Marcus Woo
InsideScience - ISNS
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States
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Past articles by Marcus:
Masks Save Lives, but May Hinder Communication
(Inside Science) -- Lisa Diamond entered the hospital room to see her patient. Her phone was in her pocket, with an interpreter on the line. → Read More
The Shape-Shifting Squeeze Coolers
Push or crush a new class of materials, and they’ll undergo record-breaking temperature changes. → Read More
Why Training with Heavier or Lighter Baseballs Could Help Pitchers Throw Faster
(Inside Science) -- For today's baseball pitchers, velocity is king. The average speed of a major league fastball in 2019 was 93.4 mph, compared with 90.9 mph in 2008, according to FanGraphs. → Read More
Despite Recent Surprises, Election Polls Aren't Broken
By Marcus Woo - Knowable Magazine In the days before the 2016 US presidential election, nearly every national poll put Hillary Clinton ahead of Donald Trump up by 3 percent, on average.... → Read More
How the Neutrino’s Tiny Mass Could Help Solve Big Mysteries
The KATRIN experiment is closing in on the mass of the neutrino, which could point to new laws of particle physics and reshape theories of cosmology. → Read More
Quantum Scarring Appears to Defy Universe’s Push for Disorder
One of the first quantum simulators has produced a puzzling phenomenon: a row of atoms that repeatedly pops back into place. → Read More
A Child’s Puzzle Has Helped Unlock the Secrets of Magnetism
People have known about magnets since ancient times, but the physics of ferromagnetism remains a mystery. Now a familiar puzzle is getting physicists closer to → Read More
How to See Around Corners with a Digital Camera
(Inside Science) – Shadows are everywhere. Some may look like formless blobs, but researchers are now showing that even indistinct shapes could reveal what's hidden around the corner, no fancy equipment required. → Read More
Artificial Intelligence in NBA Basketball
(Inside Science) -- Growing up, Rachel Marty would spend hours shooting hoops on her driveway with her dad. Sometimes, a talking computer joined them. In the early years, Marty's dad connected a laptop to a camera, placed them on a cart, and rolled it out onto the street's edge where he surrounded it with traffic cones. From about 25 feet away, the camera could capture the arc → Read More
Axion Stars Could Act Like Single Giant Atoms
Bizarre, star-like objects that act like single, giant atoms may be hidden throughout the universe, and for the first time, researchers have shown how these strange quantum stars could... → Read More
Your Phone Can Help Predict the Weather
(Inside Science) -- You may soon add "weather station" to the many functions of your phone. Researchers have shown that air pressure data from thousands of smartphones can improve predictions of a storm's strength, and where and when it will strike.Such a smartphone network would augment the existing system of ground-based weather stations, which, while more accurate and → Read More
‘Quantum Atmospheres’ May Reveal Secrets of Matter
A new theory proposes that the quantum properties of an object extend into an “atmosphere” that surrounds the material. → Read More
Closing the High Seas to Fishing Probably Won’t Hurt Global Food Security
Recent research suggests fisheries closures would have minimal effect on global food security, but some scientists think the case isn’t so clear cut. → Read More
To Make a Droplet into a Bubble, Use Sound
(Inside Science) -- A bubble floats in the air...and pop! It shatters into tiny droplets.Now, physicists have achieved the reverse process: starting with a droplet and turning it into a bubble, using nothing but sound waves. Harnessing frequencies known as ultrasound, which are just beyond the typical range of human hearing, the researchers can induce a round droplet to → Read More
A Better Prosthetic Foot for the Developing World
(Inside Science) -- Losing a leg can be profoundly debilitating. And it's especially so for those in developing countries, where most of the world's amputees live. Up to 95 percent of an estimated 30 million amputees in developing nations don't have access to prosthetics. → Read More
The Hunt for Earth’s Deep Hidden Oceans
Water-bearing minerals reveal that Earth’s mantle could hold more water than all its oceans. Researchers now ask: Where did it all come from? → Read More
For Male Flies, Pleasure Comes with Ejaculation
(Inside Science) -- Birds do it. Bees do it. And, of course, humans do it. Sex is almost universal, and most animals -- including ostensibly simple creatures like the fruit fly -- seem to like it.But male fruit flies, according to a new study, experience pleasure when they ejaculate, showing that flies may have more similarities with men than you might think. → Read More
Wormholes Could Cast 'Shadows' That We Can Detect
Wormholes, or hypothetical tunnels through space-time that allow faster-than-light travel, could potentially leave dark, telltale imprints in the sky that might be seen with telescopes, a... → Read More
BRIEF: The Bug That Can Survive A Toad's Stomach
(Inside Science) -- With a flick of its tongue, the toad snags a snack. But this meal is a bombardier beetle, famous for its explosive weaponry. Upon being swallowed, the beetle unleashes a blast of poison as hot as boiling water. At first, the toad appears unperturbed. After 44 minutes, however, it relents. Back out comes the bug, soaked in mucus.It's still alive. → Read More
Finding Future Tech in an Ancient Art — NOVA Next
Origami is driving a revolution in materials science and robotics. → Read More