NOVA | PBS
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Official account for the PBS documentary series demystifying the science and tech that shape our lives, our planet, and our universe. Streaming on the PBS app.
Joined November 2008
Ancient human footprints found in New Mexico’s White Sands National Park tell an intimate story about what life was like during the Ice Age–and reveal surprising new evidence about when humans arrived in North America. 🧵⬇️.
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How do you keep microbes from Earth from contaminating Mars? This NASA scientist, who worked on the Perseverance mission, explains:. #CountdowntoMars #Mars2020
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Scientists dated the ancient human footprints found at White Sands National Park using long-buried seeds. The technique, called radiocarbon dating, showed that the footprints were created between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago.
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The footprints suggest that humans were in North America as long as 23,000 years ago—long before previous estimates of 16,000 years.
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The fanged, cat-sized deer relative—also known as the Vietnam mouse-deer—was last spotted in 1990, when researchers acquired a dead specimen from a hunter.
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Can psychedelics heal the mind? . Early research suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapy may help people recover from depression, addiction, PTSD, and more.🧵
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Having the potential to send not a handful of astronauts to the Moon or Mars, but dozens and then hundreds, "Starship represents a radical departure for NASA and human exploration." via @arstechnica .
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At the height of the last Ice Age, ancient humans may have already been in North America–a new discovery that shows humans may have once crossed paths with now-extinct beasts like enormous mammoths and giant ground sloths.
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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is about to begin its million-mile journey. Here's what to expect from the largest, most technologically advanced, and most expensive space telescope ever created.
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Indigenous peoples have long believed their ancestors were in America earlier than scientists thought. “Now we have the evidence,” says Joe Watkins, archaeologist and member of the Choctaw Nation. “It [puts] our footprints firmly into the past here.”
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Stream “Rise of the Mammals,” timed to @ScienceMagazine’s announcement of @DenverMuseumNS’s discovery of life on Earth after the #asteroid, on @PBS NOW: A NOVA production by @TangledBankHHMI for @wgbh #RiseoftheMammalsPBS
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No link w/ autism—not to mercury, thimerosal, or any vaccines—has been found. http://t.co/mbHIdZRTBv
#vaccinesNOVA
http://t.co/aBvVH3Tw10.
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Some psychedelics may actually change the way brain regions talk to each other. “It’s like reprogramming the operating system of a computer. You’re getting down to very basic, code-level changes,” says Dr. Roland Griffiths.
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One theory is that a brain region called the claustrum acts like a switchboard in the brain, possibly explaining why psychedelics can help reset rigid behaviors and thought patterns. Here’s how it works:
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Bill Anders was looking for a spot to land on the moon when he saw the Earth appear over the horizon. Many consider the resulting photo, “Earthrise,” to be one of the most important photos of the 20th century. Here's why: via @newscientist
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Dark chocolate can dramatically improve memory skills that people lose with age. http://t.co/v0AITjQhCL
#NOVAnext
http://t.co/TvWQJauEeu.
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BREAKING: California’s @xercessociety for Invertebrate Conservation announced today that volunteers counted nearly 250,000 Western monarchs in California in 2021. Ecologists weigh in on the news.
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Scientists both see and “hear” a dramatic cosmic explosion for the first time. #GravitationalWaves
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Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician and trailblazer in the quest for racial equality, died today at age 101. via @NASA #blackhistorymonth.
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.@NASA's latest image of Pluto is absolutely stunning. #NewHorizons #PlutoFlyBy
http://t.co/dM5orrkZGD.
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Strange particles observed by an experiment in Antarctica could be evidence of an alternative reality where everything is upside down, @newscientist reports: In a mirror universe, time may run backward from the Big Bang:.
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Neutrinos could help unlock one of the biggest mysteries in physics today. See how scientists in Antarctica are catching these particles from billions of light-years away:
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The idea that psychedelics can heal isn’t new. Indigenous peoples around the world have used plant-based psychedelics for thousands of years. “To me, peyote is a very intimate, medicinal herb.” - Adrian Primeaux, Yankton Sioux Tribe
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Kizzmekia Corbett (@KizzyPhD), a viral immunologist at the National Institutes of Health, discusses the search for a COVID-19 vaccine and the vital role RNA plays in the process. #BlackInImmunoWeek
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.@BillNye speaks with Project Investigator Alan Stern at @JHUAPL #NewHorizons headquarters. http://t.co/D5shzxkk2A.
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Breaking news: A team of scientists announced today that they had found a large body of liquid water beneath the southern ice caps of Mars.
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The results are comparable to what’s been seen in dogs, researchers say.
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The first photo of a total solar eclipse was taken in 1851. Here it is. via @SPACEdotcom #EclipsePBS #Eclipse2017
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Relive the eclipse in 10 stunning seconds. #EclipsePBS. Credits: Jay Pasachoff, Ron Dantowitz, Williams College Eclipse Expedition
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Christian Cooper, board member of the New York City Audubon, hands out yearbook-style superlatives to numerous bird species and shares some of his memorable birding encounters.
