Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
- Brain
A new ‘spin’ on concussions
Scientists have suspected that rotational forces in the brain may underlie concussions. A new study used athletic mouthguards containing sensors. Data on head movements during collisions suggest that a twisting of the brain may underlie mild brain injuries, including concussion.
- Tech
Make your own mini hovercraft
Hovercraft aren’t just the cars of the future. You can make your own with just a few household items.
- Brain
Magnets may make helmets safer
Magnets in sports helmets could repel players’ heads as they move toward a collision. This should reduce the risk of the hard hits that lead to concussions.
- Physics
Raindrops break the speed limit
Raindrops shouldn't be able fall faster than what is known as their terminal velocity. But no one told the rain. Researchers have found droplets breaking that speed limit.
- Brain
Lacrosse: Different genders, same injuries
Scientists find that boys’ and girls’ versions of lacrosse lead to similar injuries. Because girls frequently get concussions, the study argues that like the boys, girls too should wear helmets.
- Tech
New plane wheels land teen at big research competition
Landing a plane in high winds can be a risky business. Intel ISEF finalist Emerson Burkard designed a new swiveling plane wheel to make the process safer.
- Brain
Football hits the brain hard
The brain’s hippocampus helps store memories. It is smaller in college football players — especially if they have suffered concussions.
- Computing
Electricity: Cutting the cords
Engineers are working to charge more wireless gadgets — without relying on cords and plugs.
- Physics
Explainer: How lasers make ‘optical molasses’
Light can bump an atom. Bump it from several different directions at once and even a fast-moving atom will instantly freeze its motion — and chill it to a temperature of nearly absolute zero.
- Physics
Building a mirror with light
Scientists proved that lasers can be used to harness materials into a reflective surface. Some scientists ask: Can a space mirror be far away?
- Environment
Explainer: All crude oil is not alike
Crude oil comes in conventional and unconventional types.
- Physics
Baseball: From pitch to hits
Radar or cameras track the path of virtually every baseball in major league stadiums.
