Museum of Science

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.

YouTube video by Museum of Science Can Matches Become Magnetic?

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.

YouTube video by Museum of Science How Black Hole Stars Formed the Early Universe

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

YouTube video by Museum of Science Do Black Hole Stars Exist

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.

Her work expanded access to evidence-based care for women and children and helped shape the future of American medicine.

"From Science History: First Black Woman to Earn an M.D.": pictured is the cover of "A Book of Medical Discourses" written by Rebecca Lee Crumpler. Image source is Wiki Commons.

On this day in 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler earned her M.D. from Boston's New England Female Medical College, becoming the first Black woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.

#WomeninSTEM #Science #PublicHealth #Medicine

In his most recent visit to the Museum of Science, Dr. Fauci reflects on the early days of the HIV epidemic and reveals how the courage and resilience of patients pushed scientists and clinicians forward, helping shape the future of HIV research, treatment, and public health.

In the summer of 1981, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other physicians began admitting patients with a mysterious and deadly illness years before it was called HIV/AIDS. 🧪

Why does lightning zigzag across the sky? ⚡🧪

Lightning zigzags as it searches for the easiest path to the ground. Moving through uneven air filled with dust and moisture, it branches toward better-conducting areas, creating its jagged shape.

It’s electricity taking the path of least resistance.

"It's Rare Disease Day!": pictured is an illustration of human silohuette, with germs moving towards it. In the upper right-hand corner is the ribbon to commemorate Rare Disease Day.

Nearly 300 million people worldwide are living with a rare disease, many caused by genetic changes that scientists are still working to understand. #RareDiseaseDay shines a light on the research, innovation, and collaboration driving new diagnostics and treatments through the power of science.

Because Veronika developed this behavior on her own without training, her actions provide powerful evidence of advanced cow intelligence. Her story is helping scientists rethink how problem-solving skills and cognitive abilities evolve across species.

This behavior is known as multi-purpose tool use, meaning she intentionally uses different parts of the same tool in different ways to solve a problem. In the field of animal cognition, that kind of flexible tool use is extremely rare and has been consistently documented only in chimpanzees.

YouTube video by Museum of Science A Cow Taught Herself to Use a Tool

Are cows smarter than we thought? 🐄🧪

Meet Veronika, a 13-year-old cow in Austria who taught herself to use a push broom as a tool, gripping the bristles to scratch her back and flipping it to use the handle on her belly.

Watch the video here:

If successful, 2028 could feature two lunar landing missions on Artemis IV and Artemis V, following a more measured, Apollo-style buildup toward a sustained human presence on the Moon.

Which will include docking the Orion crew capsule with a lunar lander and evaluating next-generation spacesuits built for Moonwalks.

YouTube video by Museum of Science NASA Delays Artemis Mission

NASA is reshaping its Artemis timeline for returning humans to the Moon. 🚀🧪

Instead of landing astronauts on Artemis III in 2028, NASA will now use the mission in 2027 to test critical systems in Earth orbit.

What causes brain freeze? 🧠🧪

When something very cold hits the roof of your mouth, it rapidly cools nearby blood vessels. They quickly tighten and expand, triggering a nerve that sends a sharp pain signal to your forehead.

Do you feel it instantly when you sip something icy? 👇