Videos Posted by TED: David Gallo: Underwater astonishments
These are some of the most amazing creatures you have never seen….
Add comment May 3rd, 2009
Shoulda’ Been in Pictures – Boing Boing
Shoulda’ Been in Pictures – Boing Boing
So this is the image that the CDC released of the H1N1 virus, known more widely as the swine flu.
Add comment May 2nd, 2009
What is swine flu? US declares public health emergency: Scientific American Blog
What is swine flu? US declares public health emergency: Scientific American Blog
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Add comment April 26th, 2009
Satellites Show How Earth Moved During Earthquake
From Universe Today:
Satellites Show How Earth Moved During Earthquake
Written by Nancy Atkinson
Scientists studying satellite radar data from ESA’s Envisat and the Italian Space Agency’s COSMO-SkyMed, have been able analyze the movement of Earth during and after a recent earthquake in central Italy. A 6.3 earthquake shook the town of L’Aquila in on April 6, 2009, and have used satellite data to map surface deformation in the Earth that took place after the quake and the numerous aftershocks that followed.
Using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from these satellites, scientists took two or more radar images of the same ground location and compared them. The data is precise enough to show the differences in a scale of a few millimeters between images taken before and after the quake
My 6th grade class has been studying earthquakes and we briefly mentioned that satellites are being used to follow them. This, however, is not what was mentioned. I still find it amazing how accurate GPS satellites can be at very small measurements…in the millimeters.
Satellites Show How Earth Moved During Earthquake | Universe Today
Add comment April 17th, 2009
The Flaming Bacon Lance of Death, from Theo Gray’s book “Mad Science”
Now if my students could do anything they wanted in science class, their general preferences would be dissection or explosions. I guess it’s part of being a young adolescent.
This is something they would go wild to try in class. But I foresee quite a few safety/insurance concerns that make this impossible.
Still, it’s cool to see.
Add comment April 15th, 2009
Data Visualization
Some of the most visionary thinking comes out of the discussions and presentation at TED.com.
Here we have a look at the world of data visualization and what how new technologies are enabling us to conceptualize scientific research and data in whole new ways. This is a far cry from a spreadsheet or line graph.
These days there are many scientists who specialize in using computers to collect, analyze, simulate and represent data about the natural world. It’s really an exciting advancement. I increasingly see scientists referred to as “computational biologists” and “computational chemists”.
This video presents a peek at just what some of this work might entail.
(I have to say that this work appeals to me because I’m not much of an outdoorsman and so not much for fieldwork. It’s good to see that there are ways for the geeks to contribute to science as well.)
Add comment April 15th, 2009
I Want One of These!
“This was the most elaborate Atomic Energy educational set ever produced, but it was only only available from 1951 to 1952. Its relatively high price for the time ($50.00) and its sophistication were the explanation Gilbert gave for the set’s short lifespan. Today, it is so highly prized by collectors that a complete set can go for more than 100 times the original price.
The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book (Dagwood Splits the Atom) and a government manual “Prospecting for Uranium.”
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Add comment March 25th, 2009
Illinois State Senate reinstates full planetary status for Pluto
From Scientific American:
In 2006 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) agreed on a controversial definition of the word “planet,” which included the criterion that a planet must have cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. That condition struck Pluto from the roster of planets, demoting it to dwarf planet status, because Pluto accounts for only a fraction of the mass of the bodies in its orbital zone.
Pluto’s demotion to the minor leagues spawned heated debate, as well as the requisite protest T-shirts and conspiracy theories. Now it’s the subject of legislation in the Illinois Senate, which recently adopted a resolution declaring that Pluto had been unfairly downgraded. As such, lawmakers proclaimed that Pluto is now “reestablished with full planetary status, and that March 13, 2009 be declared ‘Pluto Day’ in the State of Illinois in honor of the date its discovery was announced in 1930.”
That discovery, of course, came courtesy of Illinois native Clyde Tombaugh, who was born on a farm near the town of Streator in 1906. But what jurisdiction does a state legislature have over such matters, other than looking to preserve the legacy of a local boy made good? That’s simple. According to the resolution, “Pluto passes overhead through Illinois’s night skies.” No word yet on whether similar logic will be used to annex the moon for the Land of Lincoln.
This is absurd. The change in Pluto’s classification was a scientific decision based on characteristics of Pluto itself in comparison with other bodies in the solar system. It doesn’t change the significance of Pluto or its history. All of the “protest” about Pluto’s classification is based on sentimentality. And there’s nothing wrong with sentiment or people thinking fondly of learning the planets in school. However, classification is an important scientific process and involves observation, measurement, comparison and debate. It does not serve the ends of science to allow people’s emotions to enter into the process.
1 comment March 8th, 2009
Astronomy in Shakespeare
Now this is something that appeals to me. I definitely have some pretty broad interests and this brings together two of my favorites.
I absolutely LOVE Shakespeare. His way with the English language is unparalleled. I love to speak his lines out loud…the way they flow, the rhythms, the tones.
A few years back I played Friar Laurence in a community theatre production of Romeo and Juliet as you can see below (and yes, that’s my real haircut)….
Listen and read the transcript here:
http://365daysofastronomy.org/2009/02/14/february-14th-astronomical-references-in-shakespeare/
Add comment February 14th, 2009
What It Feels Like to Die In A Black Hole
My students love to ask bizarre "what if" kinds of questions, most of them involving something gruesome or disgusting (or, as is often the case, both).
I understand the impulse. These can be fun to think about (though most of them are completely implausible). They make for interesting discussions about the actual scientific facts that might apply in such situations.
So this video is for them. It’s the amazingly clear-spoken astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson discussing one of the chapters of his book Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
Enjoy!
3 comments January 6th, 2009