The AstroCell Blog - Exploring The Wonders of Biology & Physics

The universe is unimaginably vast, from galaxies to tiny particles, yet it follows elegant laws that govern everything within it. One of the most beautiful pieces of this cosmic puzzle is the Kepler problem, a centuries-old solution that explains how planets gracefully orbit the sun. What Holds Planets in Orbit? At the heart of planetary motion is the idea of a central force — a force that pulls objects directly toward a center point. Gravity is the ultimate central force, acting between the sun and planets, always directed along the line connecting them. This special kind of force means that planets move in a plane, simplifying the complex dance of celestial mechanics. Kepler’s Three Laws of Planetary Motion In the early 1600s, Johannes Kepler transformed our understanding of planetary orbits by observing how planets move around the sun. His three laws, simple yet profound, are still fundamental today: The Law of Ellipses: Planets don’t orbit in perfect circles but in ellipses — stret...

Losing a limb used to mean losing independence. For centuries, prosthetics were little more than wooden pegs or iron hooks, still useful, but very limited. Today, bioengineering is rewriting that story, turning prosthetics into smart, adaptive extensions of the human body. At the heart of modern prosthetics is a blend of   materials science, robotics, and neuroscience . Take materials, for example: carbon fiber composites have replaced heavy metals, creating limbs that are strong yet light enough to feel natural. Athletes with these prosthetics can even sprint and jump at levels comparable to, or beyond, able-bodied performance, think of Paralympic runners who use “blade” prosthetics shaped to store and release energy like real tendons. But materials are only part of the story. The real magic lies in   control systems . Early prosthetics were moved manually or through simple mechanical levers. Today, sensors can pick up tiny electrical signals from residual muscles, translatin...