Topics: African Americans, African Studies, Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Computer Science, Diversity in Science Inventor of the World’s Fastest Computer Dr. Philip Emeagwali, who has been called the “Bill Gates of Africa,” was born in Nigeria in 1954. Like many African schoolchildren, he dropped out of school at age 14 because his father could notContinue reading “Dr. Philip Emeagwali…”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Santa Ana Winds…
The Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025. ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy Stock Photo Topics: Civilization, Climate Change, Existentialism “People have changed the climate of the world. Now they’re waiting for the old days to come back.”—Lauren Olamina, “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler I called my cousin, our family historian last night, to checkContinue reading “Santa Ana Winds…”
Mars’ Summer Solstice…
The hills in Mars’ Australe Scopuli region, located near the planet’s south pole, are covered in carbon dioxide ice. The darker areas are layers of dust. (Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin) Topics: Astrophysics, Environment, ESA, Mars, NASA, Planetary Science, Space Exploration Snow dots the Martian landscape in these images from ESA’s Mars Express orbiter and NASA’s MarsContinue reading “Mars’ Summer Solstice…”
Agibot vs Optimus…
The firm is reported to have produced at least 962 humanoid robots so far. Global Times/Agibot Topics: Applied Physics, Artificial Intelligence, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Robotics The company has established a “data collection factory” to gather real-world data through activities like folding clothes and doing laundry. A Chinese robotics firm has started mass-producing humanoid robotsContinue reading “Agibot vs Optimus…”
Driven to Caveat Emptor…
Meinzahn/Getty Images Topics: Applied Physics, Atmospheric Science, Chemistry, Climate Change, Global Warming Note: It’s disheartening that geoengineering, made popular by science fiction novels and plots in Star Trek, is being considered because we’re too selfish to change our behavior. More and more climate scientists are supporting experiments to cool Earth by altering the stratosphere orContinue reading “Driven to Caveat Emptor…”
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…”
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…”
Swift Particles and Dark Matter…
Source: Same source for the Dark Matter definition below. Topics: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Dark Matter, Einstein, General Relativity Notes: Your “secret decoder ring” for reading the Abstract. Dark matter: Makes up about 85% of the universe, is invisible, and doesn’t interact with matter except for gravitational effects. See: Center for Astrophysics, Harvard “Tachyonic”: Of, orContinue reading “Swift Particles and Dark Matter…”
Microlenses…
Chromatic imaging of white light with a single lens (left) and achromatic imaging of white light with a hybrid lens (right). Credit: The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Topics: 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Applied Physics, Materials Science, Optics Using 3D printing and porous silicon, researchers at the University of IllinoisContinue reading “Microlenses…”
Everything, Everywhere, All at Once…
The Flood by Antonio Marziale Carracci Topics: Civilization, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Existentialism, Global Warming Another week, another catastrophic, record-setting, history-making flood, this time in Kentucky. Preliminary assessments indicate rainfall in Graves County last week likely set a new record for most precipitation in a 24-hour period, with 11.28 inches of rain. This would make it yetContinue reading “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once…”
Physics and Nano 