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November 2007 Archives
Chaos Part 2: Chaos Doesn't Matter
by I've stirred up some old controversies with my article about chaos and climate here. I think my correspondent is genuinely one of those people who don't believe that predictive climatology is possible. I wonder if he thinks that gives people license to change the atmosphere without limits. It always baffles me that some people argue that the less we understand about the atmosphere, the more liberties we ought to be willing to take with it. Anyway, the tack he's taken isn't very relevant. Here's why.
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I Know What You're Thinking
by So we had trouble settling on a name for the segment Face Reader. The software being demonstrated in the segment is called Mind Reader. Why not name it 'Mind Reader' you ask. Or should I say, why not name it 'Mind Reader' I ask on your behalf.
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Are There Fish In Our Future... Or is 2048 the Y2K for Seafood?
by We humans long believed oceans must be so enormous, the abundance of resources in the marine realm had to be limitless. We're funny about holding onto ridiculous notions like that...
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Working the graveyard shift increases your risk of developing cancer
by Night owls face an additional risk of many types of cancer, according to an upcoming publication.
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The Universe, on TV
by WIRED Science is not the only science show that launched on television this year. A number of channels are making new science-themed TV shows, with others under discussion. This is good news for everyone! The second season of the History Channel's new show "The Universe" has begun airing, and there's some fun stuff coming up.
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How far does religious freedom extend when it conflicts with public health?
A Liberian immigrant to the U.S. argues that eating monkey meat is a critical part of her religion. Should it be allowed?
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1904: Meteorology Becomes A Science
In 1904, at the peak of classical physics, meteorology as a physical science was just being born.
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Tiro the Moonlighting Robot
by I guess this is what it's come to now...even robot teachers are on the lookout for extra cash. Here's Tiro (a project developed by Hanool Robotics) teaching English to elementary school kids in South Korea:
Antarctic Pioneers, Old and New
I've been fascinated by Tamsin's posts about her activities in Antarctica. I hope you've been reading them. Scientists from several disciplines now visit that remote part of the world, and are modern antarctic pioneers. It is sobering to recall just how recently the classic pioneering expeditions to that continent were made, and to hear the remarkable stories about what happened. One the big names from that era is that of Sir Ernest Shackleton, in connection with the heroic 1914 expedition that was intent on crossing the continent.
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Holiday Ethics or Blatant Humbuggery?
by I live in the Eastern chunk of Hollywood, California (near Silver Lake, for you ironic t-shirt-wearing hipsters). This past Monday, the 19th, I was caught up in the worst traffic jam of the year. "What happened?" I wondered. "What sort of terrible accident has clogged even the sneaky side-streets that usually pave my way home? Geez, I hope no one died..." Then it donned on me. The "terrible accident" was, in fact, the first evening of the annual DWP Holiday Light Festival that illuminates a mile of Griffith Park, which you may remember from such wildfires as "May of This Year." Perhaps it was the hour-long drive that should have taken ten minutes that got me unreasonably riled up, but I was REALLY MAD at the Festival: "A month and a half of unnecessary traffic?!! Why, the very IDEA!!! (or something similar but with more swears)" The anger was lame on my part, I admit, and as the bubbling chemicals from my limbic system began to ebb I wondered how a light festival that stretches a mile long could possibly be good for an energy crisis.
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The Hole Story: A Penguin's Nemesis
by With all the fuss about climate change these days it's easy to forget about the hole up there in the ozone layer. Does it still matter? Why hasn't it gone away yet? And most importantly, does it really suck penguins out into space?
Every day I work with the very instrument used to discover the hole in the ozone layer so hopefully I can shed some light...
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The Story of Freshwater and A Geography Lesson for Developers in Mesa, Arizona
Do we really need a new water park in the Arizona desert? The idea just doesn't sit right with this conservation scientist. Actually, it shouldn't really sit right with anyone who has an interest in the future of freshwater.
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An Easy Cell
There's been a breakthrough in stem cell research that could have profound implications for how research on the science and medicine is done, especially in the USA. This research touches on issues that continue to spark lively debate, and that changed the research landscape in the USA, compromising some competitiveness. How these new results will change things will be interesting to watch.
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Cyclone Sidr: No Calm After the Storm
While it will take a while to understand the true extent of Cyclone Sidr's impact, now is the time to provide support and aid.
