Though it may seem like the nadir of armchair activism, that red human rights logo that has inundated your News Feed and become the profile picture of everyone from your mom to your preschool BFF may actually have an impact. Read More
So you think you’re pretty smart, huh? Maybe you went to a good college, got a cushy tech job right after and are working to unleash your own product on to the world? That’s cool, but did you discover an unknown prehistoric species at age 4? Didn’t think so. Read More
Last time scientists were bragging about their search for the Higgs Boson (aka the God particle), Internet users did the only thing they knew how and created memes of questionable humor (dat mass). We may soon be facing a repeated onslaught of nerdy science memes with the news that scientists claim to have definitively discovered the God particle–like, for real this time, guys. Read More
Gone are the days when science projects consisted of paper mache volcanoes, baking soda and vinegar. Now, budding young scientists are putting your space diorama to shame by actually launching things into space. Kids these days, smh.
CBS News reports that a trio of young ladies at Cornerstone Christian School decided to marry their love of science with their Hello Kitty obsession. So, for their 7th grade science project, they created a homemade rocket, placed a Hello Kitty doll inside, and launched it into space using a home weather balloon kit. Read More
Perk up, Peter Thiel: if our brains aren’t transplanted into robot bodies some time soon, we can always bank on human immortality. Researchers at Kiel University in Germany believe they’ve discovered a gene that is linked directly to the aging process. This opens up new opportunities for research focusing on how to prolong human life. Read More
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, it became clear that the MTA’s worst fears were realized: not only were many of the subway tunnels flooded, but they’d become inundated with salt and brackish water scooped up in the storm surge and funneled into the subway system.
The MTA has gotten parts of the system in Manhattan and Queens up and running, but pumping water out of stations dotted around Brooklyn along the East River will take some time. Seven subway tunnels beneath the East River have flooded, leaving switches and signals “likely damaged.” MTA chairman Joseph J. Lhota said in an earlier press conference that the subway system “has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night.” Read More
Let’s just go ahead and all agree, right now, that dinosaurs are freakin’ awesome. Now that that’s settled, allow us to blow your mind: one paleontologist has discovered a new species of dinosaur that’s approximately the size of a house cat. How cute does that sound?
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Betabeat had just settled in for a hot Friday night date with the Internet when a friend sent us an email with the subject line, “!!!”. Enclosed in the body was a link to a Reddit Ask me Anything featuring none other than our childhood idol Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Mr. Nye is somewhat of a Reddit folk hero, a noted target of nostalgic awe whose esteem on Reddit may be eclipsed only by the swag-as-hell physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. An AMA from Bill Nye has been a long awaited Reddit event. The fact that it’s happening on a Friday night is also probably of no consequence to the majority of Redditors (this reporter included). Read More
Last night, gangs of glammed-out New York techies and science enthusiasts trekked uptown to the Rose Center for Earth and Space to take in a stunningly optimistic program presented by Gizmodo and the American Museum of Natural History. The event was planned and hosted by Gawker Media founder Nick Denton (with the help of Brew PR), who appeared so eager about the “celebration of technology and discovery” that he tweeted about it numerous times prior to the event, published a grandiose blog post on Gizmodo reveling in the glorious achievements of science, and sent out an email to attendees: “This evening should be inspiring and fun,” he wrote.
“I’ve never seen Nick so excited for a social event,” one colleague remarked.
And who could begrudge Mr. Denton his excitement? The event was everything he claimed it would be–and perhaps more, depending on how many free cocktails you indulged in. Hosted by Ellen V. Futter, the president of the American Museum of Natural History, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley and Mr. Denton himself, the gathering was as swank and inspiring as expected. Read More
