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Archive for the ‘Science!’ Category

All-Domain Anomaly Resolution

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , on March 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

So it looks like Area 51 is not what popular culture thinks.

tl;dr sorry, no aliens

Read the Pentagon UFO report newly released by the Department of Defense

“All investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification,” the report said.

The report also addresses claims that government and private companies are “reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology” and hiding it, noting that there is “no empirical evidence for claims” and that “claims involving specific people, known locations technological tests, and documents allegedly involved in or related to the reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial technology, are inaccurate.”

I guess this means social media isn’t an alien plot to get us to destroy ourselves? (At least, that’s what they want us to think;)

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Photo by Leslie Jones on Unsplash

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How Long is a Furlong?

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , on March 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Maybe you are already adept at converting inches (for example) to other units, but in case you are in the market for measurements made up of furlongs (real), or (somewhat less accepted) Mickeys, Beard-seconds, gkBs or Wheatons, well, this is the reference page for you.

List of humorous units of measurement

In related news, I recently received my MIT tape measure, with units listed in centimeters, inches, and Smoots. It is excellent.

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Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

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Why We Leap

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on February 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Today is February 29th, the day that (usually) only comes once every four years. What is a Leap Year, why do we have them and how cool is it that our ancestors figured this out centuries ago?

How does leap day work? Your every-four-years refresher

“I think the significance of the leap year is that it’s a great reminder that the universe is really good at defying our attempts to devise nice and pretty and aesthetically pleasing systems to fit it in”

This video does a good job of illustrating why we leap, and what happens if we don’t!

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Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

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Martians Wanted

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on February 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Want to get away for a year or so? This job might be for you!

Martians Wanted: NASA Opens Call for Simulated Yearlong Mars Mission – NASA

NASA is seeking applicants to participate in its next simulated one-year Mars surface mission to help inform the agency’s plans for human exploration of the Red Planet.

NASA is looking for healthy, motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers, 30-55 years old, and proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control. Applicants should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars.

The deadline for applicants is Tuesday, April 2.

https://chapea.nasa.gov

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Photo by Benjamin Recinos on Unsplash

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Lost Sols

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on February 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

In a recent chat with my mother, I mentioned that I thought she would enjoy the movie version of The Martian. I don’t know if she was convinced by my sales pitch: “An astronaut is stranded alone on Mars and has to find a way home before he dies a horrible death. It’s hilarious!” but I hope she’ll watch it.

Andy Weir’s book is also a lot of fun. It was published ten years ago this month, and to celebrate he wrote a new chapter and shared it with us all.

Enjoy!

The Martian: Lost Sols

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Photo by Ali Bakgor on Unsplash

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Natural Allies

Posted in Science!, tagged , , on February 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

This is absolutely the sort of article I like to have with lunch:

Study finds bigfoot sightings correlate with black bear populations | Ars Technica

The results suggest that there’s a strong correlation between sightings and the local black bear population—for every 1,000 bears, the frequency of Bigfoot sightings goes up by about 4 percent.

So another way of interpreting this study is that (and correct me if I’m wrong here but really, it just makes sense) black bears and Bigfoot have formed an alliance.

Pretty sure they meet every third Thursday and swap tips on the best berry patches and how to avoid detection by overly-enthusiastic humans. 

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Image by Alexey Hulsov from Pixabay

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It’s the Little Things

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , on January 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I have not read Brian Klaas’s Fluke, the book on which the article below is based, but this line made an impression in my busy day.

The big idea: what if every little thing you do changes history?

One hundred million years ago, a shrew-like creature got infected with a retrovirus, eventually leading to the placenta and, by extension, the reason why we don’t lay eggs.

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Photo by Domino on Unsplash

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The Little ‘Copter That Could

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

If you’ve seen any space news this past week, you may already know that Ingenuity, the adorable little helicopter that has exceeded all expectations in its exploration of Mars, has ended its mission.

After Three Years on Mars, NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Mission Ends – NASA

Originally designed as a technology demonstration to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, the first aircraft on another world operated from the Martian surface for almost three years, performed 72 flights, and flew more than 14 times farther than planned while logging more than two hours of total flight time.

Ingenuity arrived on Mars with the Perseverance rover almost two years ago. It began as a limited technology demonstration but quickly became a scout for the rover’s mission and a fan favorite. Now, after 72 flights, a difficult landing has caused irreparable damage to its rotor blades.

Here’s what NASA Administrator Bill Nelson had to say about the end, and what the plucky little project managed to accomplish.

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Ingenuity, and its swatch from the original Wright flyer, will remain on the Martian surface as a testament to how far we’ve come.

“That remarkable helicopter flew higher and farther than we ever imagined and helped NASA do what we do best – make the impossible, possible.”

— Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator

This weekend join me in raising a glass to the first powered, controlled flight on another world, and to the little ‘copter that could.

Thanks, Ingenuity.

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original from NASA

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Why AI?

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Fellow Writers of the Future winner (2018) N.R.M. Roshak has started an excellent weekly newsletter on AI. Check it out if you’re interested in what’s happening in the field, how this tech is influencing social, business, and other arenas, or why I post results like this: Bright Colors, Happy Tone.

View back issues and subscribe here: Newsletter: AI Week.

It’s not for experts and it’s extremely readable. It’s really aimed at science fiction writers and readers: non-experts (like me) who are interested in the impact of this tech on society.

Enjoy!

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Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash

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Witness What’s Hidden

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , on January 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I tried to skip past this link and couldn’t. 

An augmented-reality filter reveals the hidden movements all around us

This simple technique produces dazzling results, causing tree branches to shimmer as they sway in the wind, dust particles to become bold beams of light, and camouflaged insects and animals to be instantly unveiled. De Boer’s montage serves not only as a free and easy tutorial on the possibilities of this creative tool, but also as eye candy for anyone keen to witness the hidden patterns of movement that surround us.

The effect is fascinating. In some ways it’s the opposite of a time-lapse, which captures what remains still and merges motion. Here, movements that typically remain hidden are visible. Like a camouflaged deer, or blowing leaves, or even footprints.

While some examples are just pretty, it’s hard not to jump to the scientific and creative possibilities of this technique. I haven’t explored video effects, but this makes me want to start.

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Photo by Tradd Harter on Unsplash

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