TIDBITS FROM AAAS
THE AAAS, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and its weekly Science magazine share knowledge with an audience broader than readers of pure scientific journals. These tidbits gleaned … Continue reading
RARE EARTH PRODUCTION—NIMBY
RARE EARTHS, DESPITE their name, are ubiquitous in mobile phones, computer hard drives, automotive catalytic converters, and other features of modern life. Back in 2016, “As Rare As… Earth?” here … Continue reading
WHAT DOES CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE TO DO WITH SEX?
THERE. NOW THAT I have your attention, I’ll cite “Atmospheric Scientists Join Pheromone Quest” by Kai Kupferschmidt, in Science, April 12, 2019. And, before we’re done here today, there’s an … Continue reading
ON PSEUDOARCHAEOLOGY
DID ALIENS BUILD the Egyptian pyramids? Were the Americas first populated by Western Europeans? A growing number of people believe in such claptrap, according to Science magazine, published weekly by … Continue reading
THINKING OUTSIDE THE (BLACK) BOX
DO YOU RECALL Douglas Adams’ book and movie The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Deep Thought, its giant computer (with Helen Mirren’s voice), is asked the Greatest Question of Life. … Continue reading
PHOTOGRAPHING THE POINT OF NO RETURN
THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH of a black hole is a major astronomical achievement. This also relates to several items that appeared here at SimanaitisSays: “Happy Birthday—General Relativity!,” March 27, 2015; “China’s … Continue reading
GEORGIA O’KEEFFE’S PAINTINGS HAVE ACNE
FOR A LONG TIME, it was thought that the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe contained specks of sand traceable to her beloved New Mexico environs. But, over time, these specks were … Continue reading
CAPTURING IMAGES OF AIR
DIFFERENT DENSITIES of air cause differing refractions of light. This scintillation is what causes shimmering images of hot landscapes on a sunny day. Capturing such images is challenging, but NASA … Continue reading
GREAT WHITE SHARKS HAVE GREAT DNA TOO
THERE’S IRONY yet comfort in learning that the great white shark, Carcharodon cacharias, possesses characteristics that may prove beneficial to humans. According to BBC News, February 19, 2019, the understanding … Continue reading
MAKING (OR LOSING) ZILLIONS AT (ALMOST) THE SPEED OF LIGHT
HFT IS short for high-frequency trading, the predominant communication of financial markets around the world. SimanaitisSays has touched on this topic twice, “Trading in Nanoseconds”, June 16, 2014; and ”Lasers … Continue reading
