Research - Blog Posts

In regards to research:

Don’t accept witchcraft books for history. Read history texts. 

Don’t accept witchcraft books for mental processes. Read psychology and biological texts. 

Don’t accept witchcraft books for mythology. Don’t accept witchcraft books for religion. Read original texts and papers written researchers credited in their fields. 

Use witchcraft books for witchcraft, and witchcraft alone. That is what they specialize in and what they are published for. If it branches out into a different subject, be suspicious and research the topic later. 

I want to write a book called “your character dies in the woods” that details all the pitfalls and dangers of being out on the road & in the wild for people without outdoors/wilderness experience bc I cannot keep reading narratives brush over life threatening conditions like nothing is happening.

I just read a book by one of my favorite authors whose plots are essentially airtight, but the MC was walking on a country road on a cold winter night and she was knocked down and fell into a drainage ditch covered in ice, broke through and got covered in icy mud and water.

Then she had a “miserable” 3 more miles to walk to the inn.

Babes she would not MAKE it to that inn.

Skip Google for Research

As Google has worked to overtake the internet, its search algorithm has not just gotten worse.  It has been designed to prioritize advertisers and popular pages often times excluding pages and content that better matches your search terms 

As a writer in need of information for my stories, I find this unacceptable.  As a proponent of availability of information so the populace can actually educate itself, it is unforgivable.

Below is a concise list of useful research sites compiled by Edward Clark over on Facebook. I was familiar with some, but not all of these.

⁂

Google is so powerful that it “hides” other search systems from us. We just don’t know the existence of most of them. Meanwhile, there are still a huge number of excellent searchers in the world who specialize in books, science, other smart information. Keep a list of sites you never heard of.

www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.

www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.

https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.

www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.

http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.

www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.

www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.

www.base-search.net is one of the most powerful researches on academic studies texts. More than 100 million scientific documents, 70% of them are free

I'm working on my graduate thesis at Delta State University (fear the Fighting Okra!) and I'm looking adults with disabilities to take part in an online survey. The survey will probably take 15-20 minutes to complete and it's about how social friction is perceived in interactions between disabled and able-bodied people. So if you're 18 or older and self-identify as disabled or partially-disabled, I would love to hear from you on the survey:

"Let Me Get That For You": Analyzing Frictional Situations in a Disability Context (via Google Forms)

This research survey has received approval (IRB number 2025-037) from Delta State's Institutional Review Board. It will be live and accepting responses for the next 4-6 weeks depending on the number of responses received. But there's also something for you!

The survey itself is anonymous, though you can optionally enter a drawing for an Amazon gift card at the end of the survey. I can't buy a gift card for every response (as much as I would like to be able to do that) but I can give away a token of appreciation to a randomly selected portion of you. Email addresses are collected only for those who wish to participate in the raffle; any collected emails are deleted after each weekly drawing and only used to contact whoever won that week.

If you have any questions about the project, feel free to send me a message on tumblr!

Zapraszam do udziału w moim badaniu nt przyjaźni między dorosłymi autystami!

Dzień dobry, nazywam się Emil Gałaman i jestem studentem Psychologii na Uniwersytecie Łódzkim.

Jeśli jest Panx dorosłą osobą autystyczną i ma Panx znajomych lub przyjaciół w spektrum autyzmu, serdecznie zapraszam do udziału w badaniu, które przeprowadzam w ramach mojej pracy magisterskiej, pod kierunkiem dr Eleonory Bielawskiej-Batorowicz. Badanie ma na celu poszerzenie wiedzy o przyjaźniach między dorosłymi autystami i będzie polegało na rozmowie, podczas której zadam różne pytania dotyczące Państwa przyjaźni z innymi osobami autystycznymi. Pomysł na to badanie wziął się z osobistego doświadczenia, ponieważ sam jestem autystyczny i znam wielu innych autystów. O doświadczeniach tej grupy mówi się od niedawna, a badań na ten konkretny temat właściwie nie ma, więc biorąc udział w moim badaniu mogą Państwo przyczynić się do lepszego poznania doświadczeń autystów z ich własnej perspektywy.

