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Twitch kicks off Science Week by streaming Sagan's 'Cosmos'
Prepare to see all kinds of science-y streams on Twitch next week. The streaming platform is holding a week-long celebration of all things science, starting with a marathon of Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. Twitch's Cosmos channel will broadcast all 13 episodes of the series twice -- the first one will begin on April 24th, 3PM Eastern, while the second run will start airing on April 27th, 5PM Eastern. Creators will also be able to co-stream the show, though, so check around if you want to hear some modern commentary on top of Sagan's dulcet tones.
ICYMI: Some robots independently sing, others help babies
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A new neural network robot in Japan can independently sing and move whenever it wants to. Researchers developed a robotic onesie for babies who may have cerebral palsy that helps make motor skills connections in the brain, giving them a boost in learning to crawl and walk. And Disney and ETH Zurich teamed up to engineer a new way to create 3D prints by thermoforming them one at a time. Finally make sure you watch the video of a gold-plated record playing all the way up to space and back down to earth, on a space-proof turntable. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Carl Sagan's solar spacecraft finally deploys its sails
The Planetary Society's LightSail spacecraft just dodged another bullet -- the ground crew has not only regained contact with the Carl Sagan-inspired ship, but managed to deploy its sails. It's still not clear just what rendered the vessel silent last week. However, the Society suspects that there might have been a "ping-pong effect" where LightSail's batteries got too little power in the darkness, and too much in sunlight. In short, the machine might not have had a chance to operate normally until now.
LightSail solar spacecraft gets back in touch with its ground crew
If you were on pins and needles wondering whether or not the LightSail solar ship would resume contact with the crew back on Earth, you can relax. The Planetary Society reports that the Carl Sagan-inspired spacecraft rebooted as predicted, and the ground team is once again in touch. There's already a software fix waiting in the wings, and there will be a decision on when to deploy it "very soon" -- if all goes according to plan, the Society will deploy the vehicle's namesake sails soon afterward. You'll know more in the next two days, but for now it appears that this years-long project is back on track.
These videos prove that music and science can (usually) mix
Wondering how NASA could make a clever yet groan-inducing music video like "All About That Space?" Really, it's just carrying on a tradition of producing science-themed tunes. A lot of them are cheesy covers -- we've seen scientific riffs on Adele and Psy, among others -- while others remind you why biology, chemistry and physics are such wonderful things. We've rounded up ten noteworthy science music videos to show you how good (or at least, dorky) they can get. And if you've discovered any other cool or kitschy clips, be sure to share them in the comments.
Cosmos debuts tonight with a special message from Barack Obama
As if the revival of Carl Sagan's Cosmos couldn't get any more grandiose, tonight's debut has a pretty special guest. President Barack Obama will intro the episode with a pre-recorded message that'll supposedly urge viewers to explore new frontiers -- like space! -- and to imagine what the future could hold. Regardless of what your politics may be, it sounds like it could be pretty inspiring. Now, if the POTUS could just remind the nation to set its DVRs for 9pm ET tonight we'd be all set. [Image Credit: Pete Souza for the White House]
Here's a peek at the new Cosmos series, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Yup, that is Neil deGrasse Tyson standing amidst a virtualization of the universe, which can only mean one thing: the astrophysicist has ascended beyond our mortal coil into a higher plane of being! ...Or that we've got our first look at the updated Cosmos series, which was originally helmed by Carl Sagan. The first trailer is just below, and it looks and sounds just as grandiose as you'd hope from the pedigree behind the franchise.
Neil deGrasse Tyson's 'Cosmos' reboot hits FOX on March 9th
It's been years in the making, but the reboot of Carl Sagan's landmark series Cosmos is finally on its way. The spiritual sequel, entitled Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, is produced by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and stars the charismatic director of the Hayden Planetarium Neil deGrasse Tyson. Rather than PBS, however, this series about the cutting edge of science and physics will air on FOX during primetime. The big premier of the 13-parter will be on Sunday, March 9th at 9 PM, eventually reaching 170 countries and 45 languages. While the original Cosmos may be sacred to some, and the involvement of Seth MacFarlane is certain to worry a few viewers, it's worth noting that two of Sagan's original collaborators, Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, are involved. Besides, its pretty hard to be upset when FOX is investing heavily in a primetime documentary series about space, time and the nature of the universe.
