SoT 276: Fluffy Rocks
Channel: Science on Top
Date: 2017-09-10

SoT 276: Fluffy Rocks
http://scienceontop.com/276

Another plate tectonics mystery could be solved: how thick is a continental plate? According to a study published in the journal Science, pretty thick - between 130 and 190km!
Mars' "bow shock" - where charged particles from the Sun interact with the red planet's atmosphere - has been studied by a team of European scientists. They found that the bow shock's location changes over several Martian years, for a variety of reasons.
Artificial organs don't have to be full sized and they don't have to be for transplants. Researchers around the world are building "mini-organs" - sometimes as small as a pencil point - for everything from neurological research to medication and drug tests.
A Saturn-like ringed planet, orbiting close to the star and at a sharp angle, could explain the strange dimming and brightening pattern of "Tabby's Star", according to a new theory proposed by a team at the University of Antioquia.

This episode contains traces of Elon Musk frankly discussing the challenges of the upcomning Falcon Heavy rocket launch.

http://scienceontop.com/276

Chapters:
00:01:06 A Thorny Debate in Plate Tectonics May Finally Be Resolved https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/how-deep-is-a-continental-plate/537393/?utm_source=feed
00:10:57 Mars Express Captures Mars' Moving Bow Shock https://www.universetoday.com/136907/mars-express-captures-mars-moving-bow-shock/
00:14:43 Lab-made "mini organs" helping doctors treat cystic fibrosis https://www.statnews.com/2017/08/23/cystic-fibrosis-mini-organs-lab/?s_campaign=stat:rss
00:35:37 Is The "Alien Megastructure" Around Tabby'S Star Actually A Ringed Gas Giant? https://www.universetoday.com/136945/alien-megastructure-around-tabbys-star-actually-ringed-gas-giant/