My day job (which, like many, doesn’t always stay put in the day time) is all COVID-19 all the time these days, so I hope you can understand why I’m looking for anything else to talk about in the world of science. Plus I trust that you folks are the sort to keep up on what you need to know via official channels. So, let’s talk about this video about the Notre Dame cathedral instead. It highlights the role that scientists are playing, both in the post-fire restoration and in exploring what can be learned about the storied structure’s history from damaged materials that no longer serve their original purpose. (If you prefer, a text story with more details can be found here.)
[Read more…] about Science Corner: Obvious Phoenix Metaphor is Obvious
redemption
Sci-Fi Film Fest: Talking The Rise of Skywalker (Pt 1)
Welcome back to the ongoing Emerging Scholars Network Sci-Fi Film Festival! I’m having conversations on various classic and current science fiction movies. Feel free to watch along and join the conversation. This week’s film is 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. The conclusion of the 40+ year Star Wars saga was too big for one guest, so this week I’m joined by previous contributors Mike Beidler and Sam Blair and new addition to the festival Will Rose. The conversation was also two big for one post, so this week we’ll take a look at the Dark Side of the Force before turning to the Light next week.
[Read more…] about Sci-Fi Film Fest: Talking The Rise of Skywalker (Pt 1)
Science Corner: I-9, Two Forms of Identification, and Your Genome
“Of course he became a supervillain; his name was Victor von Doom.” Such sentiments are common about (and among) fictional characters; naturally Remus Lupin is the one who got bit by a werewolf, not James Potter, and of all people only Otto Octavius would wind up with four extra limbs. In real life, our future choices and the events that transpire around us aren’t so easily foretold–but that doesn’t always stop us from trying. We believe we could use our time and money so much more efficiently if we only knew from day one which people will be loyal friends, productive employees, or healthy patients. And so we search for the factors and metrics that might give us, if not a complete view of the future, at least a glimpse.
[Read more…] about Science Corner: I-9, Two Forms of Identification, and Your Genome
Science Reader Question: Time and Forgiveness
HC asks:
How would you describe time?
In Groundhog Day Phil Connors relives the same 24 hours continually, providing him limitless opportunities to correct his mistakes and live out the perfect day. It’s a tantalizing fantasy, an opportunity not to act without consequence but to select precisely those consequences we desire while removing any possibility of regret. While our spinning planet and its cyclical orbit give our lives a semblance of repetition, we can only experience each moment once. Effects follow causes; we must live in the future with all the intended and unintended results of our choices. We call this sequence of unrepeatable moments time. In other words, time is that feature of the universe which makes forgiveness necessary.
[Read more…] about Science Reader Question: Time and Forgiveness
Risk on the Threshing Floor (Scholar’s Compass)
He said, “Who are you?†And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.†And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.†– Ruth 3:9-10 (ESV)
Reflection
In Ruth’s journey in this new land, she moves from a place of blessing to a place of risk. She has seen God’s blessing in the fields as her mother-in-law’s relative, Boaz, provides her protection and an abundance of grain. It would have been easy to rest in this provision and create a comfortable home with Naomi. But she is called to do more, relying on these gifts to step out further into God’s plan. Neither she, nor Naomi, are complacent with the mercy they receive. In order to carry on the family blood line, a marriage needs to take place with a kinsman redeemer – and that is Boaz. So, Ruth, with Naomi’s urging, goes to the threshing floor at the end of the day to ask for this redemption. A place where a decent woman would never dare to go. [Read more…] about Risk on the Threshing Floor (Scholar’s Compass)