The Science Word – Episode #3
First Star in Universe Grew Fast – Computer simulations suggest the first stars started small, but grew 100 times larger than our sun in just 10,000 years.
Duck-Billed Dinos Outgrew Predators – Best predator defense? Grow fast and make babies. That’s what the duck-billed hadrosaur did as it grew up to 4.4 tons in 2-3 years. Gives a new meaning to “eat my dust.”
Moss, Insect Fossils Evince Once-Living Antarctica – Researchers found freeze-dried moss, crustaceans, insects, and pollen trapped in the glacial ice. 14 million years ago Antarctica was much warmer.
Hostile-to-Life Substance Found in Martian Soil – NASA thought they could grow vegetables on Mars, but then discovered perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel, in one of their tests. They have decided to perform more tests.
Dark Energy’s Fingerprint Found in Distant Galaxies – Researchers have made one of the most statistically probable measurements of dark energy to date, but they still don’t know what it is.
X-rays reveal Van Gogh portrait – A particle accelerator was used to blast a Van Gogh painting with high intensity x-rays. A second painting was discovered beneath the outer surface of paint.
‘Laser jumbo’ testing moves ahead – The US Air Force has begun fuel tests of their Airborne Laser system, which is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles from the inside of a 747 aircraft.
The Science Word
I’m trying out something new, and hoping that it will compliment what we do on This Week in Science. Check it out!
If you’re interested in any of the stories referred to in The Science Word, here are the links:
The Cassini space probe confirmed that a lake on Saturn’s moon, Titan, is filled with pleasantly chilled liquid ethane and methane hydrocarbons, molecules thought to be building blocks for life.
NASA got past a sticky dirt problem, and identified water in the Martian soil.
After 30 years, the guitarist for Queen finished and published his doctoral thesis.
According to Australian research, playing outdoors might be good for a child’s developing eyes.
A US CDC study found that national annual HIV/AIDS rates are underestimated by 40%. Regardless of this new data, the director of the WHO, Kevin De Cock, still thinks current global estimates are good. Yes, he does.
A study doubled population estimates of the Western Lowland Gorilla, an endangered species. A report recently warned that human activity puts almost half of the world’s primate species at risk for extinction.
People weigh less in neighborhoods with sidewalks.
Opposites might attract, but Germans stay married if they are similarly agreeable and conscientious.
Blue sharks taste bad, but people are developing a taste for them because other fish are in short supply.
Hot, black smokers were found venting supercritical seawater on the bottom of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean.
Unlike freshwater turtles, the epaulette shark goes blind when oxygen levels go down.
Filed under The Science Word | Comment (1)LHC Rap
I know that this has already been Boing-Boinged, but I just have to help propagate such awesomeness as the following rap about the LHC by a science writer otherwise known as AlpineKat. Yo’, check it…
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Climatia in Nature
It’s true. Climatia, the word coined by TWiS’ own Justin Jackson, has been used by one of the most prestigious science journals in the world. Sure, it’s in the art accompanying an article, and it’s not really being used properly in the art, but it’s in there. Climatia has hit the big time.
We interviewed one of the authors, Gavin Schmidt, a year ago in the spring. So, it is possible that he was inoculated with the word at that time. I just have to wonder whether the artist, Mark Roberts, listens to TWiS. I’m guessing that he might.
Filed under Esoterica | Comments (2)
