Hubble takes a lot of photos, so many that astronomers need help categorizing them. That’s where Galaxy Zoo comes in. It’s a social computing site where users learn the difference between spiral and spherical galaxies and then, once they prove their skill at labeling sample galaxies, are set free on actual data. Moon Zoo is similar, but with sorting moon images (thus the name).
EyeWire.org from MIT works on the same principal of a division of labor. This time, though, the user fills in the gaps of a neural network inside the retina. A computer has started the work; a human finishes it (take that, Cylons). MIT is trying to track how messages travel from your eyes to your brain. They are also trying to discover more ways in which the human brain functions. Not everyone gets a chance to be a research scientist, but now you have a chance to help out.
Archive for the ‘Science’ category
EyeWire.org is like Galaxy Zoo and Moon Zoo
April 10th, 2012Build a Body
February 10th, 2012Build a Body is an interactive anatomy lesson where you put the organs in and read about what they do. It’s organized really well by system, but the part that I found most intriguing was the case studies section. In it, you read about a person and figure out what’s wrong with their body parts.
Symphony of Science
February 3rd, 2012Like Science? Like T-Pain-style autotune? Check out the Symphony of Science. It reminds me a lot of the Autotune the News folks.
3D tours of the Smithsonian and a virtual dinosaur dig
December 16th, 2011Even if you don’t get to travel this break, you can still explore the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History by clicking here.
Want to see what the process is like when you dig up fossils? Click here
The Newton Project
December 13th, 2011The University of Sussex has scanned Isaac Newton’s notebooks and put them online for others to search. Check out the notebooks from the 1700’s by clicking here.
Interactive Periodic Table of Elements
November 3rd, 2011Today we’re researching the properties of elements and their uses. I like this project because you have to apply what you know about the element by creating a superhero that uses those qualities.
Here are the sites:
WebElements
Dynamic Periodic Table
ChemicalElements.com
It’s Elemental
A reminder about the study at the botanical garden
October 28th, 2011Larry Roberts from the University of Alaska is conducting research at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix to analyze how adults learn in informal settings.
The research days are in the following blocks:
Tuesday, October 25 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00, and 6:00-8:00
Wednesday, October 26 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Thursday, October 27 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Friday, October 28 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00, and 6:00-8:00
Saturday, October 29 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Sunday, October 30 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Monday, October 31 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00 and 6:00-8:00
Tuesday, November 1 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Admission into the garden is paid for by the study. If you would like to be a part of the study, message Larry Roberts by clicking here. It is a study of adult learning, so it’s not for junior high and high school students.
Harnessing power through our windows
October 21st, 2011Imagine if every window, from our cars to our houses, could act as a solar panel.
Imagine a giant skyscraper and all those windows. What if that building could power itself and the neighborhood around it?
I love that the presenter is talking about unlocking things at the atomic level. I wrote a short story a while back about a young, modern-day alchemist who could add or subtract subatomic particles with just the touch of his hand. I really feel like chemistry is where we will continue to see some major revolutions.
Naming the GRAIL
October 5th, 2011NASA launched two lunar probes in September as part of the GRAIL project to create a gravity map of the moon. The two probes are called GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B, but NASA wants help changing the names. Here’s more information about the writing contest. It’s cool because the Spirit and Opportunity rovers were named by students.
A chance to tour the botanical garden…for science!
September 29th, 2011Larry Roberts from the University of Alaska is conducting research at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix to analyze how adults learn in informal settings. I’m going and it sounds like a lot of fun.
The research days are in the following blocks:
Tuesday, October 25 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00, and 6:00-8:00
Wednesday, October 26 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Thursday, October 27 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Friday, October 28 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00, and 6:00-8:00
Saturday, October 29 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Sunday, October 30 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Monday, October 31 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00 and 6:00-8:00
Tuesday, November 1 9:00-11:00, 1:00-3:00, 3:00-5:00
Admission into the garden is paid for by the study. If you would like to be a part of the study, message Larry Roberts by clicking here. It is a study of adult learning, so it’s not for junior high and high school students.
