News — Scientific

On July 30, 2020, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with a single payload – the Mars Perseverance Rover. Perseverance covered the 300 million miles between Earth and Mars in approximately 7 months because it traveled at nearly 25,000 mph.

For most people, the word “incubator” conjures up Plexiglas boxes used in hospitals to hold premature babies. But in science, incubators serve another purpose. They are used to grow bacteria, micro-organisms or cell cultures. The incubator maintains optimal temperature, humidity and gas levels, typically oxygen and carbon dioxide. For example, human cells are commonly grown and maintained at 37 degrees Celsius in an atmosphere of >95% humidity and 5% carbon dioxide. Other organisms require different environments. Incubators come in varying sizes, from a few cubic feet to room-sized units. But all incubators share the ability to precisely control the environment...