Featured Articles

The Say Of The Week

The Say Of The Week

Nov 10 2011 | comment(s)

"If we were not ignorant there would be no probability, there could only be certainty. But our ignorance cannot be absolute, for then there would be no longer any probability at all. Thus the problems of probability may be classed according to the greater or less depth of our ignorance. "

Henry Poincaré
A Tax on Einstein?

A Tax on Einstein?

Nov 10 2011 | comment(s)

In his recent article Should We Trust Scientists?, Paolo Ciafaloni wrote:
The words I chose in my articles might seem simple, and possibly they are. But I think they reveal something of the impressive predictive power and the inner beauty of the Theory of Relativity. And of the immense deepness of thought of his creator Albert Einstein, who you might happen to have heard of.
Which immediately brought to mind this idea of G.K.Chesterton*:
Delaying Aging

Delaying Aging

Nov 10 2011 | comment(s)

As we reach old age, our bodies undergo several changes. And not for the better. More and more people are beginning to wonder whether we can do something about this. A lot of research is going on to uncover the mechanisms of aging, which should give us a better understanding of the origin of the changes that occur. Some claim that with this understanding comes the increasing possibility that we will actually be able to do something about it.

Surfing Electrons And The Computer Of Tomorrow

Surfing Electrons And The Computer Of Tomorrow

Nov 10 2011 | comment(s)

Physicists have succeeded in taking a decisive step towards the development of more powerful computers; they were able to define two little quantum dots (QDs), occupied with electrons, in a semiconductor and to select a single electron from one of them using a sound wave, and then to transport it to the neighboring QD.

A single electron “surfs” thus from one quantum dot to the next like a fish on a wave. This manipulation of a single electron will also enable the combination of considerably more complex quantum bits instead of classical bits (“0” and “1” states).

Squid Who Make Glue

Squid Who Make Glue

Nov 10 2011 | comment(s)

I've mentioned the Littlest Squid before: the genus Idiosepius, which contains only a handful of very small, very adorable species. And I commented that they have this habit of gluing themselves to seaweed, to hide from predators.

Well, today I'm here to explain how they do it, because a new paper just came out on the topic of itty-bitty squids and their glue organs.
Gifts Of The Islands

Gifts Of The Islands

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

I met Makana in August 2005, where an old lava flow meets the ocean in a series of ledges and tide pools on Kauai, one of the Hawaiian Islands. He was a “local” of about my age who got his name (Hawaiian for “gift”) from the old volcano that formed the backdrop of our introduction. He wasn’t in college, but had a good job as a caddy at an upscale golf course, where Bill Clinton had tipped one of his buddies well the day before. In the afternoons, he and his friends came to this spot — still called “The Queen’s Bath” decades after the days of Hawaii’s royal rulers — to “talk story” and swap tales with an endless stream of tourists.
VLP Vaccines: Tobacco That Saves Lives

VLP Vaccines: Tobacco That Saves Lives

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

If you're worried about getting the flu, chances are that you got an influenza vaccine; these are created on an annual basis and use a method from the 1950s; it is egg-based technology, literally produced in chicken eggs.  Some vaccines, like polio, are now created using laboratory-grown cell lines that are capable of hosting a growing virus.  The first is inefficient, the second is expensive.(1)

The future of vaccines looks a little different. The race is on to create a universal flu vaccine, one that does not have to be recreated each year, and to also bring the technology cost down to where it is more financially constructive to get people a vaccine than have them in the hospital.(2)
Should We Trust Scientists?

Should We Trust Scientists?

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

I am a Science 2.0 newbie: I have written my first article  only a few days ago, and a second one shortly afterwards.  But I have soon realized that there is a sort of underground debate going on, about whether non-scientists should trust scientists about their claims, whether there exists a scientific establishment trying in every possible way to ignore/refute unorthodox ideas, and so on.
Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum - The Methane Hypothesis

Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum - The Methane Hypothesis

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

During the last decade, the almost singular focus on CO2 has been something of a puzzle; leaving out methane, with 23X the warming impact of CO2, seemed like a mistake. 
Open Science - When Will Its Nobel Laureate Arrive?

Open Science - When Will Its Nobel Laureate Arrive?

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

Darwin took decades to publish while Newton practically wrote his Principia so as not to have to bother answering questions from other physicists. Throughout science history the attitudes and methods of scientists have varied as dramatically as the personalities.

With the rise of government-controlled science over the last five decades, the need to publish in order to get grants has spiked dramatically - and that has meant a more closed-vest approach.  Official publication is where the money is at.
PGC-1 Gene Activity In Intestines Slows Aging In Fruit Flies

PGC-1 Gene Activity In Intestines Slows Aging In Fruit Flies

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

Biologists working with fruit flies activated a gene called PGC-1, which increases the activity of mitochondria, the tiny power generators in cells that control cell growth and tell cells when to live and die.  Result: it slowed the aging process of the flies' intestines and extended their lives by as much as 50 percent.
 
Fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, have a life span of about two months. They start showing signs of aging after about one month - they slow down, become less active and die. They are a good model for studying aging  because scientists know every one of their genes and can switch individual ones on and off.
A Tax On Christmas Trees In Order To Promote Christmas Trees? Thanks, Mr. President

A Tax On Christmas Trees In Order To Promote Christmas Trees? Thanks, Mr. President

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

Only government could come up with this ingenious plan: President Obama’s Agriculture Department has announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of... Christmas trees.

Yes, that's right, if you buy a Christmas tree you are apparently still unconvinced how awesome they are so the government must tax you, waste half just by being government, then spend the other half wastefully marketing Christmas trees to everyone.


Disruption, Alt Science, And System D

Disruption, Alt Science, And System D

Nov 09 2011 | comment(s)

Dan Reus of the creative instigator/outfit Openly Disruptive ("the future will be what we make it") tossed me this note: I thought you might like to see the mention of you and Project Calliope in a recent post by our local alternative news weekly: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/rftmusic/2011/08/dan_reus_outerspace_music_kickstarter.php 
Mars And The Tharsis Tholus Volcano

Mars And The Tharsis Tholus Volcano

Nov 08 2011 | comment(s)

Want to get people excited about space exploration?  Continue to use D&D-style names like Tharsis Tholus for geological features on Mars and every young man in the world will want to visit.
The War Over Wireless Power?

The War Over Wireless Power?

Nov 08 2011 | comment(s)

If you've studied the martial arts, or know anything at all about Asian culture, you have heard of the ch'i.  It's spelled lots of different ways, which happens when you turn Eastern sounds into Western letters, but essentially it means a life force.(1)

As a young guy, open to the world, it's easy to be drawn into discussions and thoughts about lots of ideas and a life force essential to all humans might as well be in the mix. Some proponents even believe that all matter derives from ch'i, which at least has a science parallel.
Better Speakers Using Laser-Driven Sound Fields

Better Speakers Using Laser-Driven Sound Fields

Nov 08 2011 | comment(s)

Loudspeakers have improved a lot in the last 50 years but one pesky issue has remained; dead spots.  
 

Modern oudspeakers can be designed to deliver the full frequency range of audible sound but it is difficult to achieve a smooth frequency output in all directions. Dead spots are caused by deconstructive interference as a result of radiating sound waves overlapping and cancellng each other out. This often happens when the sound is radiating from two or more sources, like in the mid-frequency ranges where both the 'woofer' and 'tweeter' loudspeaker cones are both active. This creates areas where the frequency response of the loudspeaker is less smooth, and sound quality is diminished.

Ethanol From Wood Waste Rather Than Starch - Not Your Energy Future Yet

Ethanol From Wood Waste Rather Than Starch - Not Your Energy Future Yet

Nov 08 2011 | comment(s)

The current energy quandary means a lot of basic research is being done in alternative energy solutions; that's good, it's what basic research is for.  It also means political darlings of some politicians and environmentalists should be disqualified from future consideration if they are shown to be untenable.

The production of ethanol from lignocellulose-rich materials such as wood residues, waste paper, used cardboard and straw sounds like a great idea but that isn't a reason to start subsidizing it. A cost comparison in Biofuels, Bioproducts&Biorefining has concluded that using lignocellulose materials is unlikely to be competitive with starch any time soon.

Can Jatropha provide an alternative source of fuel in developing countries?

Can Jatropha provide an alternative source of fuel in developing countries?

Nov 08 2011 | comment(s)

Growing Jatropha for biofuel is hot topic and  claims of 10 tonnes per ha of Jatropha are laudable but need to be replicated and verified under different environmental conditions Still it has great scope as its the only plant that can grow in wastelands and still produce biofuel in terms of oil, biodiesel. Its time Jatropha experts pool their expertise to make it a success. 
ELI Super Laser To Tear Space Time Apart So Ghost Particles Can Enter From Other Dimensions?

ELI Super Laser To Tear Space Time Apart So Ghost Particles Can Enter From Other Dimensions?

Nov 08 2011 | comment(s)

UHFF stands for Ultra-High Field Facility. The project is at times confused with the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI), which includes three other experiments apart from UHFF. The total bill is $1.6 billion Euros (as of now).


ELI Hungary – one of four locations in the total ELI project.

Can't Buy a Gauge Symmetry

Can't Buy a Gauge Symmetry

Nov 08 2011 | comment(s)

Gauge symmetry is a clear, direct idea in EM, as I will detail. This property is essential, [correction: due to redundancy found in the 4-potential description of light and not any issue of the speed of travel for the wave]. Any proposal for gravity must also have [gauge symmetry]. I will show how the Lagrangians I have discussed over the last few months do not have this property, therefore they are wrong. I have altered three titles to say "RETRACTION", including a brief explanation at the start. [Note: the corresponding YouTube video titles have also been marked.] A different Lagrangian I am toying with might have a chance, but that will be discussed at another time.

Click or skip this reading of the blog.