Today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day is a wonderful photo of a blue Sun (our Sun). The photo is converted blue to highlight the rapidly moving gases that end up looking like bristles on a carpet.
The description on the photo is particularly interesting, mainly this part:
Our Sun glows because it is hot, but it is not on fire. Fire is the rapid acquisition of oxygen, and there is very little oxygen on the Sun. The energy source of our Sun is the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium deep within its core. No sunspots or large active regions were visible on the Sun this day, although some solar prominences are visible around the edges.
I have always thought of the Sun as an object that was on fire, but now it actually makes sense to read that the sun is almost never on fire. It’s just very hot.
Using 3 independent robots, ABB Robotics was able maneuver a pin between a set of 6 cans of soda with just 1mm to spare between the pin and the cans. Mind you, this is all done while the three independent robot arms are swinging wildly in space. According to ABB Robotics, the path of the pin between each can is speed-independent, which means that each arm can move at its own pace without really screwing up the other. [via]
Sea bacteria like this which resembles a thick mucus membrane is becoming more and more common, and scientists fear that its spread could cause danger to sea animals and humans alike. The sea mucus can potentially carry E.Coli and is sometimes so thick that it actually suffocates fish. [via]
Joachim de Posada found that most of the kids who resisted the urge to eat the marshmallow for 15 minutes while an adult left the room became successful in their later years while the same was not true for those kids who ended up eating the marshmallow right away.
Kimberly Bostwick explains in this PBS video segment her research into the mating actions of the club-winged manakin, a bird which can display a unique natural ability to moonwalk (yes, as in the dance move made famous by Michael Jackson). Watch the video for the magic moves…