Zachęcam do zapisywania się na rozmowę w trybie stacjonarnym w Instytucie Psychologii Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego przy al. Rodziny Scheiblerów 2 lub w innej uzgodnionej lokalizacji na terenie Łodzi. Możliwe jest także przeprowadzenie rozmowy online przez platformy Skype, Discord lub Signal, zależnie od możliwości logistycznych i osobistego komfortu. W sprawie badania proszę pisać na adres mailowy emil.galaman@protonmail.com, dodać mnie na Discordzie (nazwa użytkownika neurohound), Skype (identyfikator live:.cid.b666e59e0114e1ed) lub Signalu (nazwa użytkownika emil_g.37). Wszystkie inne szczegóły są do uzgodnienia.

Oczywiście jeśli samx nie jesteś autystą, ale znasz kogoś, kto może być zainteresowany, to byłbym wdzięczny za podanie informacji dalej. Z góry dzięki!

Hi!

I've read your post on the science of ADHD and was wondering if you could help me? (Feel free to say no!)

I'm trying to find articles on that symptom where you're unable to do anything even when you want to. Tumblr seems to refer to it as Executive Dysfunction, but since that term is very broad I have been unable to find anything specifically on the above symptom. Do you have any tips? Do you have any idea whether it has a more defined "name"?

Again, don't feel any pressure to answer!

Kind regards,

Hello!

Well, I can try to help 😅

Ah, yes. I'm afraid that executive dysfunction is in fact the official scientific / medical term for this, and there isn't a more defined name for this – at least not an official medical or scientific one. But I see how that might be a bit frustrating when looking for resources to deal with a specific issue or situation.

Just to clarify, what kinds of "articles" are you looking for? Scientific articles, or popular media articles / lay literature?

What you could try to look for are specific presentations of ex. dys., specific ways in which it manifests; there are a number of lay terms that describe more specific aspects of it. For example some people talk about "decision paralysis", or "ADHD waiting mode" – obviously neither of those are official terms, but it may help you find more resources on them, especially in popular/non-scientific media.

If you're going for scientific literature itself (which I personally do recommend), consider looking for executive function instead. Executive function is a fundamental cognitive ability and plays a role in many many things, and thus has a lot of research to back it up. Try searching it in connection to ADHD, and that should lead you to some beginning at least.

Now, you say that you couldn't find anything for "that specific symptom" – a lot of the time, it is a matter of recognising how the same concept leads to different outcomes. So even if you don't find articles that describe your exact situation, the concept discussed in the article might still be helpful to understand your specific symptoms. Furthermore, while it is true that this "inability to do the thing" is often based in executive dysfunction, there are also motivational aspects that have to be considered in ADHD. By motivational aspects I do not mean that you do not want to do the thing, or that you are not trying enough to do the thing. Rather, the motivational circuits in ADHD brains are different from those in neurotypical brains, which can thus lead to some difficulties.

I am guessing part of what you are looking for are ways to deal with this kind of issue. In my experience, understanding it helps to work around most symptoms to a certain degree already, so I do thing that learning about the mechanisms of it is beneficial in any case. Still, there are hacks that help with ADHD paralysis – I'll list a few and how they might help. [All of these are based on urgency, novelty, or personal importance, which are generally the factors that determine how well ADHD vibes with a task or activity.]

The three second rule; sounds stupid, but try it out! If you're trying to start doing something that requires you to move (e.g. take a shower, make food, do the dishes – whatever) and you find yourself stuck on the couch/at your desk/in bed/on the floor, take a deep breath, count down from three, and when you reach 0 you have to move. It can be any movement, but since you're not giving your brain a lot of time to think, the easiest movement is usually to get up – which gets you started at the very least. Try to ride that momentum.

Pomodoros; time your tasks for mini-deadline pressure. Pick a thing to do, e.g. you want to draw because you like drawing, then set a timer to around 20-30 minutes (at least that's the norm, but hey you can also do 16 and a-half minutes!). Start the timer, and while it runs you focus only on the previously specified task. When it's done, take a break of 5-10 minutes (again, you do you), then the next timer starts. I use this a lot for studying and writing, because it creates little focus windows that are easier to handle.

