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A genus of ferns with 19 known species has been given the name Gaga by botanists at Duke University (where I used to work, for what that’s worth, and they never named anything after me), according to a Duke news … Continue reading
Category Archives: Science
Many years ago I would look at pictures of the Andromeda galaxy (such as the one above) and lament that the Earth isn’t closer to something like that, so we could enjoy its spectacular beauty in our night sky. Then … Continue reading
According to a report released November 12 by the International Energy Agency (see also this New York Times article), the United States is projected to pass Russia as the word’s top producer of natural gas by 2015. (The International Energy … Continue reading
Back in 1933 Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer published a science fiction novel titled When Worlds Collide about a loose planet (actually a pair of them) wandering into our solar system. (George Pal produced a film version in 1951) The … Continue reading
One of the sites I always check is NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. Here’s the entry for November 14 (today): As usual, you can click the YouTube link for more information and related videos. by … Continue reading
Time magazine reports that a study of more than 9,000 women, conducted over a three year period at the Washington University School of Medicine and published October 4 in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that when they were provided … Continue reading
If you haven’t yet taken a look at the moving Wind Map of the United States, this is an excellent time to pay a visit. The wind appears as moving streaks on a dark gray background. The brighter an area, … Continue reading
It took three days to move the retired space shuttle Endeavor from LAX airport to its permanent home at the California Science Center 20 km away. This sped-up version shows highlights of the trip in less than three minutes, and … Continue reading
Following is the text of an open letter released last Wednesday and signed by 68 American winners of the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine: An Open Letter to the American People America’s economic future, the quality … Continue reading
Last week I posted a clip in which Frans de Waal described observations of a monkey offended by getting lower pay for completing a task (a bit of cucumber rather than a grape) in comparison with another monkey. This was … Continue reading