This illustration shows a synapse. When an action potential arrives at a synapse, the positive charge causes the opening of voltage gated calcium channels. Calcium pours into the synaptic button and binds to several proteins, changing their shape. The activated proteins dynamically rearrange the blue cytoskeleton to transport green vesicles filled with yellow neurotransmitters to the synaptic cleft, which is filled with red adhesion proteins. Calcium-activated SNARE proteins bind to both the vesicle and the synaptic membrane, causing the vesicle to fuse with the membrane, turning it inside out and spilling neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. The neurotransmitters then bind to proteins on the receiving cell. There are several types of yellow-green receptor proteins. Sodium (Na+) channels (excitatory) respond the the neurotransmitter Glutamate. Chloride (Cl-) channels (inhibitory) respond to the neurotransmitter GABA. Dopamine, Serotonin, and Opioids bind to G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) which cause complicated phosphorylation cascades that change the metabolism of the cell.
Artwork by David S. Goodsell
The Fish That Nearly Sank Isaac Newton’s Career
by Stephanie Pappas
An intricate image of a flying fish is one of hundreds of images now searchable online courtesy of the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national academy of science.
This striking wood engraving appeared in the 1686 text “Historia Piscium” or “The History of Fishes” by John Ray and Francis Willughby. Now mostly forgotten, the book was groundbreaking for its time. Unfortunately, “The History of Fishes” almost prevented another groundbreaking work from being published: Isaac Newton’s “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (“Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”).
The lavish engravings in “The History of Fishes” were so expensive to publish that they nearly bankrupted the young Royal Society, at that time only 26 years old. Short of cash, the Society had to rescind its promise to help pay for the production of Newton’s masterpiece.
Fortunately for Newton (and for science), his “Principia” caught astronomer Edmond Halley’s eye. Halley would be remembered mainly for computing the orbit of the comet that bears his name, but at the time he was a young Royal Society clerk. Halley took on the “Principia” as a personal project, raising funds (many from his own pocket) to get the work published in 1687…
(read more: Live Science)
(image: John Ray and Francis Willughby, 1686, courtesy of the Royal Society)
(via scientificillustration)
Source: NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center MESA Project
“Microscopic phytoplankton floating in the upper layers of the ocean use the sun’s energy to photosynthesize carbohydrates. These carbohydrates can be eaten for energy, and these plants - mostly diatoms and algae - are the foundation of the majority of the ocean’s biological community. In areas of the ocean where there is not light, some producers can even create energy by using the process of chemosynthesis instead of photosynthesis.”
(via scinerds)
10 Moons Every Person Should Know
Pretty much everyone can rattle off the names of our solar system’s eight (formerly nine) planets, but ask the average person to list some moons and you’ll be lucky if they can tell you more than two or three.
Now, you obviously can’t expect people to remember the name of every single satellite in the solar system (after all, they outnumber the planets by around 20 to 1), but if you have even the slightest interest in astronomy, it wouldn’t kill you to be familiar with at least an even ten. So with that in mind, we’ve assembled this reference guide to ten of the solar system’s most noteworthy moons.
