Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, cognitive behavior, creativity, genre fiction, science, Thoughts, writing on February 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Today, an essay by Cecilia Tan in Uncanny magazine: A Novel Is an Empathy Engine.
The idea that story can have an effect on the humans that consume it is not new. It’s well accepted across many cultures, and well supported by studies, that children’s development is aided by hearing stories, with benefits ranging from emotional development and improved communication skills to increased vocabulary and social maturity. But adults are also affected and changed by story.
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, evolution, genre fiction, inspiration, science, Thoughts 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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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, #ThanksIngenuity, inspiration, invention, Mars, NASA, science, space 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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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, science, snow, snowstorm, Thoughts, winter on January 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Winter has finally arrived in the Northeast, and it is making a serious splash.
We wanted a white Christmas, but that didn’t happen around here; Nature is making up for it now. We’ve had multiple storms this week complete with snow, sleet, ice and rain (sometimes all at once) and expect a significant snowstorm to hit this weekend.
That has me investigating weather reports, flexing my shoveling muscles, and generally catching up on all things snow. Here are a few of the interesting articles I found:
Science of Snow | National Snow and Ice Data Center
Snow forecasts are better than they used to be, and they continue to improve, but snow forecasting remains a difficult challenge for meteorologists. One reason is that during intense snows, the heaviest snowfall can occur in surprisingly narrow bands, and on a smaller scale than observing networks and forecast zones can see. Also, the extremely small temperature differences that define the boundary line between rain and snow make large differences in snow forecasts. This is part of the fun and frustration that makes snow forecasting so interesting.
Winter storm hits East Coast. What’s in a snowflake? (transcript)
“So a snowflake that was more than a foot across. Is that, like, even possible?”
How to Shovel Snow Safely – This Old House
Freezing temperatures often bring snow, sleet, and ice. And removing that messy wintry mix from your walkways and driveways is no easy feat. Here is the best way to shovel snow to prevent injury and lessen your workload.
What’s Wrong With This Snowflake? (transcript)
Koop thinks ice crystals are masterpieces of natural beauty. Unfortunately, he says, “This beauty is sometimes corrupted.”
Seeing Snowflakes As ‘Hieroglyphs from the Sky’ (transcript)
“It’s been said that snowflakes are like hieroglyphs from the sky…,” says Libbrecht, an astrophysicist and chairman of the physics department at the California Institute of Technology. “In the shape of the crystal is encoded the conditions under which it grew.”
And for when snow stops being fun and starts getting real: United States Power Outage Map.
Time to charge up our phones, laptops, power banks and car. Stay safe and warm!
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, inspiration, Mars, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on January 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »
It’s Monday, I’m back at work, and while things are moving along fine I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder what a day in space would be like instead.
Let’s take a little break and go to Mars, shall we?
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Captures a Martian Day, From Dawn to Dusk – NASA Mars Exploration
Rover drivers normally rely on Curiosity’s Hazcams to spot rocks, slopes, and other hazards that may be risky to traverse. But because the rover’s other activities were intentionally scaled back just prior to conjunction, the team decided to use the Hazcams to record 12 hours of snapshots for the first time, hoping to capture clouds or dust devils that could reveal more about the Red Planet’s weather.
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Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, children, Christmas, creativity, science, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Christmas Eve, when Santa is racing around the world distributing presents, seems like an excellent time to think back to the experience of the holiday as a young child. If Christmas was part of your family tradition, do you remember what it was like to believe in Santa Claus?
I do, and despite the ever-present pressures of reality, that sense of wonder is part of why I write.
Making Sense of Santa, as a Science Reporter and a Parent ‹ Literary Hub
“When I was a kid, did you try to get me to believe in Santa?” I recently asked my parents. My father, a mathematician, scoffed. “Of course not,” he said. “We told you he was a mythological being that represented generosity and good cheer.”
Still, every December, my mother hung stockings above the chimney with care. And every Christmas Eve, she made sure cookies were left on a festively decorated plate, as though she truly believed St. Nick would soon be there.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, science, skills on December 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I spent a lot of time as a kid learning skills that were technically unnecessary for me, but would have been essential to my ancestors. Skills like weaving, making cough syrup or dyeing wool using local herbs, flint knapping, bow making, that sort of thing (yes, my parents were very tolerant!). One of the skills I never did manage (and I bet the local fire department was grateful) was making a fire using only friction.
If you’ve seen Tom Hanks try this in Castaway, you’ll know that it isn’t as easy as it looks.
If this is the sort of thing that catches your attention, as it does mine, this article might interest you.
Fire by friction is a testament to human ingenuity, contributing to the development of early technology and a later understanding of physics, chemistry and heat transfer.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, NASA, science, space cats on December 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Oh look, NASA just sent the first Ultra-HD video through deep space using a laser communications system.
NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser
Me: Cool cool cool. It’s a test, right?
Other Me: That’s right.
Me: So this experiment marks the progress humanity has made in reaching out to the stars. I wonder which video NASA used?
Other Me: This one. I think it perfectly encapsulates the usefulness of laser technology in general, and where we are as a species right now in particular.
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, inspiration, Orion, science, sky on December 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Want to see a rare astronomical event tonight? (And really, why wouldn’t you?)
The extremely rare Betelgeuse occultation by asteroid (319) Leona
For a very short time, we will see the legendary Orion constellation without its famous, orange shoulder, as it will be in the distant future, once Betelgeuse will have exploded as a supernova and faded to black.
Hey, I like Orion! What’s this all about?
Watch an asteroid eclipse the puzzling red giant star Betelgeuse tonight live online
At at 8:17 p.m. EST Monday (Dec. 11) (0117 GMT, Dec. 12), an asteroid will pass in front of the curious red star Betelgeuse, eclipsing it from our vantage point here on Earth and blocking it from view for up to 15 seconds in an event known as an occultation. The asteroid is known as 319 Leona, a main belt object that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Shaped roughly like an egg, 319 Leona measures some 50 by 34 miles (80 x 55 kilometers) in size.
Here’s a link to live coverage of the event.
So Orion’s loss is temporary, and will also help scientists better understand both the asteroid’s shape and the star’s characteristics. No Tim Burton movie required!
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, inspiration, science, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.
— Carl Sagan
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