Increase or decrease stimulation; music, fidgets, anything that vibes for you. Maybe the hurdle is that you're simply over- or understimulated – play around with your activity-environment to see if it makes a difference!

Body doubling; personal favourite, simply hang out with your friends! The presence of another being/person often helps to stay on task, and it can be energising (at least to extraverts like me)

External incentives or accountability; aka threats and bribes 😏 my favourite variant of this is a concept I introduced on several of my Discord servers – Drabbles for Dopamine, where people literally bribe each other with little drabbles so they do the thing. But this works with anything! Tell your friend that you want to be out of bed in 30 minutes and ask them to check in on you; the pressure of having someone else know often already is enough. If the "threat" of them checking is not enough, add a "bribe" to it, for example a picture of their pet – whatever is at hand and motivates you.

There is more of course, but those are the few that come to mind off the top of my head. Feel free to message me if you have questions about any of them.

Besides that, here are a few links that might be of interest:

Popular / non-scientific sources (sorted by how useful I think they'll be for you)

What is executive function and why do we need it? – How to ADHD (video)

ADHD and Motivation – How to ADHD (video)

Motivation | How to ADHD (YT playlist)

Executive Dysfunction & ADHD - when you can't 'do the thing' (article)

What is executive function? (ADDitude mag article)

Scientific articles / research (no particular order!)

Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review

Executive functions and adaptive functioning in young adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Are There Executive Dysfunction Subtypes Within ADHD?

Disturbance of the emotion and motivation in the adhd: a dopaminergic dysfunction

Executive dysfunction in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: cognitive and neuroimaging findings

Hi!

I've read your post on the science of ADHD and was wondering if you could help me? (Feel free to say no!)

I'm trying to find articles on that symptom where you're unable to do anything even when you want to. Tumblr seems to refer to it as Executive Dysfunction, but since that term is very broad I have been unable to find anything specifically on the above symptom. Do you have any tips? Do you have any idea whether it has a more defined "name"?

Again, don't feel any pressure to answer!

Kind regards,

Hello!

Well, I can try to help 😅

Ah, yes. I'm afraid that executive dysfunction is in fact the official scientific / medical term for this, and there isn't a more defined name for this – at least not an official medical or scientific one. But I see how that might be a bit frustrating when looking for resources to deal with a specific issue or situation.

Just to clarify, what kinds of "articles" are you looking for? Scientific articles, or popular media articles / lay literature?

What you could try to look for are specific presentations of ex. dys., specific ways in which it manifests; there are a number of lay terms that describe more specific aspects of it. For example some people talk about "decision paralysis", or "ADHD waiting mode" – obviously neither of those are official terms, but it may help you find more resources on them, especially in popular/non-scientific media.

If you're going for scientific literature itself (which I personally do recommend), consider looking for executive function instead. Executive function is a fundamental cognitive ability and plays a role in many many things, and thus has a lot of research to back it up. Try searching it in connection to ADHD, and that should lead you to some beginning at least.

Now, you say that you couldn't find anything for "that specific symptom" – a lot of the time, it is a matter of recognising how the same concept leads to different outcomes. So even if you don't find articles that describe your exact situation, the concept discussed in the article might still be helpful to understand your specific symptoms. Furthermore, while it is true that this "inability to do the thing" is often based in executive dysfunction, there are also motivational aspects that have to be considered in ADHD. By motivational aspects I do not mean that you do not want to do the thing, or that you are not trying enough to do the thing. Rather, the motivational circuits in ADHD brains are different from those in neurotypical brains, which can thus lead to some difficulties.

I am guessing part of what you are looking for are ways to deal with this kind of issue. In my experience, understanding it helps to work around most symptoms to a certain degree already, so I do thing that learning about the mechanisms of it is beneficial in any case. Still, there are hacks that help with ADHD paralysis – I'll list a few and how they might help. [All of these are based on urgency, novelty, or personal importance, which are generally the factors that determine how well ADHD vibes with a task or activity.]

