ScienceIQ.com

Amazing GRACE

Gravity has an effect on everyone and everything on Earth. Although we can't see it, smell it, taste it or touch it, we know it's there. Although scientists already know quite a bit about this invisible force, many aspects of this fundamental force of nature remain mysterious. In 2002 NASA teamed-up with the German Space Agency to launch the dual ...

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AmazingGRACE
Biology

What We Learned From The Songbirds

Once, neuroscientists believed that our complement of nerve cells was created prenatally and during the first years of life, and that no new neurons could be generated. Now we know that this belief ... Continue reading

WhatWeLearnedFromTheSongbirds
Geology

A Great Sunset Takes A Few Clouds

Although the twilight sky can certainly inspire awe even when it is devoid of clouds, the most memorable sunsets tend to be those with at least a few clouds. Clouds catch the last red-orange rays of ... Continue reading

AGreatSunsetTakesAFewClouds
Physics

What Makes a Frisbee Fly?

If you have ever been to the park or the beach, you've probably seen one of these plastic discs flying through the air. We're not talking about a UFO, we're talking about the Frisbee, more commonly ... Continue reading

Frisbee
Biology

An Invasion of Infiltrators

Why might a species be invasive in one country but not a big problem in its native land? As an example, consider a plant that is a major weed in the U.S. but in its native land it may be a minor pest. ... Continue reading

Infiltrators

Billions and Billions

BillionsBillionsNobody really knows how many brain cells anybody has, but typical estimates are around 200 billion. You've heard the late Carl Sagan talk about 'billions and billions of stars' in the universe. Think about this. Each brain cell has many connections with many other brain cells, by way of multi-branching dendrites and axons, communicating across a mind-bogglingly large number of synapses.

How many? If each brain cell connected once to each of the others, that would be 4 with 22 zeros after it, a number so large that it would put Sagan and his billions of stars to shame. One well-known researcher has even asserted that a single human brain has more potential connections than the number of atoms in the universe. Is that really true? In mathematical terms, yes. However, since each connection depends on many atoms, there's no way that such a huge potential could be realized, even in theory. But suffice it to say that the human brain has a vast potential for thinking and learning.