Kristina Grifantini

Science, Health, Space & Tech

Sky & Telescope

Solar Impact (March 2009 cover story)
Changes in the Sun’s energy may affect Earth’s climate unexpectedly.
Destination: Mars (Nov 2007 cover story)
Phoenix will look for signs of life on Mars–and that’s just the beginning.
South Pole Telescope Readied for Operation
The largest telescope has seen ‘first light’ at the South Pole.

A New Way to Measure Black Holes
Astrophysicists measure the mass of black holes by looking at ‘clumps’ of circulating gas.
Saturn’s Smoking Guns
Two more of Saturn’s moons may be geologically active and potentially volcanic.
Messenger’s Last Visit to Venus
NASA’s Messenger spacecraft made one last flyby past Venus on its way to Mercury.
A New Cycle is Dawning
Solar Cycle 24 officially begun in January 2008, but astronomers still don’t know what to expect.
Opportunity Readies for Crater Dive
The Mars rover Opportunity will descend into the Victoria Crater to look for ancient rocks.
A Stunning Look Into Spiral Galaxy M81
The Hubble Telescope has taken the clearest picture ever of Messier 81.
Comet Discoverers Awarded
The 2007 Edgar Wilson Awards go to quite a few amateur astronomers.
Dawn Heads to Vesta (Finally!)
After years of delays, Dawn launches to orbit two different asteroids.
Really Remote Observing
Scientist installed a robotic installation on what may be the finest observing site in the world, far atop the Antarctic Plateau.

The Cosmic Origin of Our Water


Without water, there would be no life on Earth, but the origin of our planet's water remains a mystery. In "Where Did Earth's Water Come From?" I outline some of the surprising possibilities for our water source.

Solar Impact


In the award-winning "Solar Impact," I outline what scientists know about the mysterious ebb and flow of sunspot cycles and how these changes may have influenced Earth's climate.

Technology

See more of my articles on on robots, cutting edge software, augmented reality, and biomedicine at Technology Review.

Astronomy

Read more of my articles on astronomy, ranging from interplanetary moons to far-off black holes at Sky & Telescope.

Health and Medicine

Read my feature on cancer and caloric restriction in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, or articles on the devastating ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) at the Alzheimer Research Forum.

I have also written about innovative diagnostic tests, artificial proteins and medical robots at Technology Review.

Videos

Coming soon.

Life’s Little Mysteries


I am a contributor to Life's Little Mysteries, a website dedicated to answering questions about the world. I am also a contributor to the Life's Little Mysteries, available on Amazon.

Flexible Robotic Hands


Rigid, metal robotic hands are not suited for the unpredictability of the real world. In Tech Review I outline an inventive way roboticists are creating plastic, versatile hands.

Social Robots That Learn


Robots will need to be able to adapt and learn to interact with people. In this Tech Review article, I profile "Simon," a robot learning how to take cues from people by watching and imitating actions.

© Kristina Grifantini, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used with full credit.

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