The three second rule; sounds stupid, but try it out! If you're trying to start doing something that requires you to move (e.g. take a shower, make food, do the dishes – whatever) and you find yourself stuck on the couch/at your desk/in bed/on the floor, take a deep breath, count down from three, and when you reach 0 you have to move. It can be any movement, but since you're not giving your brain a lot of time to think, the easiest movement is usually to get up – which gets you started at the very least. Try to ride that momentum.

Pomodoros; time your tasks for mini-deadline pressure. Pick a thing to do, e.g. you want to draw because you like drawing, then set a timer to around 20-30 minutes (at least that's the norm, but hey you can also do 16 and a-half minutes!). Start the timer, and while it runs you focus only on the previously specified task. When it's done, take a break of 5-10 minutes (again, you do you), then the next timer starts. I use this a lot for studying and writing, because it creates little focus windows that are easier to handle.

Increase or decrease stimulation; music, fidgets, anything that vibes for you. Maybe the hurdle is that you're simply over- or understimulated – play around with your activity-environment to see if it makes a difference!

Body doubling; personal favourite, simply hang out with your friends! The presence of another being/person often helps to stay on task, and it can be energising (at least to extraverts like me)

External incentives or accountability; aka threats and bribes 😏 my favourite variant of this is a concept I introduced on several of my Discord servers – Drabbles for Dopamine, where people literally bribe each other with little drabbles so they do the thing. But this works with anything! Tell your friend that you want to be out of bed in 30 minutes and ask them to check in on you; the pressure of having someone else know often already is enough. If the "threat" of them checking is not enough, add a "bribe" to it, for example a picture of their pet – whatever is at hand and motivates you.

There is more of course, but those are the few that come to mind off the top of my head. Feel free to message me if you have questions about any of them.

Besides that, here are a few links that might be of interest:

Popular / non-scientific sources (sorted by how useful I think they'll be for you)

What is executive function and why do we need it? – How to ADHD (video)

ADHD and Motivation – How to ADHD (video)

Motivation | How to ADHD (YT playlist)

Executive Dysfunction & ADHD - when you can't 'do the thing' (article)

What is executive function? (ADDitude mag article)

Scientific articles / research (no particular order!)

Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review

Executive functions and adaptive functioning in young adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Are There Executive Dysfunction Subtypes Within ADHD?

Disturbance of the emotion and motivation in the adhd: a dopaminergic dysfunction

Executive dysfunction in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: cognitive and neuroimaging findings

I was getting pretty fed up with links and generators with very general and overused weapons and superpowers and what have you for characters so:

Here is a page for premodern weapons, broken down into a ton of subcategories, with the weapon’s region of origin. 

Here is a page of medieval weapons.

Here is a page of just about every conceived superpower.

Here is a page for legendary creatures and their regions of origin.

Here are some gemstones.

Here is a bunch of Greek legends, including monsters, gods, nymphs, heroes, and so on. 

Here is a website with a ton of (legally attained, don’t worry) information about the black market.

Here is a website with information about forensic science and cases of death. Discretion advised. 

Here is every religion in the world. 

Here is every language in the world.

Here are methods of torture. Discretion advised.

Here are descriptions of the various methods used for the death penalty. Discretion advised.

Here are poisonous plants.

Here are plants in general.

Feel free to add more to this!

The Sculptural Molecular Science Complex at La Trobe University near Melbourne, Australia

The Sculptural Molecular Science Complex at La Trobe University near Melbourne, Australia

