Science Saturday: 07/13

Welcome to another Science Saturday. Here’s what happened this week:

Space.com: Boop!

On Wednesday, the Japanese probe Hayabusa2 made a second touchdown on the asteroid Ryagu. The spacecraft repeated the same procedure that it had performed during its first landing on the asteroid in April, firing a bullet into the asteroid’s surface to kick up debris, which the probe then collected. Hayabusa2 now (hopefully) has 2 samples of sub-surface asteroid material, which it will attempt to bring back to Earth for scientists to study.

ScienceNews: Tremors

Last week, Southern California was struck by two large earthquakes. These tremors occurred in an area containing many different fault lines, known as the Eastern California Shear Zone, rather than along the infamous San Andreas Fault, as is the popular assumption. The earthquakes, though significant, do not necessarily increase the likelihood of “The Big One” occurring soon, though it is worth noting that the fault’s history implies that it is overdue for a major event. The following image, courtesy of NASA, shows how last week’s earthquakes moved the geography of California.

Phys.org: Warping Geometry

Researchers at Princeton University led by Andrew Houck, a professor of electrical engineering, have built an electronic array on a microchip that simulates particle interactions in a hyperbolic plane, a geometric surface in which space curves away from itself at every point. Scientists will observe the way particles in the lattice behave when struck by protons, and hopefully gain a better understanding of how matter works on a quantum level.

How Stuff Works: Landmark Geology

This great post from How Stuff Works explains the geology behind five of the most stunning natural landmarks in America. While this certainly isn’t a comprehensive list, it provides some interesting insight into the varied geology of our country. My personal favorite on the list is the Grand Canyon, but you can follow the link to see more.

EOS: 50 Years of Lunar Geology

While we haven’t quite reached the anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing, This year will mark the 50^th anniversary of one of the most significant moments in human exploration. The Apollo astronauts brought back lunar rocks, dust, and core samples which have been studied intensively over the past 50 years, and in that time, we’ve been able to learn quite a lot about our planet’s little companion.

Science Alert: Funny Studies

This one is pure comedy. It’s no secret that academic papers can be a little dry. To combat this, researchers have taken to Twitter to share their favorite titles of scholarly writings. Most contain glorious puns. My favorite is Fantastic Yeasts and Where to Find Them.

That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the weekend.

-Sal