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 and Faith
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
Science Corner: It *IS* a question of where he grips it!
Something has been pulling the fake flowers off of our hummingbird feeder. Raccoons are the primary suspect. Hummingbirds don't seem strong enough, and don't need to tug at petals to feed. Also, the vandalism occurs overnight. Oh yeah, and there are the incriminating raccoon paw prints all around the feeder. Seemed pretty cut and dry. But then a headline about how "some hummingbirds are flower robbers" caught my eye. Maybe hummingbirds do engage in more than nectar sipping. … [Read more...] about Science Corner: It *IS* a question of where he grips it!
Science Corner: You’ll Kill More S. aureus with Honey AND Vinegar
Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow. - Men in Black In the film, Tommy Lee Jones' Kay wants to make Will Smith's Jay consider what else he might be wrong about (beyond the existence of aliens). In doing so, Kay reinforces two related ideas: knowledge only ever accumulates, and by extension those who came … [Read more...] about Science Corner: You’ll Kill More S. aureus with Honey AND Vinegar