Another entertaining project from Neal.fun:
(Although the image of a person next to that Titanoboa is more than a little scary. At least we could have taken that angry turkey Velociraptor!)
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Archive for the ‘Science!’ Category
Size of Life
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, bit of fun, it's all relative, life, nature on January 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Brighter Days Ahead
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, science, solstice, Thoughts on December 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
It’s that time again!
Yes, the darkest day of the year is here, but that means brighter days are ahead.
Sunday is the shortest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical winter.
That’s right, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year. (And if you’d like a quick reminder of the astronomy of it all, this one’s helpful: December Solstice 2025.)
So light a candle (physical or metaphorical, your choice!), and look ahead to a brighter future.
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Look What We Did!
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, accomplishments, cool projects, creativity, history, inspiration, Thoughts on December 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Last month marked 25 years of humanity’s continuous presence in orbit around this fair planet.
25 years, one website: ISS in Real Time captures quarter-century on space station
Two NASA contractors, working only during their off hours, have built a portal into all of those resources to uniquely represent the 25-year history of ISS occupancy.
ISS in Real Time, by Ben Feist and David Charney, went live on Monday (October 27), ahead of the November 2 anniversary. In its own way, the new website may be as impressive a software engineering accomplishment as the station is an aerospace engineering marvel.
It’s a good story about persistence and creativity, and it’s great to have all of this history and knowledge in one place.
It’s also easy to get bogged down in the trials of life and forget what’s good. But really? Our adventures in space are pretty incredible. For most of our species’ existence we’ve looked up at the stars and dreamed. And now?
Look! Look what we did!
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See Better, Be Better
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, heroes, inspiration, social science, Thoughts on December 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Why do we need heroes? To be better versions of ourselves.
Scientists Discover That People Act Way Better When Batman Is Present
After making a guy dressed as Batman stand around in a subway car, a team of researchers found that the behavior of people around him suddenly improved the moment he showed up.
I call this the “see better, be better” school of human behavior. And I like it!
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Say Hello!
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, inspiration, meteor shower, space on November 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »
We Earthlings are in the middle of the Leonid meteor shower. It takes place this year from November 6th through the 30th, but will peak overnight tonight. Even better, the moon is only 9% full, so the only competition will be from human light sources.
Leonid meteor shower: All you need to know in 2025
The Leonid meteor shower is back! Leonid meteors are already flying. The peak is on the morning of November 17.
Love this animation!
Meteor Showers 2025 – 2026 – American Meteor Society
So tonight, if you find yourself in a place with clear skies, look up.
The Universe is saying hello.
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Yours in Syzygy
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, space, supermoon on November 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Tonight, friends, we have yet another supermoon, the brightest of the year. This month is the Beaver Moon.
The biggest, brightest Supermoon of 2025 rises Tuesday night – The Weather Network
Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, November 4-5, the Sun, Earth, and Moon will align in syzygy, with the Earth-facing side of the Moon fully illuminated by the Sun.
So last night, tonight, and tomorrow all showcase the moon at its best. I don’t know about you, but I do not get tired of that big bright ball in the sky getting even bigger and brighter.
If you don’t either, look up!
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Writers Learn the Darnedest Things
Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, #BakingSortOf, random facts, Writers, writing on October 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Powdered sugar is a kitchen staple.
For whatever supply chain reason, we went through a powdered sugar shortage up here a while back, grocery store shelves with sad empty spots where this baking essential should be. That led me to wonder who uses it, and for what.
Need to make icing for that birthday cake? Or a batch of shortbread? Or dust the top of your chocolate cake or French toast or Beaver Tails or Swedish pancakes? You’ll probably need powdered sugar.
Some readers may know this already, but powdered sugar is also a key ingredient in a product that you probably want to keep far away from your kitchen: grenades.
To make grenades, the Army needs 30 tons of powdered sugar
It turns out that sweet powdery sugar, the same you might put on funnel cake at a state fair, is a major ingredient to make things go boom, or at least hiss and spray smoke.
…
Though powder sugar’s use in industrial weapons making isn’t an obvious leap of logic, the chemistry is fairly simple… Explosives need an oxidizer, ignition source and fuel, and sugar is an excellent fuel.
And that is another interesting fact for your “writers learn the darnedest things” file.
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Baddaboom, Shroom
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, music, nature, science on October 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Ok, this is amazing.
And if you wired other nearby plants and trees, would they all play in synchrony?
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Curiosity Knows
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on September 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Some days the day job is a little hectic, and what I’d really like is a moment to get away from it all, you know?
Curiosity knows. The intrepid rover has been on Mars since 2012 and is still very much out of the office.
In fact, let’s check in. Where is that little bundle of human ingenuity is now?
Curiosity Rover Location Map – NASA Science
And what has it seen? So much!
Being away from the rest of us doesn’t mean Curiosity isn’t getting the best dirt. In fact, its latest discovery has the potential to stir up what we know about life on Mars!
Here’s Neil deGrasse Tyson to break it down for us:
As Neil asks, “Could we have Martian neighbors?” If yes, would they fancy a mid-afternoon coffee break?
I know I could use one.
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A Little Perspective
Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, space, Thoughts on September 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Because some days it’s helpful to remember that even the biggest challenges are literally small.
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