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Random musings of an aspiring science teacher and writer.

Jason Carr
105 posts

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  • May 13, 2013
  • 09:58 AM
  • 35 views

Riding Hexapod Walkers on Dusty Alien Worlds

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Speculative fiction is the home of countless machines that fly in space, yet resemble humanoid lifeforms. Scientists are now working on the next generation of robots that will blaze a trail in space by going where humans simply can’t maneuver on their own. Like so many things in the field of space exploration, the descendents … Read More →... Read more »

  • May 9, 2013
  • 09:59 AM
  • 47 views

Study Finds Brain System for Emotional Self-Control

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Different brain areas are activated when we choose to suppress an emotion, compared to when we are instructed to inhibit an emotion, according a new study from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Ghent University. In this study, published in Brain Structure and Function (citation below), the researchers scanned the brains of healthy participants and … Read More →... Read more »

  • May 2, 2013
  • 09:50 AM
  • 53 views

Meteorites May Reveal Mars’ Secrets of Life

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

In an effort to determine if conditions were ever right on Mars to sustain life, a team of scientists, including a Michigan State University professor, has examined a meteorite that formed on the red planet more than a billion years ago. And although this team’s work is not specifically solving the mystery, it is laying … Read More →... Read more »

  • April 29, 2013
  • 11:04 AM
  • 77 views

Early Childhood Education: the Importance of Phonological Awareness

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

There are many factors that go into how a child learns to read, write, and spell.  Phonological awareness in early childhood is a proven predictor of how well a child will progress in their literary performance.  Today’s post explains the basics of phonological awareness and how to better develop it in young children. What is … Read More →... Read more »

  • April 25, 2013
  • 09:21 AM
  • 84 views

Newborn Stars and their Effect on the Universe

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

When galaxies form new stars, they sometimes do so in frantic episodes of activity known as starbursts. These events were commonplace in the early Universe, but are rarer in nearby galaxies. During these bursts, hundreds of millions of stars are born, and their combined effect can drive a powerful wind that travels out of the … Read More →... Read more »

Sanchayeeta Borthakur, Timothy Heckman, David Strickland, Vivienne Wild, & David Schiminovich. (2013) The Impact of Starbursts on the Circumgalactic Medium. The Astrophysical Journal. arXiv: 1303.1183v2

  • April 22, 2013
  • 12:43 PM
  • 71 views

Using Black Holes to Measure the Universe’s Rate of Expansion

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

A few years ago, researchers revealed that the universe is expanding at a much faster rate than originally believed — a discovery that earned a Nobel Prize in 2011. But measuring the rate of this acceleration over large distances is still challenging and problematic, says Prof. Hagai Netzer of Tel Aviv University’s School of Physics and Astronomy. Now, Prof. … Read More →... Read more »

  • April 2, 2013
  • 12:12 PM
  • 123 views

The Misguided Search for Validation via Social Media

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

We human beings are social creatures. It’s natural for us to orient ourselves in terms of the world outside and what the people around us are thinking and doing. This socialization instinct is strongest in us when we’re young and still developing our own sense of identity. Historically speaking, this dynamic has typically played itself … Read More →... Read more »

  • March 19, 2013
  • 08:34 AM
  • 111 views

Origins of Human Teamwork Found in Chimpanzees

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Teamwork has been fundamental in humanity’s greatest achievements but scientists have found that working together has its evolutionary roots in our nearest primate relatives – chimpanzees. A series of trials by scientists found that chimpanzees not only coordinate actions with each other but also understand the need to help a partner perform their role to [...]... Read more »

  • March 14, 2013
  • 09:57 AM
  • 167 views

The Benefits of Current Mars Research

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Martian exploration is unquestionably a hot topic right now. Mainstream media outlets have largely focused on the most visible efforts of the Curiosity mission, and that’s a good thing. While people might be thrilled with the photographs that they have an opportunity to view on their screens however, they may be less familiar with the [...]... Read more »

  • March 11, 2013
  • 02:04 PM
  • 177 views

Let’s Explore Quantum Computing

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

It’s fairly easy to surmise how quantum computing will evolve in the future if/when it becomes a reality. Devices that are currently based around a system of electronic circuits would eventually die off. Quantum devices would ultimately become the new standard in computing. While Peter Shor’s research showed how quantum algorithms would speed up advanced [...]... Read more »

Benningshof OW, Mohebbi HR, Taminiau IA, Miao GX, & Cory DG. (2013) Superconducting microstrip resonator for pulsed ESR of thin films. Journal of magnetic resonance (San Diego, Calif. : 1997), 84-87. PMID: 23454577  

Petersson KD, McFaul LW, Schroer MD, Jung M, Taylor JM, Houck AA, & Petta JR. (2012) Circuit quantum electrodynamics with a spin qubit. Nature, 490(7420), 380-3. PMID: 23075988  

