![[A black silhouette of Cinderella’s Castle covered in white line drawings of scientific concepts and instruments such as beakers, elements, leaves, DNA, stars, chemical structures, and arrows.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/10/Rose-ScIU-Post-Featured-Image.jpg)
A day at Walt Disney World exceeds all expectations. Rides move flawlessly on their complex tracks, fireworks appear out of thin air, and the scent of cotton candy floats in the air. It’s as if everything happens on cue, guided by a mysterious force. It could be magic, yes, but what if it’s science? Read on for five feats of engineering, chemistry, and biology that have probably escaped your notice in the parks…
General Science
The runner’s high: Emerging players
![[Image of an individual jumping from one hillside to another during a sunset.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/10/running.jpg)
The statement, “WOW! I feel fantastic!” is not a phrase many would associate with endurance running. In fact, most people tend to exhibit feelings of dread when they grudgingly decide to lace up their shoes and go for a jog. Although some may believe that running-induced euphoria is an anomaly, it is actually a well-documented subjective occurrence…
Stellar ghosts: Understanding supernovae
![[Against the dark backdrop of a few stars is a translucent sphere with a slight orange glow at the bottom left.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/09/ctb1cgpsvlaorig.jpg)
Are ghosts real? Spooky figures in a haunted house, maybe not. But if you’re looking for energy left behind after death, you may want to turn your gaze to the stars. Stars may not be conventionally “alive,” but they do have a lifecycle and part of that lifecycle includes death. In rare cases, that death releases a spectacular amount of energy in a supernova explosion…
Meet xenobots: The world’s first living robots
![[(Left) Block like structure created using green and red blocks. (Right) A blob of cells red and green in color.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/09/A_xenobot_in_simulation_and_reality.png)
What comes to mind when you think of machines? Perhaps structures made of metal, plastic, or ceramics. What if I told you scientists have built tiny robots from frog cells that can move, remember things, and heal themselves? I am talking about Xenobots 2.0, the world’s first living robots, which were made using cells derived from frog embryos…
Do extreme floods and droughts cause more extreme floods and droughts?
![[A corn field during a drought with dry, cracked soil.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/09/drought2.jpg)
Extreme floods and droughts are considered to be one of the greatest challenges to society in the 21st century. Historically, they have led to the collapse of civilizations, fatalities, and economic losses. In Indiana, recent droughts, such as the drought of 2012, have affected agriculture and water supplies. Recent flooding, such as summer 2021’s disasters in downtown Bloomington, have damaged businesses and homes. Now, the prevalence of these extreme events is increasing around the world; heavy rainstorms are increasing the severity and frequency of floods, while warming temperatures and a thirsty atmosphere are making droughts more severe…
Eclipses and solar system geometry
![[The sun rises behind the United States Capitol Building during a partial solar eclipse.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/09/51238521674_3297226a3a_o.jpeg)
Eclipses are a marvel of our Solar System, and it’s only due to the precise alignment of the Sun-Earth-Moon system that they happen at all. This marvel of geometry is worth exploring to understand the different types of eclipses and how often they occur. There are two types of eclipses: solar and lunar. Both rely on light from the Sun being blocked and casting a shadow, but what makes them different is where the human observer is positioned. Total solar eclipses are the most stunning of eclipses. This is when the Moon completely covers the Sun and the world is plunged into near darkness. However, these events are rare, especially if you cannot travel to see one…
Cannaba-what!?: Cannabinoids in their various forms — mainstream and uncommon
![[Image of the Cannabis plant and its distinctive green leaves.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/08/Cannabis-image.jpg)
If I was to say the word “cannabinoid” to you, where would your mind go? Would you immediately wonder, “What? Is it just a fancy way to say weed?” or would you ask questions like, “As in the molecular components of Cannabis?” or “Are you referring to the specific endogenous cannabinoid ligands in our body?” If your first thoughts align with the latter, prepare for a nice refresher on cannabinoids. If your response was closer to the former, get ready for a crash course in how we characterize cannabinoids and how they can be used to treat various health conditions…
Where did all the jobs go?
![[Pictured is an empty classroom with all the chairs facing a blank white board.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/07/classroom-6310717_1920.jpg)
I was recently re-watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory, where the unfortunate passing of a colleague opened up a tenured position in the department that Sheldon, Raj, and Leonard were all vying for. While most people would find their various tactics to shmooze the tenure committee funny, the part that I found most hilarious was a tenure line being maintained instead of turned into cheaper, temporary adjunct positions. In reality, tenure is a dying position in academia, and it’s severely impacting the job market…
Putting it into context: How psychology has shaped our knowledge of universal emotions
![[Yellow painted eggs with various facial expressions.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/06/pexels-roman-odintsov-6898861.jpg)
What are common emotions experienced in your culture? In the United States, happiness, anger, sadness, and fear are considered common emotions. The traditional theory of emotion assumes emotions are universally recognized by all humans. This theory dominates pop culture, with movies like Pixar’s Inside Out, which features characters personifying five emotions that coordinate our every action, and items like Amazon’s Halo Watch, which claims to detect emotions based on tone of voice. Yet, it is not possible to determine what emotion someone is experiencing based only on their face or tone of voice. Instead, our brain makes a prediction that is influenced by past experience, the current context, and interoceptive signals from our body (e.g., heart and breathing rate, hunger cues) from a culture-specific perspective…
Collecting drinking data: There’s an app for that
![[A photo of a person drinking a beer while also on their mobile phone.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/06/cell-phone-drinking-01.jpg)
Why do college students really drink alcohol in excess, even if they probably shouldn’t? Addiction researchers have been studying this topic for decades. They’re interested in learning more about alcohol use, the reasons for drinking, and the consequences of heavy drinking. Typically, addiction is studied by having people come into a psychology lab, fill out questionnaires, or maybe do some computerized tasks. More recently, however, scientists wanted to step out of their offices and understand real-world drinking behavior. But, how do they do that? Picture these scenarios…