Eight Years and Counting…

Topics: Climate Change, Existentialism, Global Warming The year 2028 could be one of stunning accomplishment or somber failure, depending on how society at large reacts to the current global warming crisis. An initiative called ClimateClock, created by a pair of activists/artists intends to ensure that we land in the former category. And if they’re not successful, don’t sayContinue reading “Eight Years and Counting…”

Quadrupedal Robots…

Topics: Autonomous Vehicles, Mechanical Engineering, Research, Robotics Abstract Legged locomotion can extend the operational domain of robots to some of the most challenging environments on Earth. However, conventional controllers for legged locomotion are based on elaborate state machines that explicitly trigger the execution of motion primitives and reflexes. These designs have increased in complexity butContinue reading “Quadrupedal Robots…”

#BlackInPhysics…

Topics: African Americans, Diversity in Science, Physics Throughout the week of 25 October, Black physicists, their allies, and the general public are invited to participate in #BlackInPhysics Week, a social media–based event dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and their contributions to the scientific community and to revealing a more complete picture of what a physicist looksContinue reading “#BlackInPhysics…”

Schrödinger’s Clock…

Topics: Modern Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Theoretical Physics Albert Einstein’s twin paradox is one of the most famous thought experiments in physics. It postulates that if you send one of two twins on a return trip to a star at near light speed, they will be younger than their identical sibling when they return home. The age differenceContinue reading “Schrödinger’s Clock…”

Negligent Genocide…

Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Fascism, Human Rights, Politics Under Penal Code 192b PC, California law defines involuntary manslaughter as the unintentional killing of another person, while committing either a crime that is not an inherently dangerous felony or a lawful act that might produce death. A conviction is punishable by up to 4 years inContinue reading “Negligent Genocide…”

One Small Step…

Topics: Moonbase, NASA, Space Exploration, Spaceflight, Star Trek Cultural references: Neil Armstrong’s quote: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” and the title of a Star Trek Voyager episode, season 6, episode 8. On August 4, 1972, the sun unleashed an incandescent whip of energy from its surface and flung it towardContinue reading “One Small Step…”

NEMS Photothermal Microscopy…

Topics: Microscopy, Nanotechnology, NEMS, Physics, Research ABSTRACT Single-molecule microscopy has become an indispensable tool for biochemical analysis. The capability of characterizing distinct properties of individual molecules without averaging has provided us with a different perspective for the existing scientific issues and phenomena. Recently, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy techniques have overcome the optical diffraction limit by theContinue reading “NEMS Photothermal Microscopy…”

4G on the Moon…

Topics: Cellular Service, Moonbase, NASA, Space Exploration, Spaceflight Telecom equipment supplier Nokia will use a $14.1 million grant to build the moon’s first wireless network as part of NASA’s plans to establish a human presence there. NASA is investing the money in Nokia-owned American research company Bell Labs, which will build the 4G-LTE network, it said onContinue reading “4G on the Moon…”

Modeling Spread…

Topics: Biology, Computer Modeling, COVID-19, Research TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese supercomputer showed that humidity can have a large effect on the dispersion of virus particles, pointing to heightened coronavirus contagion risks in dry, indoor conditions during the winter months. The finding suggests that the use of humidifiers may help limit infections during times whenContinue reading “Modeling Spread…”

Altered States…

Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Fascism, Human Rights, Politics When the United States declared war on Germany 100 years ago, the impact on the news business was swift and dramatic. In its crusade to “make the world safe for democracy,” the Wilson administration took immediate steps at home to curtail one of the pillars of democracyContinue reading “Altered States…”