Posted in Food and..., Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, baking, bread, food history, food science, inspiration, rediscovery, treasures on November 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I had a little time this past weekend so I made bread. While it was baking, I had fun with this fascinating article about an Italian farmer’s rediscovery of a heritage wheat, and what came next!
When a seven-eared stem emerged from the ground, it seemed like a miracle. What Claudio Grossi had unearthed was an ancient grain that proved to be an answer to some modern problems…
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #justanotherdayatwork, ISS, NASA, space on November 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Oh hey, world, two astronauts from the International Space Station are doing a spacewalk this morning, and we can watch it live! (Apologies if you’re seeing this after November 5, 2026, but I bet there’s a recording!)
On Thursday, Nov. 5, NASA astronaut Anil Menon and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk will install and deploy the eighth and final International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA), completing the space station’s power system augmentation. Together, the eight roll-out arrays will increase the station’s available power by up to 30%.
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Posted in Food and..., Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, diseases, learning new things, ticks, to avoid on October 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
In case you need any additional motivation to avoid getting bitten by the ticks that cause alpha-gal syndrome: what is commonly known as a meat allergy actually spans a wide range of mammal-derived products, including meat but also related products like milk, cheese, and yogurt. I was surprised to learn that white sugar can also trigger the reaction. Why? It is often processed with bone char. As in, animal bones that have been converted into a form of charcoal.
What Is Bone Char in Sugar? – Chef’s Resource
Bone char is a porous, carbon-rich material created by heating animal bones—typically bovine—to extremely high temperatures in a low-oxygen environment. In the sugar industry, this substance serves as a powerful decolorizing filter, effectively bleaching raw sugar cane juice by adsorbing pigments and impurities as the liquid passes through it.
So no bacon, no milk, no eggs, and no sugar? Sad face! (I mean, yes, processed sugar is not great for you, but have you see the recipes on this site? Sugar tasty nom nom!)
The good news is that vegan sugar doesn’t use bone char and some firms like Lantic steer clear of it altogether. But this is the sort of question you may need to ask if a Lone Star tick gets its pesky little mandibles in you.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, astronomy, meteor shower, Orion, space on October 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Who’s up for a meteor shower? Orion, that’s who, and this week the Orionid shower is at its peak!
The Orionid meteor shower 2026: How to watch | The Planetary Society
The 2026 Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night between October 21 and October 22. The Orionids can produce bright, fast meteors that make for a spectacular show with the constellation Orion in the background.
Here’s an interactive map and more info to help you get oriented: Orionids Meteor Shower 2026. And this week’s a great time to check it out because the moon, while waxing, has a way to go before it’s full. And darker skies mean brighter stars.
I’m posting this today because while the Orionids will peak in a day or two, they’re already happening. Day and night. Right above us! So even if you can’t get outside or there are clouds on those particular nights or you’re just wishing for a touch of cheer, these shooting stars will continue through November 7th.
And perhaps you, too, find that a little magical.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Doggerland, fun, history, maps, oceans on October 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Drain the oceans and flood the land with this sea level simulator
You’ve surely seen interactive maps showing the effects of the sea level rising, but Sliding Shores makes a game of it: you get a beautifully-rendered globe and a slider to raise or lower the oceans. There’s a load of presets, from “oceans drained” to “drown Everest,” a feat not even Waterworld managed.
Here’s the actual tool: Sliding Shores — Interactive Sea Level Rise Simulator by Richard Franklin.
(It had me at “Boil off 100 feet and we get Doggerland back!” Want to more about why that’s cool? It’s a real-life Atlantis, kinda sorta! Check out this backgrounder.)
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, astronomy, Hubble, inspiration, NASA, science, Thoughts on September 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This month marked the Hubble telescope’s 200,000 orbit around Earth. That’s a lot of laps!
NASA marks Hubble’s 200,000th orbit around Earth with a stunning image
Hubble has been operating in space for more than 36 years and is still making discoveries. The space agency noted that the telescope has traveled over 5 billion miles around Earth during its lifetime and has made more than 1.7 million total observations.
