With Christmas less than two weeks away, I imagine many of us have babies on the brain. Apparently I did, because when I went looking for a paper to discuss, what jumped out at me was this paper on infant cognition (Preprint for those without access). It's not an especially splashy paper; it's not getting the news coverage of the latest AI developments or the claims of a theory which can reconcile gravity and quantum theory (a claim which awaits independent verification). But I suppose that's in keeping with the themes … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Deck the Halls with Balls of Agency
Science and Faith
Science Corner: Improper Names
The Pythagorean theorem. The Archimedes' screw. Hubble's Law. Numerous ideas and inventions carry human names as a way to honor their discovers or inventors. Plants and animals can be anthropomorphized in this way too: Grévy's zebra or Hirst's panic grass, for example. Well, just as with libraries and university buildings and any number of other eponymous entities, sometimes we reconsider on whom we wish to bestow naming honors. And so plans are forming to change the common names in English of roughly 80 bird species … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Improper Names
Science Corner: Blind Dates?
Earlier this month, Simone Biles became the first person to land a Biles II (nee Yurchenko double pike) vault in international competition, securing the right to have it named for her. Based on the Chicago marathon results, we may not be too far from the first competitive marathon run in under two hours. (Eliud Kipchoge has already run the distance in that time, but in an event designed for that purpose where the other runners were providing pacing not competition.) Firsts are exciting, which makes them memorable. But … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Blind Dates?
Science Corner: Back to Math Class
It's back to school season, and at my house that's already meant a lot of math. Both of my kids are taking quantitative science courses along with math courses, so every few nights I'm getting to help with math-related homework of one sort or another. It's an interesting opportunity to see what I remember and don't remember from when I took those classes, and what comes easier with more experience and what doesn't. Fundamental principles seem to stick better than specific techniques. For example, I helped my son with a … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Back to Math Class
Science Corner: There’s Science in Those Hills
Probably the biggest (or at least buzziest) science news of the moment is the possibility of a room temperature superconductor. You may remember we went down this particular road a few years ago. At that time, superconductivity was achieved at not-quite-but-close-enough-to-room temperature but with radically impractical pressures. This time, the candidate material (LK-99) is a superconductor at warmer-than-room temperature and ambient pressure. The catch for the moment is some uncertainty about confirmation and … [Read more...] about Science Corner: There’s Science in Those Hills