I don't know about you, but like many people in the United States, a significant amount of my time and attention this week has been dedicated to getting ready for Thanksgiving. I planned the menu for our family's traditional meal -- roasted Meleagris gallopavo (turkey), mashed Solanum tuberosum (potatoes) with gravy, some type of Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberries), and Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) and/or Theobroma cacao (chocolate) pie. I also been considered how I will spend the time when I'm not cooking --” watching the … [Read more...] about Science Corner: On Creativity and Thanksgiving
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Science Corner: Who is My Neighbor?
By the time you read this, the United States will be learning the outcomes of midterm elections. Obviously I don't know the results to comment. Regardless of the outcome, though, I think it is likely we will continue to hear about the partisan divide or variations thereof. And that is a topic which science can offer some insight into, specifically the impact of social media on polarization--specifically, our increased sorting into homogeneous groups with little in common between them. If you suspect social media isn't … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Who is My Neighbor?
Science Corner: Dawn – A Proton’s Tale of All that Came to Be
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 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?