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
oculus rift, virtual reality, gaming, presence, rift
Jan. 31, 2014
The New Frontiers of Filmmaking, at Sundance
by Chau Tu
This year, the Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier exhibition explored humanity's evolving relationship with technology.
Jan. 17, 2014
Picture of the Week: Biofluorescing Fish
by Chau Tu
Researchers have discovered an unprecedented diversity of glowing fish species.
biofluorescing, biofluorescence, fish, john sparks, glowing, gfp
Jan. 07, 2014
Ice Spikes: Your Photos
by Chau Tu
We asked you to submit your own photos of the ice spike phenomenon.
ice spike, ice, photography, frozen water,
Jan. 03, 2014
Picture of the Week: Ice Spike
by Chau Tu
One experiment shows that this little understood phenomenon seems to perform better with distilled water.
ice spikes, freezing, ice, frozen water, ice cubes
To access older blog posts, navigate via the archive links in the sidebar at left.
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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
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