Sean bienvenidos, japonistasarqueológicos a una nueva entrega, en esta ocasión haré una introducción a que es la arqueología asistida a la arquitectura, una vez dicho esto pónganse cómodos que empezamos. - La arqueología, abarca muchos campos de estudios y épocas, desde la prehistoria hasta nuestro día, pero no estudia dinosaurios, lo siento, de eso se encarga la paleontología. En este caso, ¿Qué entendemos por Arqueología aplicada a la arquitectura?: pues atravez de sus restos arqueológicos nos permiten saber como eran las distintas arquitecturas de las distintas épocas. Por ejemplo: la arquitectura greco-romana y de la era vikinga, pero en este caso nos trasladamos al país del sol naciente y para que lo puedan entender mejor pongamos algunos ejemplos como las pagodas o edificios budistas e incluso casas de tipo foso en el periodo Jomon, solo por mencionar algunas cosas. - Gracias a esta disciplina y si la combinamos con la Arqueología 3D, pues el resultado es que con recreaciones virtuales o con la arqueología experimental nos permiten entender como se llevaron a cabo la labor de construcción y de abandono, etc. - Espero que os guste y nos vemos en próximas publicaciones, que pasen una buena semana. - Welcome, Japanese archaeologists to a new installment, this time I will make an introduction to what assisted archeology is to architecture, once said this, make yourself comfortable and let's start. - Archeology covers many fields of study and times, from prehistory to the present day, but it does not study dinosaurs, sorry, paleontology takes care of that. In this case, what do we understand by Archeology applied to architecture? Well, through its archaeological remains they allow us to know what the different architectures of the different eras were like. For example: Greco-Roman architecture and the Viking era, but in this case we move to the country of the rising sun and so that they can understand it better, let's give some examples such as pagodas or Buddhist buildings and even moat-type houses in the period Jomon, just to mention a few things. - Thanks to this discipline and if we combine it with 3D Archaeology, the result is that with virtual recreations or with experimental archeology they allow us to understand how the construction and abandonment work was carried out, etc. - I hope you like it and see you in future publications, have a good week. - 日本の考古学者の皆さん、新しい記事へようこそ。今回は、建築に対する考古学支援とは何かについて紹介します。これを言ったら、安心して始めましょう。 - 考古学は先史時代から現代に至るまで、多くの研究分野と時代をカバーしますが、恐竜については研究しません。申し訳ありませんが、古生物学がそれを担当します。 この場合、考古学を建築に適用すると、私たちは何を理解できるのでしょうか? そうですね、考古学的遺跡を通じて、さまざまな時代のさまざまな建築がどのようなものであったかを知ることができます。 例: ギリシャ・ローマ建築とバイキング時代。この場合は日出ずる国に移ります。理解が深まるように、塔や仏教の建物、さらには堀型の家などの例を挙げましょう。縄文時代のことについて少しだけ触れておきます。 - この専門分野のおかげで、これを 3D 考古学と組み合わせると、仮想レクリエーションや実験考古学を使用して、建設や放棄作業がどのように行われたのかなどを理解できるようになります。 - 気に入っていただければ幸いです。今後の出版物でお会いできることを願っています。良い一週間をお過ごしください。

Hello lovelies!

So I am working on a thing that I feel is important to discuss and expose to as wide an audience as a nobody like me can get. And I could definitely use some help.

Wow. This sounds super scammy so far. Which is kind of hilarious to me because what I'm working on is thoroughly anti-scam.

Anyway. I'm just looking for resources. I'm doing a lot of my own research, but if anyone has good resources related to the following topics, please please please send them my way.

-Effects of essential oils on pets. Especially dogs, cats, horses, snakes, and birds - Veterinary regulations/ethical expectations in the US - Any legal cases or actions brought against the mlm company doTERRA

If you have info or a particular interest in the above, and you live in Texas, I would love to talk to you. And if you have current or prior experience with doTERRA or Young Living, I would also really love to talk to you.

Any help you guys can give would be greatly appreciated. Just send anything you have, along with any questions you might have, to my ask box.

reposting for those that might be interested!

Now seeking trans men & transmascs for a study on chronic pelvic pain

I (they/them, nb) am NOW RECRUITING for a research study! - Transgender Men & Transmasculine Individuals (assigned female at birth, but identify as a gender identity other than "woman") who experience chronic pelvic pain. Must be 18 years or older, fluent in English, and live in the US. Your answers are anonymous.

Chronic pelvic pain is a pain that is present in the lower abdomen or pelvis that has been present for 6 or more weeks. Chronic pelvic pain may be experienced more frequently by transgender men, transmasculine, or non-cisgender women than cisgender women, yet it is understudied. Because it is understudied, clinicians may not know how to best treat chronic pelvic pain when the patient is transmasculine. The cause of this pain is also generally unknown, as are the factors that may make it better or worse for a patient. Therefore, this study hopes to better understand what chronic pelvic pain is like for transgender men and transmasculine people, and how they prefer their care is approached when they seek medical care for chronic pelvic pain.

