Ponderings of science, philosophy, history, society, and many other topics
Kurzgesagt takes a look at the number of deaths from nuclear power in comparison with other sources. You might find the actual numbers surprising. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzfpyo-q-RM Kurzgesagt - in a Nutshell: How Many People Did Nuclear Energy Kill? Nuclear Death Toll I think the video makes an important point. But by focusing exclusively on deaths, it … Continue reading The safety of nuclear power?
When I first heard of HBO's miniseries Chernobyl, it didn't sound like something I'd be interested in watching. I generally don't have a fascination for disaster porn and that's mostly what it seemed like from a distance. But after numerous friends described it as compelling, I finally checked it out, and spent the whole day … Continue reading Chernobyl and the costs of power
One of the things that I think is often not appreciated about petroleum oil, is that it's essentially stored solar energy. Energy that was originally captured by life forms that died, sank to the bottom of oceans or lakes where under stagnant water they couldn't decompose, and were eventually covered and put under pressure. This … Continue reading Manufacturing liquid fuel
I'm a bit busy today, but thought I'd leave you with this Science Asylum video on the difference between mass and energy. (Hint: there isn't any.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jKHM92wbl4
Seth Shostak has an article at HuffPost on asteroids. Not the usual we-need-to-prepare-for-incoming, but discussing something I've noted before that the space age needs: an economic incentive. As some of us have discussed, mining asteroids looks like it might be an excellent candidate. These rocks are a resource. The fact that they're in small chunks makes … Continue reading Life on the Billionth Rock From the Sun | Seth Shostak
Machines Like Us and others linked to this cool video explaining why the solar system is flat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmNXKqeUtJM I'm not entirely sure the four dimensional stuff was necessary, although it was interesting. One thing to realize though, is that while the solar system is flat, it's not flat in the same orientation as other solar systems, … Continue reading Why is the solar system flat?
Why is defining life so frustratingly difficult? Why have scientists and philosophers failed for centuries to find a specific physical property or set of properties that clearly separates the living from the inanimate? Because such a property does not exist. Life is a concept that we invented. On the most fundamental level, all matter that … Continue reading Why Life Does Not Really Exist | Brainwaves, Scientific American Blog Network
Born Wet, Human Babies Are 75 Percent Water. Then Comes Drying : Krulwich Wonders... : NPR. This particular pattern of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and other associated elements, found this article interesting. We are bags of water and carbon, going from being 75% water at birth, to around 50% in our elder years.
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