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Although Coco Chanel had yet to bring skin baking into fashion, 1903 marked the arrival of the “healthy tan.” John Harvey Kellogg, of corn flake fame, had already patented a therapeutic tanning bed prototype in 1891, and a decade and change later, heliotherapy enjoyed an especially auspicious year in the spotlight.
You asked: What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel? Marshall Brain answers: Our sun is a giant fusion reactor floating in space. It is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. In the sun’s core, hydrogen is fusing to form helium. Those fusion reactions produce the light and warmth that earth receives [...]
This video presents an interesting theory for the end of the world – or at least for life on earth to end. It is the upcoming geomagnetic reversal, the first hints of which seem to be occurring today. Here is an explanation: By the end of the video, he concludes that, although compasses will stop [...]
Early this morning, NASA’s Glory satellite was supposed to launch and get itself into orbit. Had it done so, here is the kind of stuff it would have been doing: Total Solar Irradiance = The sun’s brightness. Formerly known as the Solar Constant. Glory’s TIM – Total Irradiance Monitor – would have given a much [...]
This is one of those videos where you watch it and think, “wow, that’s really cool, I had no idea human beings were doing that.” The project costs about $500 million as described here: Since eruptions on the sun can knock out communications and power grids, one big goal of the STEREO project is better [...]
How Fusion Power Works -and- where fusion research stands today
by Marshall Brain | December 13, 2010
Human beings already have access to one fusion reactor. The sun is a gigantic fusion reactor that creates nearly all of the energy making life on earth possible. Sunlight provides the warmth that keeps water from freezing, and sunlight lets plants create the food that animals need. What if we could take the fusion principles [...]
Why doesn’t the moon pull other things like it pulls ocean water?
by Marshall Brain | August 11, 2010
You Asked:
Why doesn’t the moon pull other things like it pulls ocean water? — Anish, Ulan, Namibia
Marshall Brain Answers…
Space Music: Solar Music Explained
by Robert Lamb | July 21, 2010
Your parents probably told you never to stare at the sun, but they didn’t warn you about listening to it. So by all means lend an ear to the wonderful little sample of “solar music” embedded in the post from solar physicists at the University of Sheffield. Those 14 seconds of noise may sound a little bit like Tangerine Dream, but it’s actually caused by the movement of giant magnetic loops in the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere: the solar corona.
You Asked:
Where does water go when the tide goes out? — Dave, Bellingham, Wash.
Marshall Brain Answers…
Maybe it’s because I’ve been editing a host of safety-related articles lately, or maybe I’m just a worrier (most people who know me would say it’s likely the latter), but the mention of a friend’s upcoming beach trip had me immediately thinking, I should do a blog post on beach safety. So here it is, folks.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
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The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Traveling on the Orient Express
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Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
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Stuff to Blow Your Mind
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Stuff You Should Know
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
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The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
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How-to Stuff
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PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 40: Did movies ruin love?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 39: Urban Legends
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 38: Defending Disney Princesses?
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
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Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
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- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
