October 29, 2013

Video: A Stunning Mars Flyover

The video below, released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mars Express, is a stunning flyover of the planet, showcasing grabens, dendritic valleys, lava flows and the highest known mountain in the Solar System.

bigthinkeditor

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express has been around the Red Planet quite a few times – some 12,000 times, in fact. In the process, the space probe’s High Resolution Stereo Camera, has captured enough images to create “an almost global digital topographic model of the surface,” according to the space agency.

Watch here:

Read more here.

Strange Maps

America’s news deserts are growing

Most counties in the U.S. have only one local newspaper, often one that publishes weekly instead of daily.

Two people walking past a dark brick wall with numerous security cameras pointing in various directions.

The Present

Are smart cities a wise idea?

When Google runs a smart city, who owns the data?

Illustration of a young woman with closed eyes, smiling, next to a large, detailed eye and surrounded by vibrant, abstract elements and smiley faces.

Neuropsych

Eyes wide shut: Why closing your eyes intensifies psychedelic trips

A recent study suggests that exposure to visual stimuli can diminish the effects of psychedelic drugs.

Starts With A Bang

The big idea of Grand Unified Theories of physics

If the electromagnetic and weak forces unify to make the electroweak force, maybe, at higher energies, something even grander happens?

Microscopic image of a small electronic component with clear details of its structure and connections against a gray background.

The Future

Making microbots smart

What would it take to create a truly intelligent microbot, one that can operate independently?

Up Next

Don’t watch the new X-Men (or any) trailer

So the new X-Men film trailer is out. It’s being Tweeted, Facebooked; it’s probably rising through the ranks of YouTube, Vimeo and so on. It’s easy content for sites, a blessing of […]