Topics: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Exoplanets, Space Exploration In 2008, HR8799 was the first extrasolar planetary system ever directly imaged. Now, the famed system stars in its very own video. Using observations collected over the past 12 years, Northwestern University astrophysicist Jason Wang has assembled a stunning time-lapse video of the family of four planets — each more massiveContinue reading “Planet Video…”
Author Archives: reginaldgoodwin
Small Steps, Large Changes…
A vertical shock tube at Los Alamos National Laboratory is used for turbulence studies. Sulfur hexafluoride is injected at the top of the 5.3-meter tube and allowed to mix with air. The waste is ejected into the environment through the blue hose at the tube tower’s lower left; in the fiscal year 2021, such emissions madeContinue reading “Small Steps, Large Changes…”
Reimagining ET…
Life on other planets might not look like any beings we’re used to on Earth. It may even be unrecognizable at first to scientists searching for it. Credit: William Hand Topics: Astrobiology, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Planetary Science, SETI, Space Exploration Sarah Stewart Johnson was a college sophomore when she first stood atop Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano. ItsContinue reading “Reimagining ET…”
Outcomes, Language and Syntax…
Credit: michaelmjc/Getty Images (chalkboard); Scientific American (words and design) Topics: Biofuels, Civilization, Climate Change, Existentialism Climate change is already disrupting the lives of billions of people. What was once considered a problem for the future is raging all around us right now. This reality has helped convince a majority of the public that we must act toContinue reading “Outcomes, Language and Syntax…”
The New McCarthyism…
New liberal ad ties presumptive future House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to ‘red scare’ icon Joseph McCarthy, Peter Weber, The Week Topics: Civics, Civilization, Democracy, Economics, Existentialism, Fascism Debt Ceiling and Dystopia The debt limit does not authorize new spending commitments. It simply allows the government to finance existing legal obligations that Congresses and presidents ofContinue reading “The New McCarthyism…”
Wonderful…
Image Source: MedPage Today Topics: Biology, Biotechnology, Civilization, COVID-19, DNA, Epidemiology Currently authorized bivalent COVID-19 boosters demonstrated similar protection against symptomatic illness from the XBB/XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariants as from BA.5-related subvariants, according to a CDC study. From December 2022 to January 2023, the bivalent boosters’ vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic infection was a similar 48%Continue reading “Wonderful…”
When Water Outpaces Silicon…
On target: Water is fanned out through a specially developed nozzle, and then a laser pulse is passed through it to create a switch. (Courtesy: Adrian Buchmann) Topics: Applied Physics, Lasers, Materials Science, Photonics, Semiconductor Technology A laser-controlled water-based switch that operates twice as fast as existing semiconductor switches has been developed by a trio ofContinue reading “When Water Outpaces Silicon…”
Magnetic Plasmons in Nanostructures…
FIG. 1. (a) Sketches of the excitations of surface plasmons polaritons – SPP (top), localized surface plasmons – LSP (middle), and magnetic plasmons – MP (bottom). All these excitations are associated with a collective motion of surface charges under light illumination. (b) Diagram of MP-based plasmonic nanostructures that are used for both fundamental studies and theirContinue reading “Magnetic Plasmons in Nanostructures…”
Ripples, Waves, and Genesis…
Numerical simulation of the neutron stars merging to form a black hole, with their accretion disks interacting to produce electromagnetic waves. Credit: L. Rezolla (AEI) & M. Koppitz (AEI & Zuse-Institut Berlin) Topics: Black Holes, Cosmology, General Relativity, Gravity, Research Scientists have advanced in discovering how to use ripples in space-time known as gravitational wavesContinue reading “Ripples, Waves, and Genesis…”
Hierarchy, Power, and Resources…
The Last Kingdom recap: season one, episode three: succession in Wessex, Sarah Hughes, The Guardian Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Democracy, Existentialism The modern martial arts belt ranking system started emerging in 1907 when the creator of Judo, Jigoro Kano, introduced the iconic Judo uniform and belt. Before that, his students practiced traditional Japanese kimonos.Continue reading “Hierarchy, Power, and Resources…”
Physics and Nano 