Written by Kristin Kish, Digital Marketing Intern.
Between school, homework, practice and spending time with loved ones, it’s easy to miss out on the latest in science, technology, engineering, art and math. But don’t worry, Thinkery’s got you covered. Here are some of our favorite STEAM discoveries from the previous week. It’s fuel for your weekend.
A massive dust storm could hit Mars in the next couple of months. Although common at this time of year, these dust storms pose a threat to NASA’s robotic rovers currently traversing Mars’ surface. Why? Well, dust on Mars is pretty intense—it covers the entire planet like a shield and prevents sunlight from breaking through. NASA’s rovers run on solar power, so if the dust storm lasts too long we could lose power—oh no! Learn more about dust storms on the Red Planet.
In order to make nighttime biking safer, urban planners in Lidzvark Warminski, Poland recently unveiled a glow-in-the-dark bike lane. Dotted with “luminophores”—tiny, crystal-like particles that charge in sunlight—the illuminated path glows throughout the night. No external power source required, and it looks cool to boot. Check it out here.
Do plants need soil to grow? Not anymore! An international team of scientists have built a sustainable greenhouse in the southern Australian desert. At Sundrop Farm, special tomatoes are grown with sunshine and seawater—that’s it! No soil, pesticides, fossil fuels, groundwater, nada. The first-of-its-kind agriculture system took six years to design, and the technology is simplygroundbreaking. Without a doubt, it’s the new face of farming in the future.
Imagine, if you will, an animal that looks kind of like an ostrich. Oh, and a velociraptor, too. Well, that’s a cassowary! Cassowaries are shy, strong and strange creatures. They’re also the most dangerous birds on the planet. Earlina, a six-foot-tall, 150-pound cassowary, lives at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Learn more about this amazing bird in Smithsonian’s special behind-the-scenes look.