A Hangout with Google Science Fair in Swaziland
You know what’s awesome? Seeing a bunch of young people at work on changing the world to make it a better place for all. Today, I hosted a Google Science Fair Hangout On Air on Sustainability in Swaziland, and I got to have that privilege.
South Napa Earthquake: Which Fault Is at Fault?
What the [insert expletive of choice here] is happening? That’s pretty much the first question that traverses most of our minds when the formerly-solid ground starts rocking and rolling.
How to Stay Safe in an Earthquake: Napa Temblor Reminds Us to Prepare Now
California residents in the Napa area got a rude awakening early this morning when an earthquake of roughly magnitude 6.0 shook the valley.
What Is the Goal of a Math History Class?
I'll be teaching a math history class for the first time this semester. I'm excited to be teaching it, but I've noticed that preparing for this class has been very different from preparing for other classes I've taught, which have all been math content courses.
Basalt, from Firey Flow to Cool Art
Humans have a long tradition of taking rocks and making pretty things with them. Usually, when you think of sculpture, you think of marble, right?
Science Media Beset With Gender Gaps
In the fall of 2005, I and a couple hundred other new students at Columbia University's journalism school walked into a lecture hall for a series of welcome speeches, and two things happened that impressed me.
Studying the Tree Tops with Arboreal Ecologist "Canopy Meg"
Margaret Lowman, who also goes by the nickname “Canopy Meg,” is chief of science and sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences.
Similarities Between Human and Chimp Genomes Revealed by Hilbert Curve
Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from Martin Krzywinski, a contributing artist who designed the Graphic Science illustration in the September issue of Scientific American magazine.
Booming Rooftop Solar Power Suffers Growing Pains
Reaping benefits from solar panels on a home may be harder than some sales pitches suggest
An Eye-Popping New Look at Flowers' Highly Public Private Parts
People who lack the gardening bug often regard flowers like fashion models: pretty but boring. Jens Petersen, the man who gave us the groundbreaking photographs of fungi in “The Kingdom of Fungi”, which I reviewed here in March, has a new book of photographs (still available only in Danish, unfortunately, and called Blomsterliv — “Flower [...]
Biology Student Faces Jail Time for Publishing Scientist's Thesis on Scribd
The thesis, about amphibian taxonomy, was posted with the intention of helping fellow students with their fieldwork, but prosecutors say the move was criminal
Shining Science: Explore Glow-in-the-Dark Water!
A chemistry challenge from Science Buddies