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Archive for the ‘Science!’ Category

Laughing Too

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

First let me make clear that what I’m about to share is 100% not safe for work. Or delicate ears. I mean, yeah, there’s a lot of swearing. That said, the subject matter is one of those topics that almost requires strong language.

This series of videos pairs climate scientists with comedians who translate for us regular folks.

Again, there’s definitely swearing!

Here’s an article about what they’re doing and why with a link to the main site.

And here’s an example:

David Cross Meets Prof Michael Oppenheimer | NSFW – YouTube

Watch Emmy Award-winning comedian David Cross and Professor Michael Oppenheimer pretty much fix the climate crisis between them, in the first US pilot of the hit “Climate Science Translated” series. What’s the gist? Most Americans (74%) actually want more climate action from government. What no one wants is sky-high insurance bills, a home destroyed by extreme weather, or to pass on a ruined planet to their kids. 

The films use humor (and profuse swearing) to translate the urgency of the problem, and bring it back down to Earth. 

For more, check out the playlist. They even made PG versions, if that’s your thing!

And yes, climate change is something to cry about. But we can laugh too.

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Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

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Never Quit!

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on June 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Sadly, it looks like the Ispace lander Resilience did not make a successful landing on the moon yesterday. (If it did land, it’s harboring enough resentment about the process that it’s refusing to pick up the phone.)

Ispace fails in moon landing attempt, confirms Resilience likely crashed into the moon | CNN

Ispace has gone out of its way to make clear that it’s not giving up. The motto underpinning today’s mission was “never quit the lunar quest.” And by all accounts, the company has every intention of sticking with these moon missions until they succeed.

Let this be a lesson to all you aspiring creatives out there. Never quit! (And maybe name the next lander Persistence?)

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Photo by Daniel Castellón on Unsplash

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Don’t Stop Believing

Posted in Other, Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »

A couple of years ago I wrote about NASA’s excellent graphic novel encouraging folks to imagine themselves on the moon: First Woman: Dream to Reality.

There was a second issue, too, called First Woman: Expanding Our Universe. Both were free and available to the public on NASA’s site. (Which makes sense, because NASA is paid for by US tax dollars, including mine.) Sadly, both have now been removed.

But good news, aspiring explorers! As highlighted over at Space.com, both issues are still available via that bastion of awesome, The Wayback Machine:

Calliefirst – NASA

Issue #1: Dream to Reality follows Callie’s trailblazing path as the first woman on the Moon. Callie and her robot sidekick, RT, overcome setbacks, disappointment, and tragedy along the way. From her childhood dreams of space travel to being selected as an astronaut candidate, Callie takes us on her journey to the Moon.

I don’t always take the time to update older links, but I thought this one was important.

Because if humanity stops inspiring the next generation, humanity stops.

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NASA, via The Wayback Machine

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An Introductory Spell Book

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on May 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I attended a wedding once where I was seated next to a civil engineer. Being me, I wanted to know all about how things in his world worked. He was nearing retirement and had Opinions. It was a good conversation, but what I remember most was his advice: “If you want to understand a place, first find out where your water comes from, and then where it goes.” 

Water and sewage, two of the most essential components of a functional modern society. 

I thought of that dinner when I ran across this essay by Charles C. Mann. In it, he kicks off a series called “How the System Works” that touches on many of the ways in which humanity has built “the hidden mechanisms that support modern life.” 

I find conversations like this fascinating because for so many of us, the process of supplying clean water, electricity, food systems and more might as well be magic.

We Live Like Royalty and Don’t Know It — The New Atlantis

This is not a statement about Kids These Days so much as about Most People These Days. Too many of us know next to nothing about the systems that undergird our lives. Which is what put me in mind of Thomas Jefferson and his ink.

Jefferson was one of the richest men in the new United States…. But despite his wealth and status his home was so cold in winter that the ink in his pen sometimes froze, making it difficult for him to write to complain about the chill.

 And if this is magic, consider this series an introductory spell book:)

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Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash

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Into the Quantum

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

2025 marks the one hundred year anniversary of the development of quantum mechanics, and has been named Unesco’s International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

It is also a good time to mention a poetry contest I came across, from Brilliant Poetry. I haven’t participated in it, but perhaps it will interest you? The contest goal is to “express scientific wonder and discovery through verse” and poems “must find inspiration in the quantum.”

