Technology

Mo’ Data, Mo’ Problems

Anyone who has read my previous post on “Why Computers Can't do Everything” knows the Information Technology industry has an uncanny ability to generate a variety of buzzwords to try to convince the public that their computing capability has no limits. In fact, these “buzzwords” have generated so much public interest that Gartner, Inc., a

Life with and without Social Media: a Nick Batora Story

“Your life exists outside of television and likes, and Instagram.  Engage the world.” Jon Stewart snapped these words out in a recent interview that he did with David Axelrod.  His point is one that resonated with me. Not only because he's Jon Stewart and I believe most Americans miss him dearly as of late with

Getting around space, Star Wars style?

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/262628478″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /] Normally the scientific community takes a stab at making science fiction a reality. But, science fiction took a page from science this time around. Learn about how the ion engines of Star Wars work in reality and how it is enabling space exploration, like never before. Links: CubeSat Podcast, Saturn

That’s No Moon…

Welcome to Star Wars week here at the Athens Science Observer. To help celebrate May the 4th – Star Wars Day –  we wanted to take a look at the real life science of that galaxy far far away. To start off, we'll dive into one of the most iconic pieces of Star Wars culture:

Math Meets Mayhem: How Fractals Shape the Universe

By strategically eating a single spaghetti noodle, you can make it last forever. Let me explain.Suppose you take a string of spaghetti, cut it into thirds, and eat the middle section; repeating over and over with the remaining sections. It won’t make a particularly substantial meal- the pieces you eat will quickly become infinitely small-

What's the Point of the International Space Station(ISS)?

On March 1st, astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after 340 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). But why was he even up there for so long in the first place? What is the ISS? According to NASA, the ISS is a “convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and

The Manifold Attractions of DNA Origami

Origami is a craft that transforms the simplest materials into intricate works of art. Precise folds and careful planning draw fantastic creatures from an otherwise unremarkable sheet of paper: cranes, dragons, lilies, and…scaffolds for complex nanomachinery? Through careful engineering and clever implementation of standard molecular techniques, scientists have found a way to fold long DNA

Immortality – Possible or Just Science Fiction?

by: Jacqueline Friel, Athens Science Café “I think the brain is like a program in the mind, so it’s theoretically possible to copy the brain onto a computer and so provide a form of life after death” – Stephen Hawking Admit it, you've thought about living forever. However, did you ever imagine it would be

BINGO, Dino DNA: Can we create a dinosaur?

By: Rishi R. Masalia, Athens Science Café   On June 12th “Jurassic World”, the 4th installment of the Jurassic Park series, is set to hit theaters. Now, I love dinosaurs and I know I'm not alone. Our fascination with them has permeated across pop culture, generating movies, songs, chicken nugget shapes, and even a list

Far From G-M-Over

By: Patrick Griffin, Athens Science Café   A couple of weeks ago, as I walked through the charming town of Broad Ripple, Indiana, I stumbled upon a behemoth three-story Chipotle. Recently erected to satiate the growing popularity of the Mexican-themed grill, the building was sporting a sign that piqued my interest as a scientist and

Lightsabers: Science fiction, or scientific possibility?

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” Arthur C. Clarke SciFi is one of the most popular genres of storytelling out there. Greats like Lucas, Asimov, and Shelley have inspired generations to think weirder and imagine bigger. In the last 15 years alone, we have developed prototypes for jetpacks, driverless cars and organ printing

Cutting the carbon emissions of 1.21 gigawatts? Great Scott!

Link One (Carbon Pools), Link Two (U.S. Electricity Sources), Link Three (Basin-Decatur Project), Link Four (Wave Energy) Graham Grable is an undergraduate student in the College of Engineering.  Between playing with Arudinos and hanging out with friends, he can be found saving Jebediah in Kerbal Space Program. You can find him online at grahamgrable.com or email

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