Participation in this one-time study is expected to take about 30 minutes of your time. There is a link for a raffle.

For more information and/or to start the survey, click here: https://qualtrics.uvm.edu/jfe/form/SV_e2qiU6qSL6YYsd0

Hello Tumblr,

I'm looking for someone to interview about their experience with the immigration process as an individual coming from Central America to the United States.

If anyone is willing please comment on this post, I would appreciate it!!!

Also, if you would like further information, feel free to comment and I can dm with more info!

Recommended tips for research as a beginner witch/practioner:

Research as a beginner can at times feel stressful if you don't know credibilties or anything about the craft really. So, I'm going to share some tips I use in my practice and would recommend when researching witchcraft.

Research what interests you. If research begins to feel like a task instead of genuine interest or fun, there will be problems down the line with researching thoroughly. That isn't to say don't research things that bore you, it means that you should take what resonates with you and from there you can begin to build the framework for your personal craft.

Does the source align with your moral standing and personal beliefs? If the answer is no, time to find a new source. For example, if a source is fully against any harm towards another person and tries to push that narrative on the reader/viewer (or vice versa) and it's not something you personally align with, find another source. The most important example of this is many authors are bigots, terfs or cultural appropriaters. Remember to research the author and their practice before trusting what they have to say.

What may work for some people will not work for you. Do not feel inclined to do everything a certain way as said by a certain practioner. The point of witchcraft is to develop your own habits and outlooks. Crystals and astrology may work best for someone, but you may have an inclination towards herbs and palmistry for example. You do not need to practice every form of witchcraft out there. So circling back to the first point, pay mind to what sparks joy and what aligns with your abilities.

Take everything with a grain of salt. Learn to question what you learn. As witchcraft and spirituality have been practiced in many cultures for many years, things have evolved and been taken from one context to the next. Research various practices and rituals as well as the authors and cultures who promoted said practices

Use multiple sources. Blindly believing one post can be harmful, especially when concerning topics that can be a manner of physical safety (fire hazards, dressing candles, consumption and burning of herbs) or spiritual safety (spirit work, baneful work, trickster spirits). The more research the better, as it solidifies understanding too.

Do not rely solely on social media, but use it as a crutch to what you already know. Many content creators care more about views or aesthetics than educating. But many creators also DO care about what they're putting out there and have genuinely good tips and tricks for various practices. Just be wary.

Don't worry about aesthetics or perfection when you're just learning. Don't let pinterest photos of altars downplay your own craft and beauty. Right now, you're learning new topics and there's plenty of time later to find pretty altar tools or to neatly scribe in a leather journal. Don't let it distract you from research, and ultimately, the goal is to grow.

Have fun with it! There are so many research topics, and it can be as expansive or specific as you make it. Remember this isn't supposed to be stressful, it's supposed to be rewarding.

(Please add your own tips too if you'd like!)

Baby Health & Hygiene

I am a student working on a Design project for Baby Health & Hygiene. Please spare a few moments to answer these questions. Your insights will be very helpful! Thank you!

Baby Health & Hygiene

“SUBJECT HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT!!!”

Subject WP-DT1.7-001.12 Notes

Dusttale: Revived | Research Notes for JUSTICE

Dusttale: Revived | Research Notes for BRAVERY

Dusttale: Revived | Research Notes for WILLPOWER

Dusttale: Revived | Research Notes for DETERMINATION

YES, it’s like, 7 x 3 = 21 always served cunt and was the color magenta, the number 14 give’s chaotic bisexual and I am here for it.

I love em dashes (—) they’re the most underrated form of punctuation. they have so many uses, and they also feel like thursday

That’s a wrap! Thank you for all the wonderful questions. James Webb Space Telescope Planetary Scientist Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney answered questions about the science goals, capabilities, and her hopes for the world's most powerful telescope.

Check out her full Answer Time for more: Career | Science Goals | Capabilities

We hope you enjoyed today and learned something new about the Webb mission! Don’t miss the historic launch of this first-of-its kind space observatory. Tune in to NASA TV HERE on Dec. 22 starting at 7:20 a.m. EST (12:20 UTC).

