Secretary birds are expert snake killers

Secretary birds: Long-legged bird with white body, black thighs and tail, and 12 feathers sticking out of its head.

Image via James Lee/ Pexels. The secretary bird is a fascinating mix of elegance and executioner. This bird, sporting a delicate crown of feathers, has long slender legs that it uses as weapons to stomp snakes to death. Secretary birds can deliver blows to snakes faster than the blink of an eye, quite literally! The … Read more

An aerospace expert on NASA’s Orion crew capsule heat shield issues during Artemis I

As this illustration of the Apollo VIII command module reentering Earth shows, heat shields protect the crew capsule from high temperatures. Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center Off the coast of Baja California in December 2022, sun sparkled over the rippling sea as waves sloshed around the USS Portland dock ship. Navy officials on the deck … Read more