Do I know what that means? I do not, but it might be fun to let my creative voice play with the idea. Hang on, here’s a quick related video.

And this is a much longer explainer: Physicist Brian Cox explains quantum physics in 22 minutes.

Ahem. Now that you have a bit of background, let’s get back to that poetry contest.

What are the rules?

Submit Your Poem

Contest tradeoffs: 

The upside is that there is no entry fee that I can see, and there are cash prizes. Good.

One downside is that by entering, “you give the organizers the right to publish your poem both online and in printed media.” In other words, you’ve essentially given away first world publication rights, so keep that in mind. (On the other hand, the limit is maximum 40 lines, so it may not be a big investment if you’re interested in some experimentation.)

Does this concept tickle your imagination? Submissions close June 20th so you’ve got a bit of time to consider the options, and get into the quantum.

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Photo by Clayton Cardinalli on Unsplash

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Best (Space) Wishes

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , on May 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

What Did Hubble See on Your Birthday? – NASA Science

What did Hubble look at on your birthday? Enter the month and date below to find out!

Or any other day, your choice!

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Photo by nate rayfield on Unsplash

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Accomplish This

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on May 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We’re heading into the end of the week and I don’t know about you, but I’m usually looking at my to do lists and wondering where the time has gone. (Also? I’m now convinced that meetings exist primarily to spawn more meetings.)

So, fine, maybe I haven’t accomplished everything I wanted to, but it’s not like I haven’t earned a little time for fun.

You too? Then consider taking a few minutes off to read about why The Phony Physics of Star Wars Are a Blast.

You can also read more about the Science Behind Science Fiction: The Physics of Star Wars from the Connecticut Science Center.

An extra bit of fun: And if you’ve always wondered how quickly you’d react to a lightsaber in the dark, or a TIE fighter arrowing out from behind a canyon wall, maybe you should try testing your Reaction Time. (That big blue bar at the top? Click that:)

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Photo by Nicholas Fuentes on Unsplash

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Even More Fishies

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on April 25, 2025| 1 Comment »

As mentioned, I’m still having fun watching the Fish Doorbell, but I haven’t actually seen any fish. That’s fine, it’s more of a meditation than anything (and we could all use some zen right now, amirite?) but some days the world is grey and you just want to chill out with the ocean.

For that, I give you a coral reef in Florida:

Underwater camera documents daily life on a Miami coral reef

The Coral City Camera shows endangered corals that are thriving and remarkably resilient in the heart of Miami’s busy port. The live feed has helped scientists gain a new understanding of the value and beauty of something they call “urban corals.”

A thing I learned: “Rip rap are large pieces of rock that armor a shoreline, protecting it from erosion, storm surge and sea level rise.”

Because the world is awesome, and so is science.

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Photo by Shaun Low on Unsplash

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Earth Day that Was

Posted in Holidays, Science!, tagged , , , , on April 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I know, I know, I’m a little late to be celebrating Earth Day. Which was yesterday. But deserves to be celebrated every day!

In the spirit of “yay, Earth,” I’d like to share this from NASA:

Celebrating Earth as Only NASA Can

This Earth Day, NASA is sharing how — by building on decades of innovation—we use the unique vantage point of space to observe and understand our dynamic planet in ways that we cannot from the ground.

And just for fun, you can spell out Your Name in Landsat 🛰️

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NASA’s Landsat

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Visitors from Outer Space

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on April 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We’re coming up on Easter weekend, which often means sugar-crazed energy spikes, loud family gatherings, and other high-energy experiences. If you happen to be an introvert, or just need a break with a bit of science in it, try going outside at night and doing a little meteor spotting.

The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to dazzle the night sky beginning this week

“You’re not going to see meteors from downtown Manhattan or Central Park,” Cooke said. “You need to find the darkest sky you can, you need to lay flat on your back and look away from the moon.”

Give yourself 30 to 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark, Cooke said — and from there, simply enjoy the show.

And if you’re watching the sky this weekend, you may see the Lyrids overlap with another meteor shower, the Eta Aquariids, which is a thing I just learned about. For more on meteors and their schedules, visit the Meteor Shower Calendar from the American Meteor Society. 

So lay back, relax, and wave hello to these visitors from outer space.

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Photo by Philipp Düsel on Unsplash

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