ikenbot:

A Hole in Mars

Credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona

Back in 2007, black spots were discovered on Mars that are so dark that nothing inside can be seen. Quite possibly, the spots are entrances to deep underground caves capable of protecting Martian life, were it to exist.

The unusual hole pictured above was found on the slopes of the giant Martian volcano Arsia Mons. The above image was captured three weeks ago by the HiRISE instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling Mars.

The holes were originally identified on lower resolution images from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, The above hole is about the size of a football field and is so deep that it is completely unilluminated by the Sun. Such holes and underground caves might be prime targets for future spacecraft, robots, and even the next generation of human interplanetary explorers.

watershedplus:

An innovative initiative is taking place in the Philippines to bring sustainable lighting to homes in impoverished communities. Empty plastic bottles are installed in the roof, filled with water and bleach they refract sunlight. These “solar light bulbs” provide light equivalent to a 55watt light bulb.

See how they’re made here. From Visual News

knowledgeiscake:

Weird Things I Think Are Cool- Crookes Radiometers

_{The Crookes radiometer, also known as the light mill, consists of an airtight glass bulb, containing a partial vacuum. Inside are a set of vanes which are mounted on a spindle. The vanes rotate when exposed to light, with faster rotation for more intense light, providing a quantitative measurement of electromagnetic radiation intensity. The reason for the rotation has historically been a cause of much scientific debate.}

genannetics:

Did you know the Easter Island heads have bodies?

Yup it’s true.  And some are as tall as 10 meters (33ft)! The Moai have overly large heads (3/5 the size of their bodies), and because of photographs taken in the 50’s of the slopes of Rano Raraku (where the statues are buried to their shoulders) many (including me) are lead to believe that they are only heads!

Check out the Easter Island Statue Project (http://www.eisp.org/) for more info on the excavation, Easter Island history, and more pictures!

ichthyologist:

Stone fish (Synanceia sp.)

Utilizing its amazing camouflage, the stone fish waits motionless on the sea floor for prey to swim past. The fish strikes at incredible speed, sucking prey directly into the mouth in as little as 0.015 seconds. It is also the world’s most venomous fish with 13 spines capable of killing predators that may disturb it.

fuckyeahelements:

a video about vanadium oxidation 

brilliantbotany:

This is nutmeg, which grows on trees in the Myristica genus. The main commercially grown species is M. fragrans. Nutmeg is a seed, and the red covering you see is the aril. 

fuckyeahspaceexploration:

Apollo 11 preparations