Stop me if you've heard this one: a biophysicist, a writer, a theologian walk into a bar. OK, so that's not actually how Dawn was written, but the diverse backgrounds of the three co-writers--Cees Dekker, Corien Oranje, and Gijsbert van den Brink respectively--do sound more like résumés for the cast of a niche joke than for collaborators on a novel. And not just any novel, but one that spans 14 billion years--from the instants after the Big Bang until the moment the manuscript was sent to the printers (or so it seems, … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Dawn – A Proton’s Tale of All that Came to Be
Science and Faith
New Planetarium Show Highlights Catholic Priest Who Helped Establish Big Bang Theory
If you grew up in the US, odds are that the story that you were told of how Big Bang theory was developed is missing a key figure – Catholic priest and astrophysicist Georges Lemaître. After Einstein published his theory of General Relativity in 1915 and wrote his cosmological constant paper in 1917, a graduate student named Georges Lemaître became fascinated with how the new theory might have tangible insights into the cosmos and the observations that were then being made. Famously, in 1927 Lemaître presented to … [Read more...] about New Planetarium Show Highlights Catholic Priest Who Helped Establish Big Bang Theory
Science Corner: Get Ready! It’s Brine Shrimp Season!
For everything there is a season, and now that we have passed the Autumnal Equinox, when the sun is directly over the Equator and days and nights are nearly equal length, we have officially transitioned from summer to autumn in the northern hemisphere. For many people, Fall means it's time to get out sweaters, decorate with gourds, and partake of traditional autumnal foods and beverages (pumpkin spice latte, anyone?). For some people, autumn means it's time to bring in the rest of the crops and garden vegetables. Others … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Get Ready! It’s Brine Shrimp Season!
Science Corner: Imperius Rex?
Everything is simpler in the comic books. Consider dominion of the world's oceans. In both Marvel and DC comics, the sunken city of Atlantis (a public domain concept, after all) serves as a capital city for the seven seas. Namor typically sits on the Marvel Atlantean throne (in the upcoming Black Panther film, Namor will hail from TlÄlÅcÄn instead), vigorously defending the interests of the oceans and meeting all surface-dwelling challengers with a hearty "Imperius Rex!" His opposite number at the Distinguished … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Imperius Rex?
Science Corner: Mother Knows Best: Even Insect Mothers Provide for Their Offspring
For those of us who observe the academic calendar in the United States, the end of August means the end of summer and the beginning of a new year. It's a time of general excitement and new possibilities. And while we are caught up in the craziness that comes during this season, we are generally unaware that winter is coming - at least for those that live in the northern hemisphere. Somehow, even though I know it is coming, I am never quite prepared for its arrival. My unpreparedness is partly because day-to-day busyness … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Mother Knows Best: Even Insect Mothers Provide for Their Offspring