... using her voice with purpose.
This project is part of IF/THEN®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
Learn more about Dr. Bridget Coughlin and more IF/THEN Women here: www.mos.org/discover/if-...
You don’t have to have all the answers to be a science leader. You have to know how to listen.
Dr. Bridget Coughlin is an Aquarium CEO and Science Connector who brings curiosity to every conversation, starting with hearing people out, sitting with what they share, and then ...
Learn more about Dr. Bridget Coughlin and more IF/THEN Women here: www.mos.org/discover/if-...
... starting with hearing people out, sitting with what they share, and then using her voice with purpose.
This project is part of IF/THEN®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.
Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Potato (Solanum tuberosum).” — potato tubers and plant biology.
McGee, H. (2004). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. — starch gelatinization and digestion during cooking.
BeMiller, J. & Whistler, R. (2009). Starch: Chemistry and Technology. Academic Press — starch granule structure and birefringence under polarized light.
Eliasson, A.-C. (2004). Starch in Food: Structure, Function and Applications. CRC Press — starch structure and optical properties.
Taiz, L., Zeiger, E., Møller, I., & Murphy, A. (2015). Plant Physiology and Development. Sinauer Associates — starch storage in amyloplasts and plant energy metabolism.
The next time you look at a potato, remember: inside that humble tuber is a microscopic storehouse of plant energy and a hidden rainbow waiting under the microscope.
during winter or drought, the plant taps into that stored energy to survive.
Raw potato starch is difficult for humans to digest, but when we cook potatoes, heat breaks apart the organized starch structure, making those molecules much easier for our bodies to process.
... property called birefringence, creating those striking rainbow patterns.
Potatoes aren’t actually roots, they’re tubers, underground stems built to store energy. After photosynthesis, potato plants convert sugar into starch and pack it into these tubers. When conditions get tough, like ...
Each rainbow circle you see is a single starch grain packed inside specialized organelles called amyloplasts.
The colors appear because starch granules have an organized, semi-crystalline structure. When polarized light passes through them, the light waves split and interfere with each other—a ...
Did you know the inside of a potato is a world of rainbows? 🌈🥔
Our friend Chloé Savard, also known as tardibabe on Instagram placed a sliver of potato under the microscope and discovered that under polarized light, potato starch granules glow like tiny bubbles of color.
Let’s give the planet a little love today. Go for the reusable water bottle. 🌎🧪
Why do we get chills from music? 🎶🧪
That shiver, known as frisson, happens when music activates your brain’s reward system. Dopamine is released in areas linked to pleasure and anticipation, especially when a song builds tension and then resolves it.
What song gives you chills every time? 👇
When heated it may break down and form magnetic reaction products like chromium dioxide.
Green strike-anywhere matches behaved differently. They were not magnetic at first, but they responded to a magnet after burning. One possible explanation involves potassium dichromate, an ingredient that can help a match ignite.
... the same compound found in rust, which can interact with a magnet even before the match is burned. When several types of red matches were tested, many were magnetic both before and after burning. That suggests other magnetic forms of iron may be present depending on how some matches are made.
Can a burned match become magnetic? 🧲🔥🧪
@alexdainis.bsky.social set out to test a popular match magnetism experiment, and the chemistry turned out to be more complicated than expected. Many red match heads contain iron oxide, ...
📍 Southern Hemisphere
✨ Spot the Southern Cross (Crux) and Centaurus, home to bright Alpha Centauri. Canopus and Sirius blaze overhead in the evening sky
🪐 Venus shines higher after sunset, and Jupiter dominates the late night sky
🪐 Venus climbs higher in the western sky after sunset each evening. Jupiter sets in the predawn hours, while Saturn remains behind the Sun
📍 Northern Hemisphere
✨ Look for Orion high in the evening sky, with bright Sirius, Betelgeuse, and Rigel shining nearby. Leo rises in the east, led by the star Regulus
🌌 March 2026 still has plenty to see in our sky charts!
From live music and dance to inspiring panels, Meet a Scientist moments, and one-day-only film screenings, guests explored the impact of Black leadership, creativity, and innovation, and how these contributions continue to shape our future.
This past weekend, we celebrated Black History Month with a full day of performances, powerful conversations, and community connection at the Museum of Science.
Watch the full interview with astrophysics postdoctoral fellow Rohan Naidu of MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research here:
If true, black hole stars may have played a major role in the rapid growth of supermassive black holes and the formation of the first galaxies.
These massive, gas-filled structures could explain the mysterious “little red dots” spotted in deep space images of the early universe.
#Space #Science #Discovery #BlackHoles
Black hole stars may have powered the universe’s first light.
Astrophysics postdoctoral fellow Rohan Naidu of MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, explores the idea that some early cosmic objects were not powered by nuclear fusion like our Sun, but by a black hole at their core.
This display could become visible from Earth, possibly with binoculars. If conditions are favorable, the comet might shine as brightly as Comet NEOWISE did in 2020, or even Halley’s Comet.
A rare comet may soon cross the April night sky. 🌠🧪
Comet C/2025 R3, also known as PanSTARRS, is an icy object from the far outer solar system. As it approaches the Sun, its icy surface heats up, causing gases to vaporize and form a glowing cloud and tail that reflect sunlight.
