In case you missed them, here’s another chance to catch this week’s greatest hits. The Martian — a space epic that explores ordinary human decency; a secret Maoist Chinese operation that conquered malaria — and won a Nobel Prize; a ‘Stealth Dark Matter’ theory that may explain the mystery of the Universe’s missing mass; “What’s this Gadget?” — mystery photos released by the U.S. Library of Congress; and incredible high-res Project Apollo Archive photos that are now available on Flickr were all among our top stories.
Incredible High-res Project Apollo Archive Photos now on Flickr
To date, 11,661 public domain images have been posted to the Project Apollo Archive. The incredible high-resolution photos contained in its 88 albums were taken during every manned mission to the Moon, both on the way there and back, and include never-before-seen images of the Moon landing. The archive contains every photo taken on the Moon’s surface.
What’s this Gadget? Library of Congress Releases Mystery Photos
If you enjoy a good mystery, the Library of Congress has added a new group of photos to its Flickr account and is encouraging the public to have a look at the collection to see whether anyone can figure out what the story is behind them. “Mystery Photos — What’s the Story?’ contains photos of gadgets from negatives in the Harris & Ewing Collection that came to the Library with no captions, providing many challenging mysteries to solve.
‘Stealth Dark Matter’ Theory may explain Mystery of Universe’s Missing Mass
Scientists have come up with a new theory that may identify why dark matter has evaded direct detection in Earth-based experiments. They combined theoretical and computational physics techniques and used the massively parallel 2-petaflop Vulcan supercomputer to devise a new model of dark matter. It identifies it as naturally “stealthy” today, but it would have been easy to see in the early universe.
Secret Maoist Chinese Operation Conquered Malaria — and Won a Nobel
At the height of the Cultural Revolution, Project 523 – a covert operation launched by the Chinese government and headed by young Chinese medical researcher Tu Youyou – discovered what has been the most powerful and effective antimalarial drug therapy to date. Derived from the sweet wormwood, artemisinin was only one of several hundred substances researchers culled from Chinese drugs and folk remedies and systematically tested.
The Martian: A Space Epic that Explores Ordinary Human Decency
On the red planet, amid arid desert and rolling mountain ranges, six sleekly space-suited astronauts grope their way back to their launch vehicle, fleeing a sudden and vicious wind storm. Pelted and blinded by sand and metal, one of them is struck by debris and flung off into the darkness. The others, unable to stay any longer, leave him for dead, blasting off for Earth. Later, the abandoned astronaut is snapped back to consciousness…