1. Moon: Europa
Parent Planet: Jupiter
Why You Should Know it: Despite being covered by distinctive, criss-crossing cracks and ridges, Europa’s water-ice surface is largely free of craters, making it perhaps the smoothest solid body in the entire solar system. More interesting than Europa’s frozen exterior, however, is what lies hidden beneath it.2. Moon: Io
Parent Planet: Jupiter
Why You Should Know it: Io is very close in size to our own moon, but it couldn’t be more different. Despite having a mean surface temperature of less than -250 degrees Fahrenheit, Io is home to over 400 raging volcanos, making it the single most geologically active object in the solar system.3. Moon: Mimas
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why you should know it: This list is an important reference for any self-respecting science geek, but Mimas is especially relevant for fans of science fiction for what should be obvious reasons. In brief: Mimas is no space station. It’s a moon. Like many of Saturn’s orbiting bodies, Mimas is small and icy, but it’s also home to “Herschel” — the name astronomers have given the massive crater situated on the moon’s leading hemisphere.4. Moon: Enceladus
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: Enceladus is one wacky little moon. Like Europa, its surface is covered in water ice, but it’s also home to some of the most impressive geysers in the solar system. Scientists had suspected for years that Enceladus was venting water vapor from its surface, but it wasn’t until 2005 that they had direct visual confirmation that the moon was doing so by spewing jets of the stuff from geysers on its surface.5. Moon: Triton
Parent Planet: Neptune
Why You Should Know it: Of all the biggest, “major” moons in the solar system, Triton is the only one that orbits in a direction opposite that of its parent planet’s rotation. Astrophysicists call this a “retrograde orbit,” and it’s typical of moons that have been “captured” by their parent planet.6. Moon: Iapetus
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: Iapetus may be one of the most mysterious moons we’ve ever discovered. For one thing, it is two completely different colors; the moon’s trailing hemisphere is as bright and reflective as snow, but its leading hemisphere is as dark as freshly poured asphalt — a characteristic that has led many astronomers to refer to it as the “painted” or “yin-yang” moon.7. Moon: Phobos
Parent Planet: Mars
Why You Should Know it: Mars’ moon Phobos may not be the biggest moon on this list. It may not have the most interesting geology, or the most peculiar orbit, or the most promising environment when it comes to harboring extraterrestrial life. Be that as it may, there is a very, very good chance that it will become the second moon — and the third cosmic body — to host human travelers on mankind’s journey out into the Universe.8. Moon: Titan
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: If moons could be considered for reclassification under planetary status, Titan would be the first to come under review. It is the only moon in the entire solar system with a dense atmosphere (which can be clearly seen in the form of an enveloping haze in many recent Cassini images, including the one featured here); it experiences rain and snow; and it’s even home to geological features like lakes, valleys, plains and deserts. In fact, according to NASA’s Dr. Rosaly Lopes, “Titan looks more like the Earth than any other body in the Solar System.”9. Moon: Hyperion
Parent Planet: Saturn
Why You Should Know it: Phil Plait — astronomer extraordinair and master of ceremonies over at Bad Astronomy — once called Hyperion “the solar system’s weirdest moon” — and that’s saying something. For one thing, Saturn is home to some pretty wonky moons (just look at how many of the natural satellites on this list orbit the ringed planet); secondly, Phil Plait has written about some weird moons in his day — so what makes Hyperion the weirdest? Well, a lot of things, but for starters: the loofah-like moon happens to be weirdly foamy.10. Moon: Moon
Parent Planet: Earth
Why You Should Know it: It’s hard to go wrong with the original. Sure, it’s the first moon humans ever observed, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that we finally managed to get a glimpse of its far side; and just last week we learned that the Moon may have been partly responsible for sinking the Titanic, demonstrating that our Moon has been — and will always be — a source of wonder and mystery. [Photo, and top photo, by Rick Baldridge via NASA]
There is nothing like geology; the pleasure of the first day’s partridge shooting or first day’s hunting cannot be compared to finding a fine group of fossil bones, which tell their story of former times with almost a living tongue.”
— Charles Darwin (a letter to his sister Catherine, 1834)
(Source: crownedrose, via scinerds)
The Cell’s Muscles and Bones
Cell movement begins with lamellipodia. A thin sheet of actin filaments (light purple) that stretches out to the cell’s periphery, lamellipodia generate pushing forces that drive the cell forward. Microtubules (cyan) can barely penetrate this actin network, but they direct cell motility in other ways, such as controlling cell adhesion and acting as the cell’s internal compass.
Image: A human HaCat keratinocyte responds to epidermal growth factor by rapidly forming a lamellipod around most of its perimeter. The cell was fixed and processed within minutes after EGF addition. F-actin is stained with fluorescently labeled phalloidin (light purple), and microtubules are labeled with an antibody (cyan). DNA dye stains the nucleus dark purple.
einstein and his theory on the human centipede
(Source: tshirtbordello, via freshphotons)
Horse fly named in honor of Beyonce »
ScienceDaily (2012-01-13) — A previously unnamed species of horse fly whose appearance is dominated by its glamorous golden lower abdomen has been named in honor of American pop diva, Beyonce — a member of the former group Destiny’s Child, that recorded the 2001 hit single, “Bootylicious.”
Watch The World’s First Footage Of A Female Brain During Orgasm »
The frontal lobe is not lighting up!!!
HAHAHAHA!
