The Great Alien Debate (Part 1)
This post is one in a series covering, and expanding on, topics in the book The Copernicus Complex (Scientific American/FSG). The conversation usually goes like this: Do you think we’re alone in the universe?...
"technology"
Cool Sh*t I’ve Read and Seen Lately. Cops Waging War, Masters of Sex, Nabokov and More!
I’ve got an especially eclectic bunch of “Cool Sh*t” to nominate this month. Two articles by top-notch science journalists, a tough, timely investigative report by the ACLU, a sexy cable series and a classic short-story collection...
Antwerp, 1914: New Technology, Civilian Targets
Reported in Scientific American—This Week in World War I: September 19, 1914 The Belgian field army retreated into the fortified city of Antwerp only 16 days after the Germans had invaded...
Blink! This Contact Lens Post Could Make Your Eyes Water
He would dab on a bit of cocaine to anesthetize his eyes first. Then, to prevent air getting in, Müller would insert the lenses with his eyes under water.
Under the Deep Sea (A Little Mermaid Parody)
Those of you following this blog know that I love me a great science music video parody. This awesome one from College Humor does not disappoint!
Will Solar Float to the Rescue in Japan?
Land-constraints and a massive nuclear shutdown have intensified the debate over where to put new electricity generation capacity in Japan.
Mystery of Mars ‘Doughnut’ Rock Solved
About a month ago an intriguing pair of images from NASA’s Opportunity rover on Mars showed a curious rock that had seemingly appeared our of nowhere during the course of 12 days.
Eat Small: Why our Big Fish Problem is leading to big fish problems
The following is an excerpt from Patrick Mustain’s post on the Food Matters blog: We like big fish. And thats a problem, according to Andy Sharpless, CEO of the ocean conservation organization Oceana, and co-author (along with Suzannah Evans) of the book The Perfect Protein...
Up Close and Personal With a Humpback Whale
Wow. I’m not sure what impressed me more – the humpback vocalizations or the fact that this ‘Crazy Cameraman’ must have nerves of steel.
“The Perfect Theory”: The story of general relativity, and what makes something a science
Pedro Ferreira’s book “The Perfect Theory: A Century of Geniuses and the Battle over General Relativity” essentially tells us what other people did with Einstein’s general theory of relativity after he developed it...
Self-Driving Cars Are a Modern Miracle Waiting to Happen
When Bran Ferren was 9 years old his parents took him to the Pantheon in Rome. He looked around at the marble and sculptures, which seemed typical in the ancient city, and then he looked up at the ceiling, which didn't seem typical at all...
Negroponte’s Next Goal is to Connect the “Last Billion”
Nicholas Negroponte, the visionary computer scientist who founded the One Laptop Per Child initiative, now says he wants to connect the "last billion" people on the planet.
ZappyLab: Using technology to make DOING science research easier
With only one day left and less than $2,000 to go, I want to see this science app company Kickstarter campaign make it! ZappyLab offers what they call Bench Tools – a suite of research tools for those who do laboratory life science research. Nice idea and I love reserach tech, especially those that can be used on mobile devices. My [...]..
Much-Hyped Brain-Implant Treatment for Depression Suffers Setback
All of us--researchers, journalists, patients and their loved ones–are desperate for genuine progress in treatments for severe mental illness.
Photographing Uncooperative Insects: The Nest Entrance Trick
Earlier, I mentioned that chilling active insects to more easily photograph them can give unnatural results. How is the intrepid photographer to work with animals that do not sit still?
How to Reconcile Big Data and Privacy
In many ways "big data" and "encryption" are antithetical. The former involves harvesting, storing and analyzing information to reveal patterns that researchers, law enforcement and industry can use to their benefit...
Curious about Professional Learning? NYU Is Offering 2 Webinars To Demo a Course
We’ve received some questions about the Professional Learning online courses offered by Scientific American and NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering.
Getty Images Confronts Online Copyright Infringement With A Carrot – And A Stick
Stock photography giant Getty Images took a gamble yesterday, releasing 35 million files for free non-commercial and editorial uses. Images are served in a YouTube-style embedder that displays a credit and links back to the licensing page at Getty...
Photo Friday: Opening fusion’s 48-ton door (1979)
This 1979 photo is of a woman at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) opening a 97,000 pound (48.5 ton) door.
The Day the World's ATMs Stood Still--or Didn't
You're probably on tenterhooks wondering what will happen to your reliable, convenient ATM on April 8, the day Microsoft officially sticks a fork in its hugely popular Windows XP operating system...
