Surprising Science — March 25, 2014

Supersonic Jet Creates a “Cloud”

This supersonic jet, the F-14 Tomcat, can create a cloud. Check out this footage of the jet ripping through the sky, leaving a trail of vapor. What you’re witnessing are the effects of the Prandtl–Glauert Singularity.

Image credit: mashleymorgan/Flickr

Neuropsych

Even your hands betray your emotions

If you’re trying to hide how you feel about something, be careful with your hands.

The Present

Stanford engineers warn that electric car charging could crash a grid powered by renewable energy

Most electric car charging is done at night. A grid powered mostly by renewable energy might not be able to meet demand, but there is a solution.

Neuropsych

When Harvard psychologists declared war on Sigmund Freud, Freud won

Sigmund Freud developed the decidedly unscientific principles of psychoanalysis in a time when most psychologists were trying to join the ranks of chemists and medical doctors.

Hard Science

Where is the center of the Universe? Here, there, and everywhere

The Big Bang is commonly misunderstood, warping our understanding about the Universe’s size and shape.

Neuropsych

The lifesaving power of gratitude (or, why you should write that thank you note)

Expressing gratitude encourages others to continue being generous, promoting a cycle of goodness.

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Surprising Science

Superfluid Appears to Defy Gravity

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