Wow! There were lots of rumors about this over the weekend. Turns out that, in this case, the rumors were spot on. Almost 14 billion years ago, the universe we inhabit burst into existence in an extraordinary event that initiated the Big Bang. In the first fleeting fraction of a second, the universe expanded exponentially, … Continue reading First Direct Evidence of Cosmic Inflation – SpaceRef
Top 10 scientists of the 13th century | Science News
One of the things I used to think was that the scientific revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries was a revolution of method, that before that period the scientific method either didn't exist or was not yet complete. But I realized last year that the revolution was really more of an acceleration of progress … Continue reading Top 10 scientists of the 13th century | Science News
Battle of the “Cosmos,” Round 3 – Out There | Discovermagazine.com
Corey Powell, and editor at Discover Magazine, and Steven Sotor, co-writer of the new Cosmos series, have been having a back and forth about Giordano Bruno, who was highlighted in the first Cosmos episode. Your suggestion that Giordano Bruno was not the first to realize that the stars are suns is mistaken. You cited his … Continue reading Battle of the “Cosmos,” Round 3 – Out There | Discovermagazine.com
Will civilization collapse in the coming decades?
Apparently, there is a NASA funded study which says so. If history is any guide, our civilization will eventually collapse. Every other society in human history has ultimately done so: Sumer, Egypt, Rome, etc. There's no good reason to think we've beaten the civilization life cycle, any more than there is to believe the assertions … Continue reading Will civilization collapse in the coming decades?
Forgetting is important
I've noted before that our memories corrupt over time, and that we're constantly forgetting things. All things we should try to...remember when recalling events or evaluating eyewitness testimony. Anyway, it turns out that if something goes wrong with our forgetting mechanism, it has serious consequences. In order to function properly, the human brain requires the … Continue reading Forgetting is important
SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket
Recently, I've observed how the multistage rocket system probably isn't going anywhere and that the best approach might be to embrace it and make it work as effectively as possible. I've noted the appeal of VTOL (vertical take off and landing) rocket. Well, it turns out SpaceX was way ahead of me on both points. … Continue reading SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket
Defending Giordano Bruno: A Response from the Co-Writer of “Cosmos” – Out There | Discovermagazine.com
Cosmos co-writer Steven Sotor has responded to Corey Powell's criticism of Cosmos's highlighting of Giordano Bruno on its opening episode. Powell published the response on his blog, and responded in turn. Powell writes that the new Cosmos is “downright wrong” because “Bruno was not the first to link the idea of infinite space with the infinite glory … Continue reading Defending Giordano Bruno: A Response from the Co-Writer of “Cosmos” – Out There | Discovermagazine.com
Why the Asteroid Belt Doesn’t Threaten Spacecraft
When Cosmos showed the asteroid belt Sunday night, I noticed that, taking some artistic license to quickly get a point across, they showed it as crammed with asteroids. Anyone familiar with the real asteroid belt knows that's not accurate. Even in the belt, asteroids are lonely rocks. When you think of the asteroid belt, you … Continue reading Why the Asteroid Belt Doesn’t Threaten Spacecraft
The phrase “is an illusion” is overused
The March 6 episode of the Inquiring Minds podcast interviewed Jennifer Oullette to talk about her latest book, 'Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self '. During the interview, Chris Mooney asked her if the self is an illusion. I was impressed that Oullette downplayed the phrase. The self is not what … Continue reading The phrase “is an illusion” is overused
Project Morpheus test flights
If you've ever read in any old time science fiction, you probably encountered a lot of stories where the characters took off vertically in a rocket ship, and later landed in the same rocket ship, vertically. Vertical take off and landing (VTOL) is an old dream. But it's turned out to be brutally difficult in … Continue reading Project Morpheus test flights
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