Image Source: History.com/Civil Rights Act of 1964 Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Climate Change, Existentialism, Human Rights Sixty years ago today, I was a month and twelve days from my second birthday. Sixty years ago today, my world was changed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act, ninety-nine years after the surrenderContinue reading “60 Years Ago…”
Author Archives: reginaldgoodwin
Black Holes and Dark Matter…
Artist’s impression of a microlensing event caused by a black hole observed from Earth toward the Large Magellanic Cloud. The light of a background star located in the LMC is bent by a putative primordial black hole (lens) in the Galactic halo and magnified when observed from the Earth. Microlensing causes very characteristic variation ofContinue reading “Black Holes and Dark Matter…”
Dolphins and Mercury…
Scientists have found elevated mercury levels in dolphins throughout the Southeast since 2007. Sources: Bryan, Damseaux, Griffin, Stavros, Woshner. Credit: N. Hanacek/NIST Topics: Biology, Chemistry, Civilization, Environment In a study with potential implications for the oceans and human health, scientists reported elevated mercury levels in dolphins in the U.S. Southeast, with the greatest levels found in dolphins in Florida’s St. JosephContinue reading “Dolphins and Mercury…”
B Boys & Girls, Physics & Olympics…
AP Photo/Andres Kudacki Topics: Applied Physics, Diversity in Science, Physics, Physiology “B-boys and B-girls wield physics to pull off gravity-defying dance moves.” Okay, “gravity-defying” is a bit of hyperbole. Break dancing, as the article alludes, started in New York, and the movements can be found in martial arts like Brazilian Capoeira. It’s more centrifugal forceContinue reading “B Boys & Girls, Physics & Olympics…”
Comstockery…
Image source: Wikipedia/Pine_Tree_Flag Since its creation during the American Revolution, the flag has carried a message of defiance: The phrase “appeal to heaven” comes from the 17th-century philosopher John Locke, who wrote of a responsibility to rebel, even use violence, to overthrow unjust rule. Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home Topics: Civics,Continue reading “Comstockery…”
Climate CERN…
Worrying trend Reliable climate models are needed so that societies can adapt to the impact of climate change. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Migel) Topics: Applied Physics, Atmospheric Science, CERN, Civilization, Climate Change It was a scorcher last year. Land and sea temperatures were up to 0.2 °C (32.36 °F) higher every single month in the second half of 2023,Continue reading “Climate CERN…”
Methane on Mars…
Filled with briny lakes, the Quisquiro salt flat in South America’s Altiplano region represents the kind of landscape that scientists think may have existed in Gale Crater on Mars, which NASA’s Curiosity Rover is exploring. Credit: Maksym Bocharov Topics: Astrobiology, Astrophysics, Atmospheric Science, Mars, NASA, Planetary Science The most surprising revelation from NASA’s Curiosity MarsContinue reading “Methane on Mars…”
AI and the Great Filter…
Two researchers have revised the Drake equation, a mathematical formula for the probability of finding life or advanced civilizations in the universe. University of Rochester. Are We Alone in the Universe? Revisiting the Drake Equation, NASA Topics: Astrobiology, Astrophysics, Artificial Intelligence, Civilization, SETI See: Britannica.com/The-Fermi-Paradox/Where-Are-All-The-Aliens AbstractThis study examines the hypothesis that the rapid development ofContinue reading “AI and the Great Filter…”
Seventy Years Ago…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Existentialism, Fascism, History “On **May 17, 1954**, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was, therefore, unconstitutional. This historic decisionContinue reading “Seventy Years Ago…”
Matrix…
(a) Schematics of the word INFORMATION is written on a material in binary code using magnetic recording. Red denotes magnetization pointing out of the plane and blue is magnetization pointing into the plane. (b)–(d) Time evolution of the digital magnetic recording information states simulated using micromagnetic Monte Carlo. (b) Initial random state. (c) INFORMATION isContinue reading “Matrix…”
Physics and Nano 