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Engineering Editorial #5

  1. Mars-velous!

    Mars has been a point of interest for a long time now! NASA’s new mission is all about exploring the deep interiors of Mars, unlike most previous missions which have mostly focused on exteriors. The mission will last for approximately 2 (Earth) years but data will be exchanged since day one of the mission. Through a scientific time machine, a lot will be uncovered about the origin of the planet which in turn will help scientists understand the origin of our planet and other planets. This mission will uncover information about “Marsquakes” and an attempt will be made to precisely track the north pole of the planet, which is symbolic of major technological advancements.

    "This is the first launch from the West Coast to another planet. Missions usually launch from the East Coast in Florida at Cape Canaveral.

    This is the first mission dedicated to studying the red planet’s deep interior. Bruce Banerdt, the mission’s lead investigator, has worked more than 25 years to make this mission a reality."



 

  1. And now, about Venus! 

Astronauts are attempting to study Venus closely because it has the potential to explain the origins of life in the universe. Since the planet in the subject is placed second from the Sun, its temperatures are too high, making it really difficult to study. The temperatures can melt lead and choking clouds composed of sulfuric acid are noticed in its atmosphere. Recently, though, researchers claim to have found a way to develop the technology to survive Venus. They say they are working on a “Venus- defying” technology. 

“One obvious barrier is the planet's thick atmosphere. It is 96.5 percent carbon dioxide. That blocks scientists’ view of the surface in almost all wavelengths of light. But it turns out that the atmosphere is transparent to at least five wavelengths of light. That transparency could help identify different minerals.” 




3) Oh! Pioid

Opioids are drugs that are consumed to reduce pain. They act as painkillers and are very powerful because they include drugs such as morphine, heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone. They model after brain chemicals known as endorphins that serve as messengers after nerve cells. The main issue, though, is that opioids often bring pleasure to them. People consuming any of these substances are very likely to experience joy and pleasure and thus, grow tolerance. This will increase their chances of consuming it again and this factor is what resulted in the Opioid crisis wherein 42,000 people died of addiction and overdose.

“Opioid addiction isn’t cured easily. Some doctors prescribe drugs like methadone(METH-uh-doan) or buprenorphine (BU-preh-NOR-feen) to treat opioid addiction. These drugs are also opioids, but they work very slowly, which helps opioid addicts avoid the misery of withdrawal. These drugs also can’t provide the “high” people get from fentanyl or heroin. Doctors might also prescribe naltrexone (Naal-TREX-oan). This drug blocks receptors so that opioid drugs can’t enter them. Naltrexone thus keeps users from deriving pleasure from opioids.” 



4) Slow and steady wins the race! 

Researchers have recently found that slow brain waves are actually more important than they are considered to be and play a huge role in keeping the human mind conscious. This makes them involved in the whole process of awareness and the functioning of mental processes.  Being a student of psychology has given me insight on how complex mental processes are and hence, I find this article very informative. 

“In the early 2000s, Raichle and others discovered patterns of brain activity in people as they lay quietly in MRI machines, letting their minds wander. These so-called resting-state networks challenged the assumption that the brain quiets itself when it's not actively engaged in a task. Now we know that even when you feel like you're doing nothing, your brain is still humming along, burning almost as much energy daydreaming as solving a tough math problem.” 




5) Once in a Blue Moon! 

The blue moon is a fascinating phenomenon and so much so that it extended itself to become a tool of expression. We have all heard the phrase “That happens once in a blue moon”. This article goes on to explain the phenomenon behind the blue moon and how the name allotted does not really have anything to do with the colour of the moon on a given day. A blue moon mostly appears as pale grey and white and is indistinguishable.  

"Sometimes, however, the moon does look blue. But it has to do with atmospheric conditions — not calendar time. A famous example occurred in 1883, after the volcano Krakatoa erupted. The moon appeared blue because of all the dust the volcano lofted into the air. NASA says this particular event probably generated the phrase "Blue Moon," but volcanoes aren't the only reason a moon can look blue. Dust storms or forest fires can also generate this effect. "



  

Deah Gulwani
.

Konversations Engineering Editorial

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