A Positive Spin on Global Warming Global Warming is a serious environmental problem. However, if we had left fossil fuels in the ground we would encounter an Ice Age 1,500 years from now that would make North America and Eurasia uninhabitable. Although, Global Warming poses many 21st century challenges, and we need to stop burning … Continue reading A Positive Spin on Global Warming
Tag: science
Thinking About “The Long Now”
Thinking About "The Long Now" Does our society have a short attention span? The Long Now Foundation thinks so, but they are trying to change it. They have plans to construct The Clock of the Long Now, a clock designed to operate on a scale of 10,000 years. The Long Now Foundation hopes that this … Continue reading Thinking About “The Long Now”
The Curiosity Announcement
The Curiosity Announcement When Dr. John Grotzinger told NPR that the Mars rover had made a discovery “for the history books” everyone overreacted, including me. Unfortunately, Curiosity did not discover microbial life, but they did discovery complex chemical compounds (e.g., carbon, chlorine). This discovery, although still disappointing for many, raises a few very interesting questions. … Continue reading The Curiosity Announcement
The Scientific Method
The Scientific Method The scientific method has had a major impact on discourse in the modern world. It has had such a pervasive effect on thought that all other ways of knowing appear to be marginalized. How does this change the way people perceive and understand the scientific method? How are people who use others … Continue reading The Scientific Method
Science Meets YouTube
Science Meets YouTube Over the last few weeks I have been interested in how new media is changing education. YouTube has become an exciting avenue for a new generation of science educators to build a global audience. In the future, we should be lucky enough to see more and more interesting and exciting educational channels. … Continue reading Science Meets YouTube
Did Curiosity Discover Life On Mars?
Did Curiosity Discover Life On Mars? John Grotzinger, Curiosity’s chief scientist, recently revealed to NPR that the Mars rover has made a discovery “for the history books.” Is it life? There are several lines of evidence indicating that it is. This would be the biggest scientific discovery of our generation. If Curiosity did discover life, … Continue reading Did Curiosity Discover Life On Mars?
A Great Crisis
A Great Crisis Social scientists have established that humans experience a U-shaped happiness curve throughout their life. Middle-aged individuals seem to be less happy than other individuals regardless of socio-cultural or economic factors. A recent study has revealed that this may be a shared pattern with great apes. Over 508 captive chimpanzees and orangutans were … Continue reading A Great Crisis
Super Volcanoes: Our Biggest Threat?
Super Volcanoes: Our Biggest Threat? There are few natural disasters that pose a threat to our species. However, super volcanoes have devastated the global biosphere in the past and if one were to occur today, it would seriously destabilize our civilization. At the moment our knowledge of super volcanoes is impoverished but current evidence suggests … Continue reading Super Volcanoes: Our Biggest Threat?
The Universe’s Adolescent Pictures
The Universe's Adolescent Pictures One of the biggest questions in cosmology today is centered around the accelerated-expansion of the universe. In order to better understand how the universe expands a team of scientists explored expansion during the “matter dominated” phase of the universe’s earlier history. Observations from this phase indicate the expansion is more complicated … Continue reading The Universe’s Adolescent Pictures
Shoulders of Giants
Shoulders of Giants Everyone is influenced by the accomplishments, thoughts and beliefs of the generations that preceded them. As Sir Isaac Newton stated “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. The following is a list of the top 10 modern scientists who have influenced my perceptions, ideas and … Continue reading Shoulders of Giants