  • March 6, 2013
  • 10:03 AM
  • 189 views

Dead Sparrow Turned into Robot to Study Bird Behavior

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Researchers at Duke University recently took a major step toward better understanding how swamp sparrows use a combination of song and visual displays to communicate with one another. How they came about making this discovery, though, is what makes this story particularly newsworthy — they stuffed a deceased swamp sparrow with a miniature computer and some [...]... Read more »

  • February 27, 2013
  • 10:47 AM
  • 167 views

Let’s Explore Flywheel Energy Storage Devices

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Flywheel energy storage devices could be looked at as a radical application of very traditional technology. They work by maintaining rotational energy by moving a flywheel. This same idea is used to keep a mechanical watch ticking. A majority of modern FES devices use electricity to put the flywheel in motion, but some researchers are [...]... Read more »

MacIntosh BR, Rishaug P, & Svedahl K. (2003) Assessment of peak power and short-term work capacity. European journal of applied physiology, 88(6), 572-9. PMID: 12560957  

  • February 21, 2013
  • 09:36 AM
  • 218 views

The Sobering Reality of Orbital Weapons Platforms

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Space warfare is quickly becoming a reality. Though people might often imagine that wars fought in space would be against some sort of extraterrestrial power, this might not be the case. It’s far more likely than human beings will someday war with one another. As with every other major venture, international law is involved with [...]... Read more »

  • February 16, 2013
  • 12:28 PM
  • 228 views

Witch Persecutions and the Perils of Shadow Projection

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

The history of our race is highlighted by many bright peaks and shadowy valleys. We have seen lofty heights and despairing lows. Occasionally there have been black gulfs almost too horrible to contemplate. The Holocaust in Nazi Germany is assured a permanent place on this list. Another black splotch upon the tapestry of human history [...]... Read more »

Reeves, K. (2000) Racism and projection of the shadow. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 37(1), 80-88. DOI: 10.1037/h0087844  

  • February 13, 2013
  • 01:10 AM
  • 101 views

Small Business Contributions to U.S. Space Exploration

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Many of you have likely been following the progression of the Mars Rover Curiosity in recent weeks. I’ve personally developed an interest in the types of tests that are being done on the red planet during the mission. This interest led me to think about the types of test equipment that is being utilized not [...]... Read more »

  • February 11, 2013
  • 11:36 AM
  • 139 views

Cell Circuits Remember Their History

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

MIT engineers have created genetic circuits in bacterial cells that not only perform logic functions, but also remember the results, which are encoded in the cell’s DNA and passed on for dozens of generations. The circuits, described in the Feb. 10 online edition of Nature Biotechnology (citation below), could be used as long-term environmental sensors, efficient controls [...]... Read more »

  • February 11, 2013
  • 09:50 AM
  • 65 views

Integrating Learning Health Systems into Medical Education

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

The original concepts behind learning health systems (LHS) were meant to address myriad concerns within the field of Western medicine, ranging from the high cost of healthcare (and resulting need for clinicians to provide greater overall value of care to their patients) to the wasteful gap of time between scientific innovations and their implementation within [...]... Read more »

Etheredge, L. (2007) A Rapid-Learning Health System. Health Affairs, 26(2). DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.2.w107  

Chou, A., Vaughn, T., McCoy, K., & Doebbeling, B. (2011) Implementation of evidence-based practices. Health Care Management Review, 36(1), 4-17. DOI: 10.1097/HMR.0b013e3181dc8233  

  • February 8, 2013
  • 01:29 PM
  • 238 views

What’s Killing Our Honey Bees – And What’s at Stake?

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

Along with other pollinators (which include hoverflies, butterflies and moths), honey bees perform a crucial role in the production of one-third of all the food we eat. Honey bees alone pollinate roughly fourteen billion dollars’ worth of food crops annually. They comprise a necessary part of the living ecosystem, and we would be hard-pressed to [...]... Read more »

  • February 6, 2013
  • 01:14 AM
  • 217 views

The History and Basic Principles of Archetypal Psychology

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

The basic philosophy behind archetypal psychology was inspired by Carl Jung’s concept of the archetypes: Primordial symbols, appearing predominantly within our dreams, which are the common heritage of all mankind. The concept of archetypes implies that there are sources of health, healing, strength and wisdom within the psyche that are accessible to all of us. [...]... Read more »

  • January 31, 2013
  • 10:02 AM
  • 151 views

Space ‘Scale’ to Weigh Black Holes

by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos

A new way of measuring the mass of supermassive black holes could revolutionize our understanding of how they form and help to shape galaxies. The technique, developed by a team including Oxford University scientists, can spot the telltale tracer of carbon monoxide within the cloud of gas (mostly hydrogen) circling a supermassive black hole at [...]... Read more »

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