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The Storm King
While the large scale behavior of the atmosphere is complex and hard to grasp, it occurred to me that the basic ideas for understanding a rainstorm cloud were in place by the early nineteenth century. I wondered if history had captured the story of the person who had put the pieces together.
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Biofilms--the microscopic architecture all around you
When most people think of bacteria, the image that jumps to mind are singular cells, perhaps growing on a petri dish or swimming in a liquid of broth; one of the simplest forms of life on the planet, incapable of complex thought or organization.
They would, of course, be wrong...
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Warped Ambitions?
I noticed recently that there was a conference, hosted by the British Interplanetary Society, about research on things like warp drive. You know, the means by which they zip around space in Star Trek. Is this crazy stuff? Where does the science begin and the science fiction end? Current research shows that there are certain important obstacles in the way of building a warp engine, even in principle. Can we get around them?
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Long Hair, Drano & Green Chemistry
I have long hair. Long hair that loves to bundle together and form a happy little party in the drain. At least that's what I try to imagine, since the alternative from The Ring is enough to keep me from showering altogether. But each time I get one of those scary Samara clogs, I also get Drano guilt. So today I decided to do some research and take a look - as my friend Chris does brilliantly every week - at what's inside that mystery product?
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Flying robots take to the skies
Tiny unmanned planes have been investigating the Antarctic atmosphere for the first time ever this year. Usually planes get bad press when it comes to global warming but these robot planes are different. They boldly fly where nothing has ever been before hoping to shed some light on some of the biggest climate change unknowns. How will sea ice respond to warmer temperatures? What effect will it have on warming all over the planet? Can sea ice provide an early warning of other major changes?
Flight team member Alex Gough tells us how it feels to launch a plane into uncharted territory...
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Cyclone Sidr: A Worst Case Scenario for Bangladesh?
Because Bangladesh is one of the low-laying regions most at risk from sea level rise, as a marine biologist I'm all too familiar with how vulnerable it is to flooding and storm surges. It's also one of the most densely populated countries and - as Chris Mooney has expressed - I fear Cyclone Sidr storm may be a worst case scenario. It's my sincere hope we're mistaken.
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Judgment Day: the Intelligent Design trial in Pennsylvania
NOVA takes on the "intelligent design" advocates tonight!
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Reflecting on the Quantum
Do you think of quantum physics as something weird? Irrelevant? It is not weird, really, and your life depends on it in so many ways. The problem is more to do with the way the subject is presented.
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The Elephant's Trunk: Meteorology and the Origins of Climatology
Meteorology is clearly the scientific tradition that best gets the story of climate science started. It's the trunk of the elephant, the most notable feature, aside perhaps, from the hugeness of the beast.
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How to become a Science Host, or Why I heart David Attenborough
I'm often asked how one becomes a Science Host or Presenter, and as I got a lovely email from a viewer named Gabe requesting advice, I figured maybe I could offer a few thoughts through ye olde blog here.
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Is Antarctica Melting?
The short answer is yes, parts of Antarctica have certainly been melting at an accelerated rate in recent years.
But wait a minute...
As some areas of the continent warm up (as a result of recent climate change) melting increases but snow accumulation increases too. The overall Antarctic contribution to sea level rise depends on the sensitive balance between melting and accumulation, so the real question is: Is more snow melting or falling?
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Ocean Acidification?
You may have been hearing all the hullabaloo over ocean acidification. Sure sounds frightening [visions of the melting Wicked Witch of the West] but no, oceans are not turning to acid. Still, acidification is a very real and scary possibility nonetheless. So let's explore what's going on just beneath the surface...
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Does this microbe make me look fat?
While diet and exercise play a large role in weight, the billions of microbes that share your dinner may also contribute to your waistline.
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Viewer Comments! Episode 1
Here is a delightful rant from a viewer in Washington, D.C. who
rightfully assumes that people on TV have no soul or feelings. I'll
address each segment:
Chris Hardwick needs to work on
presentation and language skills. When he's doing a walk-through on the
set reading the script, he's fine, but on the What's Inside and Hack
segments he's terrible.
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Carnival of the Blue VI
A synthesis of the best ocean-related blogging... representing the other 70% of our planet!
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On the Importance of Flying Lizards
Virtual Paleontology was a segment that we had to fight to keep alive. Being that one of my failings is that I try to avoid conflict, this is a segment that could easily have gone the way of the dinosaur.
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