Mary Patten, 19 Year Old Sea Captain
Today in 1837, the birthday of Mary Patten. She became a celebrity when she came along on a shipping trip led by her husband and ended up in charge of the ship.
Dancers At This Glasgow Club Are Going To Heat The Place With Their Moves
Dance clubs can get hot when things are in full swing. So why not turn that extra heat into green energy? A nightclub in Glasgow is teaming up with a geothermal power company to use the energy dancers put out to heat and cool the place.
These Worms Have No Ears But They Hear Pretty Well Anyway
If you listen to our show, your ears are doing the work, unless you’re a certain type of roundworm that researchers have just shown can react to sound even though they don't have any ear-like organs.
Two Tortoises Orbited The Moon Before Humans Did
Apollo 8 brought the first human astronauts to lunar orbit in late 1968, but a few months beforehand, the Soviet Zond 5 mission sent two tortoises (and a few other living things) for a trip around the moon.
A Felt Tip Pen Helped Get Apollo 11’s Moonwalkers Back To Earth
A broken switch threatened to keep Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from returning to Earth. Fortunately, they had a solution: office supplies.
The Super Blood Moon Is When A Bunch Of Cool Moon Things Happen At Once
Next week many of us will be watching for the Super Blood Moon, which is actually three moon phenomena all happening at the same time, thus earning its memorable and maybe kind of terrifying nickname.
Why Did The Moon Disappear 900 Years Ago?
The moon waxes and wanes in its phases month after month, and it always comes back. Except for that time in 1110, when records indicate that the moon vanished for months, or maybe even a year or longer. Scientists finally think they know what happened.
The Earth’s Rotation Is Slowing, Thanks To The Moon
We’re hearing a lot about how a research project has shown that Earth days used to be about a half-hour shorter than they are now. Why is our planet rotating more slowly now? It's mostly because of the moon.
The Terrifying World Of Victorian-Era Christmas Cards
Santa Claus stuffing a terrified kid into his bag of presents? Creepy monsters chasing people? A Christmas dinner come to life, with utensils as legs? Meet some of the many terrifying designs for Christmas cards back in the Victorian era.
Smart Intersections Could Help Make Self-Driving Cars Smarter
You’ve heard about making cars smarter, but what about smarter intersections? Cornell researchers find that making intersections more autonomous could help get self-driving cars where they want to go more efficiently.