If today’s Answer Time got you excited, explore all the ways you can engage with the mission before launch! Join our #UnfoldTheUniverse art challenge, our virtual social event with international space agencies, and countdown to liftoff with us. Check out all the ways to participate HERE.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Who's ready to #UnfoldTheUniverse? The James Webb Space Telescope Answer Time with expert Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney is LIVE! Stay tuned for talks about the science goals, capabilities, and hopes for the world's most powerful telescope. View ALL the answers HERE.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

How the Sun Affects Asteroids in Our Neighborhood

It’s no secret the Sun affects us here on Earth in countless ways, from causing sunburns to helping our houseplants thrive. The Sun affects other objects in space, too, like asteroids! It can keep them in place. It can move them. And it can even shape them.

Asteroids embody the story of our solar system’s beginning. Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, which orbit the Sun on the same path as the gas giant, are no exception. The Trojans are thought to be left over from the objects that eventually formed our planets, and studying them might offer clues about how the solar system came to be.

Over the next 12 years, NASA’s Lucy mission will visit eight asteroids—including seven Trojans— to help answer big questions about planet formation and the origins of our solar system. It will take the spacecraft about 3.5 years to reach its first destination.

How does the Sun affect what Lucy might find?

Place in Space

Credits: Astronomical Institute of CAS/Petr Scheirich

The Sun makes up 99.8% of the solar system’s mass and exerts a strong gravitational force as a result. In the case of the Trojan asteroids that Lucy will visit, their very location in space is dictated in part by the Sun’s gravity. They are clustered at two Lagrange points. These are locations where the gravitational forces of two massive objects—in this case the Sun and Jupiter—are balanced in such a way that smaller objects (like asteroids or satellites) stay put relative to the larger bodies. The Trojans lead and follow Jupiter in its orbit by 60° at Lagrange points L4 and L5.

Pushing Asteroids Around (with Light!)

The Sun can move and spin asteroids with light! Like many objects in space, asteroids rotate. At any given moment, the Sun-facing side of an asteroid absorbs sunlight while the dark side sheds energy as heat. When the heat escapes, it creates an infinitesimal amount of thrust, pushing the asteroid ever so slightly and altering its rotational rate. The Trojans are farther from the Sun than other asteroids we’ve studied before, and it remains to be seen how sunlight affects their movement.

Cracking the Surface (Also with Light!)

The Sun can break asteroids, too. Rocks expand as they warm and contract when they cool. This repeated fluctuation can cause them to crack. The phenomenon is more intense for objects without atmospheres, such as asteroids, where temperatures vary wildly. Therefore, even though the Trojans are farther from the Sun than rocks on Earth, they’ll likely show more signs of thermal fracturing.

Solar Wind-Swept

Like everything in our solar system, asteroids are battered by the solar wind, a steady stream of particles, magnetic fields, and radiation that flows from the Sun. For the most part, Earth’s magnetic field protects us from this bombardment. Without magnetic fields or atmospheres of their own, asteroids receive the brunt of the solar wind. When incoming particles strike an asteroid, they can kick some material off into space, changing the fundamental chemistry of what’s left behind.

Follow along with Lucy’s journey with NASA Solar System on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and be sure to tune in for the launch at 5 a.m. EDT (09:00 UTC) on Saturday, Oct. 16 at nasa.gov/live.

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Two rings to shear them all!

This GIF shows a drop of insulin solution contained by surface tension in the Ring Sheared Drop device as part of an experiment conducted aboard the International Space Station. The device pins a drop of liquid between two rings and rotates one while keeping the other stationary to create shear flow, or a difference in velocity between adjacent liquid layers. Researchers used the device to study protein aggregates called amyloid fibrils, which may be related to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and type 2 diabetes.

Scientists investigating the mechanisms of certain diseases on Earth must contend with the forces of gravity and the interaction between liquids and solid containers. These forces differ from such interfaces in the body, such as those in arteries and brain tissue, and can affect results. The Ring Sheared Drop investigation team developed a device that uses surface tension rather than a solid container to hold liquids, something possible only in microgravity!

