On Saturday, I had the opportunity to participate in (I believe) a first-of-its-kind event in Pittsburgh: Celebrating Science in the Steel City. Over 40 groups of scientists set up demonstrations and experiments for the general public to come and see, free of charge. The goal was simply to give people an opportunity to meet scientists who live and work in their community. If folks came away from the event discovering that a lot more science than they realized happens right here in their hometown, even better. And if … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Something to Celebrate
Science and Faith
Science Corner: Climbing the Fruit Tree of Science
In other universe, the biggest science story of the past month would be the discovery of yet another hint at the possibility of life on Mars. Yes, we've been down that road (and parallel paths for other celestial bodies) before, without definitive results. And this latest find is still far from first contact; we have observed chemical patterns that are associated with life on Earth, but which technically could result from abiotic processes as well. It's another bread crumb, an encouraging sign that we should keep … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Climbing the Fruit Tree of Science
Science Corner: Anointing with Oil Again, and Again…
When I come across a science story with a video of the experiment or phenomenon in question, it is hard to pass up. Even if the topic is less familiar, or less obviously connected to my usual themes, the opportunity to show as well as tell is appealing. And so today I find myself writing about bouncing droplets of oil. First, go ahead and watch for yourself. (Video from this story on this paper) Mesmerizing, no? Just me? Actually, I suppose there is a risk it looks too banal; who hasn't seen a ball bounce? You … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Anointing with Oil Again, and Again…
Science Corner: Matters of Representation
Large language models captivate for a variety of reasons; I am particularly intrigued by the fact that we know how to build them even without really knowing how they work. So I tend to gravitate less towards discussions of what they can (or cannot) do and more towards discussions of how & why. (Which may have something to do with the fact that the "what" changes rapidly, while progress on "how" and "why" feels a bit more tractable for an outsider to follow.) Hence my interest in this podcast with Ken Stanley on how … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Matters of Representation
Science Corner: Recombination is Creativity
In order to explore the ideas of Jurassic Park Rebirth, this post contains spoilers for the film. Jurassic World Rebirth, the latest film to spin out of Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park, opens with a flashback revealing experiments to create mutant species of dinosaurs which never existed. We are clearly meant to be unsettled, if not outright horrified, by this revelation even before it is underlined by the death of a scientist or technician at the claws of one such creature. (In what I hope is a nod to the … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Recombination is Creativity