On July 20 of that year, I will turn 65 years old. On my 10th birthday, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. Fifty-five years between one and the other. Am I supposed to be impressed by this?
Tag: science
I have been remiss…
…in not earlier pointing you to the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists. Consider yourself pointed.
How long can an unprotected human survive the vacuum of space?
It may not be a question you’ve ever asked yourself, but it’s certainly germane to any number of science fiction writers. Turns out you’ve got about 10 seconds of consciousness, and if air pressure and oxygen are restored within a minute and a half, you can be revived without serious consequences. Beyond that, what with …
Better fiddling through chemistry
The mystery of a Stradivarius’s extraordinary sound has been solved, and it all comes down to the chemicals used to treat the wood, probably to ward off worms. The unique acoustical results were most likely a happy accident.
You’ve heard of uplifting music?
Scientists have successfully levitated small animals using sound waves.
It’s déjà vu all over again
It’s the strangest mental phenomena most of us ever experience: the feeling that we’ve already done or seen something that we’re really doing or seeing for the first time. This week an interesting new aspect of the phenomenon came to light: for the first time, researchers have reported a case of a blind person experiencing …
There’s no metal in a metallic smell
The distinctive smell you get from a pocketful of change held in your hand or a bunch of keys doesn’t come from the metal at all: it comes from you.
What’s real, and what’s pretend?
My five-year-old daughter just received her first visit from the Tooth Fairy. Soon, of course, she’ll be visited by Santa Claus. Being the scientifically minded parent that I am, I’m always providing my daughter with information about things like why it’s dark now when she gets up in the morning when it used to be …
Transit of Mercury: The Movie
I think it’s probably impossible for us to truly understand the size of a star, even an ordinary, not particularly big star like our sun. Check out this page from NASA with images from the recent transit of Mercury across the face of the sun. In particular, take time to download the movie. Watch the …
Good news for fighting viral pandemics:
A 60-second test for virus infections. Best bit: “You could actually apply it to a person walking off a plane and know if they’re infected.”
The long-lost secret of Damascus blades:
Carbon nanotubes?
Movie monster biology
Not long ago I wrote an article emphasizing that science fiction is, first and foremost, fiction, and that a little fudging of the science for the sake of the story is expected and accepted. Having said that, however, I must also admit that nothing warms the cockles of my heart (what exactly is a cockle, …
My latest live walk and vlog
Buy Autographed Books
