The Earth in Ultra-HD

On this week's news update…

Earth in Ultra-HD

The Earth seen from space in ultra-high-definition…

Helpful Fish Poop

Fish poop that can help coral…

Toy Brick 3-D Printer

And a 3-D printer built from toy bricks.

First up…

The International Space Station orbits the Earth over 250 miles above us, and the astronauts who live there have a unique view of our planet below.

Last year, astronauts on the space station filmed their view of the whole Earth in ultra-high-definition, allowing us to see all of our planet in magnificent detail. The footage captures our world by day and during night-time. It shows oceans and continents, including cities and deserts.

auroras

They have even captured glimpses of the Earth’s atmosphere, and the colored lights known as auroras, that sometimes appear in the night sky.

Now you can sit back and enjoy the view that few people have experienced but without the need for a spacesuit.

Up next…

corallivorous fish

Fish that feed on coral reefs are known as corallivorous fish. It was thought that corallivorous fish were harmful to the reefs but new research suggests that, in fact, these fish can help the reefs they feed on.

microbes

Scientists have discovered that the poop from coral-eating fish provides the reefs with useful microbes. These tiny microbes are a kind of bacteria that are only visible under a microscope. They can help the coral to develop, grow, and heal from bleaching, which is caused by climate change.

By understanding that these fish benefit the reefs, the scientists who led the study hope to improve how these important habitats are protected.

And finally…

It’s Tech Beat.

With a little imagination, toy bricks can be used to construct almost anything. Now scientists at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom have used children’s building bricks to make a 3-D bioprinter.

3-D bioprinter

One use for the bioprinter is to create synthetic human skin for medical trials that test medicines and help study diseases. This type of medical research is complicated and can be very expensive to carry out. So scientists are hopeful that their new bioprinter will provide researchers, including those in the developing world, with a low-cost way to make synthetic skin for their experiments.

Making the bioprinter from toy bricks means the technology is accessible and affordable for researchers all over the world to use.

That's all for this week. We'll see you next time!