Fluid extracted after each run will return to Earth aboard a Dragon capsule on September 30 so researchers can determine the extent of protein fibril formation, study their structure, and compare both to what happens in ground-based controls. Results could improve the fundamental understanding of how amyloid fibrils form and are transported, as well as the effects of shear at fluid interfaces relevant to conditions in the body.

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5 Out of this World Experiments Awaiting Crew-1 Space Scientists

NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, and Mike Hopkins, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Soichi Noguchi embark on a historic mission on November 14, 2020 aboard the Crew Dragon. NASA’s Crew-1 mission marks the first certified crew rotation flight to the International Space Station. During their 6-month stay on orbit, these crew members will don their science caps and complete experiments in microgravity.  Check out five out of this world experiments you can expect to see these space scientists working on during Expedition 64.

1. Space Gardening

The Crew-1 astronauts will become space farmers with the responsibility of tending to the rad(ish) garden located in a facility known as the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH). Researchers are investigating radishes in the Plant Habitat-02 experiment as a candidate crop for spaceflight applications to supplement food sources for astronauts. Radishes have the benefits of high nutritional content and quick growth rates, making these veggies an intriguing option for future space farmers on longer missions to the Moon or Mars.

2. Micro Miners

Microbes can seemingly do it all, including digging up the dirt (so to speak).  The BioAsteroid investigation looks at the ability of bacteria to break down rock.  Future space explorers could use this process for extracting elements from planetary surfaces and refining regolith, the type of soil found on the moon, into usable compounds.  To sum it up, these microbial miners rock.

3. Cooler Exploration Spacesuits

The iconic spacesuits used to walk on the moon and perform spacewalks on orbit are getting an upgrade. The next generation spacesuit, the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), will be even cooler than before, both in looks and in terms of ability to regulate astronaut body temperature.  The Spacesuit Evaporation Rejection Flight Experiment (SERFE) experiment is a technology demonstration being performed on station to look at the efficiency of multiple components in the xEMU responsible for thermal regulation, evaporation processes, and preventing corrosion of the spacesuits.

4. Chips in Space

Crew-1 can expect to get a delivery of many types of chips during their mission.  We aren’t referring to the chips you would find in your pantry.  Rather, Tissue Chips in Space is an initiative sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to study 3D organ-like constructs on a small, compact devices in microgravity. Organ on a chip technology allows for the study of disease processes and potential therapeutics in a rapid manner. During Expedition 64, investigations utilizing organ on a chip technology will include studies on muscle loss, lung function, and the blood brain barrier – all on devices the size of a USB flashdrive.

5. The Rhythm of Life

Circadian rhythm, otherwise known as our "internal clock," dictates our sleep-wake cycles and influences cognition. Fruit flies are hitching a ride to the space station as the subjects of the Genes in Space-7 experiment, created by a team of high school students.  These flies, more formally known as the Drosophila melanogaster, are a model organism, meaning that they are common subjects of scientific study. Understanding changes in the genetic material that influences circadian rhythm in microgravity can shed light on processes relevant to an astronaut’s brain function.

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For updates on other platforms, follow @ISS_Research, Space Station Research and Technology News, or our Facebook to keep up with the science happening aboard your orbiting laboratory, and step outside to see the space station passing over your town using Spot the Station.

Sending Science to Space (and back) 🔬🚀

This season on our NASA Explorers video series, we’ve been following Elaine Horn-Ranney Ph.D and Parastoo Khoshaklagh Ph.D. as they send their research to the space station.

From preparing the experiment in the lab….

To training the astronauts to perform the science…

To watching it launch to space…

To conducting the science aboard the space station, we’ve been there every step of the way.

Now you can follow along with the whole journey!

Binge watch all of NASA Explorers season 4: Microgravity HERE

Want to keep up with space station research? Follow ISS Research on Twitter.

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Let’s launch some science to space!

The day has finally arrived. After years of work, a team of scientists is at Kennedy Space Center in the hopes of seeing their research liftoff to the International Space Station.

Join #NASAExplorers for the countdown, the emotion and, hopefully, the launch! 

Watch episode 5 here:

Follow NASA Explorers on Facebook to catch new episodes of season 4 every Wednesday!

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