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Hear why theoretical physicist Jim Gates says #ThankYouScience & don't forget to check out our Kickstarter campaign:
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.@NASAPersevere landed on Mars on Thursday. Here's what its team of @NASAJPL researchers say it'll be doing on the red planet:
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Niagara Falls, frozen over and bathed in neon lights: http://t.co/dz9M3fAgUA
http://t.co/tNg29Hq3qv.
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Fossilized feces remains indicate that herbivorous dinosaurs living in the North may have eaten rotten wood—and the insects living in it—to survive winter.
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Physicists have long known that the universe is made from two kinds of particles: fermions and bosons. Now, they've discovered the first examples of a third particle kingdom. via @QuantaMagazine .
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New research shows that sharks use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate the seas. Read how some birds may use quantum entanglement to "read" Earth's magnetic field during their harrowing migrations (from 2019): .
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“If I could show that the climate problem was wrong, it would be fantastic. I would become the most famous scientist in the world…That’s just the way science works: Conspiracy is impossible.” —ecologist Stephen Pacala #WeatherMachinePBS
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The last remaining master animal-skin parchment maker in the world demonstrates how paper was made in medieval Europe (and why it wasn’t for vegetarians). Stream "A to Z: How Writing Changed the World" to learn more:
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Many consider “Earthrise,” taken by astronaut Bill Anders, to be one of the most important photos of the 20th century. Wishing everyone a wonderful Earth Day! How will you be celebrating?
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Need a little cosmic perspective? @neiltyson, author of "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry," shares his views on our place in the universe.
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Widespread discrimination against women in science exists. Chemist @DrRubidium discusses the additional challenges for those with intersectional identities. Tune in or stream "Picture a Scientist" tonight at 9/8c on @PBS to learn more:
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NASA’s DART mission is 'on track for an impact' with an asteroid 7 million miles away from Earth, @SPACEdotcom reports: . If all goes according to plan, the DART spacecraft will make contact this Monday. Learn more about the mission:
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In the past 24 hours, 60 tons of cosmic dust have fallen to Earth. http://t.co/XbEwPQlAGo
#NOVAnext
http://t.co/M53avdfo7b.
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"Science should be looked upon as something that helps us understand our role in the universe." RIP Vera Rubin, discoverer of dark matter.
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#OnThisDay in 1969, millions of people watched as Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first humans to ever walk on the moon.
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Deep in the desert, a massive fossil unlocks what life was like over 40 million years ago—when the prehistoric whale could walk. Follow scientists as they unearth clues about whales' evolutionary past. Join us for “When Whales Could Walk” NOW on YouTube:
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Meet Mary Anning, a self-taught fossil hunter whose remarkable discoveries paved the way for modern paleontology. #InternationalWomensDay .via @LiveScience .
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See the full story of how scientists unearthed this discovery—and what the footprints reveal about ancient human life.
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.@ravenscimaven, who brought us the science fact check behind the City Girls’ “pneumonia pink diamonds” bar, is here to stay in STEM. via @gizmodo.
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Astronaut Mark Kelly (who you may recognize from NASA’s trailblazing Twins Study) won the election by a margin of 52.63 percent and could possibly take office as soon as the end of the month. via @SPACEdotcom .
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That means humans were here at the height of the last Ice Age, a time when now-extinct beasts roamed the continent. The footprints show that humans may have crossed paths with enormous mammoths and giant ground sloths.
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NASA Goddard researcher @EarthToLola shoots lasers at trees in order to measure how much carbon forests store. Stream "Can We Cool the Planet?" online or on the @PBS Video app to learn more:
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Twenty-seven years ago, a group of physicists made an accidental discovery that flipped mathematics on its head. via @QuantaMagazine .
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.@Pontifex said today that technology can help combat climate change. He's right. http://t.co/zBVfKPveqf
#NOVAnext
http://t.co/DSDZaF9es7.
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New year, new energy. Discover how a breakthrough in nuclear fusion could pave the way for new, clean energy sources in the future.
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RT @Slate: The 17 equations that changed the course of history: http://t.co/uZQq7NYa29
http://t.co/YVsPd7AY9T.
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Birds do it. Dolphins do it. Even educated seals do it. A recent study shows seals can copy vowel noises and match melodies, mimicking human speech perhaps better than any other mammal. (from 2019).
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There is no proof of an association between MMR vaccination rates in young children and increased autism occurrence.
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Archaeologists have discovered a rare, intact, and 8,000-year-old statue of a woman in Turkey. via @arstechnica.
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Learn how psychedelics are being studied as treatment for mental health conditions today—and the fascinating history that led here:
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To wrap up Black History Month, here are some black scientists whose innovations we can celebrate at any time. #blackexcellence
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This groundbreaking advancement in nuclear fusion could help pave the way for new energy sources.
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