Click through to the article and the related NASA links to see an image of (checks notes) galaxy cluster MACS J0417, taken the day Hubble crossed that milestone. Here’s to science!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, inspiration, learning new things, lessons, math on September 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I’ve always been more of a word person than a math person, but I do enjoy experts who can translate their area of expertise into sharable concepts with roots in what matters for everyday life.
In this (fair warning, very substantive) video, one of the world’s best mathematicians shares some of the “extremely intuitive concepts” that underpin his forthcoming book on, what else? Math!
The world’s greatest mathematician explains 6 essential concepts of math – Big Think
If we didn’t have numbers, we would have to always speak poetically when trying to describe any situation, and it would always be a little bit imprecise, and the next person who’s communicating what you’re saying would get it slightly different. Numbers allow for precision. They are placeholders for concepts like quantity and size and magnitude, into very portable things that you can communicate to other people who may not have directly interacted with the objects you’re describing. And once you try to describe a very complicated scenario with many, many moving parts, you need numbers and everything else that’s born on top of that.
Do I like speaking poetically? I do, but a ten-page description of the state of the world is not terribly useful when it comes to calculating the price of gas.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, clues, discovery, history, science, Thoughts, treasure hunt, writing on September 19, 2026| 3 Comments »
I think this application of language to science is really cool, and speaks to the layered memories that are built by each successive generation, if only we know where to look.
Lost oyster beds rediscovered thanks to Gaelic and Scots language
“We thought that as native oysters are now really rare throughout Europe, is there a way to look where they used to be, using people’s memory and understanding – that can come through place names.”
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Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Mars, NASA, perseverance, technology on September 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a good use for self-driving technology (just on another planet):
The first self-driving vehicle on Mars has proven to be a smashing success
Much like self-driving cars on Earth, Perseverance has sophisticated onboard cameras that image the surrounding terrain, and these images are then processed algorithmically by an onboard computer to calculate the safest route. Terrestrial vehicles have some advantages of course, like clearly defined maps, street signs, lanes, and more. Additionally there are plenty of “road” hazards on Mars, from large boulders to sandy slopes. But at least Perseverance does not have to contend with other traffic and bad drivers.
Here’s how far the little rover has come:
Perseverance Mars Rover Drive Path Animation – YouTube
Want to know where Perseverance is now? Here’s the Perseverance Rover Location Map.
Scroll and pan around this map to see the rover’s latest location and traverse path, as it seeks signs of ancient life and collects samples of Mars rock and regolith (broken rock and dust) for potential future return to Earth.
Here’s to Perseverance!
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Posted in Entertainment, Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, diversity, fandom, inspiration, NASA, science fiction, star trek, television, Thoughts, Writers on September 11, 2026| 1 Comment »
This week marked the 60th anniversary of Star Trek (it was Tuesday, actually, but alas! I was distracted by the whole “return to work” thing). And the show almost didn’t make it at all.
How ‘Star Trek’ almost failed to launch
“The Cage” – a complicated story about alien mind-control – was an ambitious pilot. When Roddenberry presented it to NBC, the programming executives were blown away. But the sales and marketing department wasn’t convinced. Not enough action, they thought. It would be hard to promote. Pass.
“Star Trek,” it seemed, was dead.
Fortunately, there’s more to that story, and the show not only got off the ground but became the entertainment juggernaut it is today.
I wasn’t a Trek fan growing up, in large part, I think, because my parents had made the conscious decision not to have a television. Now that I’m all grown up and have a TV of my own, though, I appreciate the ideals and more behind the sometimes campy but always fun franchise. So inspiring, and not just for everyday fans.
When it premiered in 1966, no one could have predicted that it would lead to more than a dozen spinoff shows, more than a dozen movies and one of the most enduring fandoms in popular culture.
“Star Trek” is also unusual for its close connections to NASA, both in its storylines and in the real world. Decades of “Star Trek” adventures have ignited a love of spaceflight across generations, inspiring many who now work as space professionals.
Let’s hear it for the real-world powers of fiction. And now, in life and the imagination, go boldly!
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