Science

Why the world is going to be an exciting place in the new century: Did You Know? Thanks, Susan, for bringing this little presentation it to my attention. … [Read more...] about Shift Happens

A few days ago, Kip Esquire posted a fascinating thought experiment. Imagine that whatever biological mechanism it is that makes some people gay also produced a clear and unmistakable sign of its presence, such as a birthmark on the forehead. If you see a person with this mark, you know they're gay. Children with the mark are sure to grow up to be gay adults. In other … [Read more...] about The Mark of the Gay

A couple months ago I mentioned that Richard Nixon's name would be long-remembered because it's engraved on the Apollo 11 plaque on the airless surface of the moon. I started wondering how long the plaque would actually last and did some research, but for some reason I didn't post what I found. I can't find the links to my sources, but here's what I wrote about it: On … [Read more...] about Apollo 11 Plaque

I was driving home from dinner with the parents when suddenly it hit me: I don't know how many planets there are! The IAU met to decide on it a few months ago, but the rule they settled on was not the rule everybody thought they'd settle on. I can't remember what they decided, so I have no clue how many planets there are. I think that means I get to make up my own rules. … [Read more...] about A Personal Astronomical Crisis

Over at NewScientist.com, someone named Bob Holmes imagines all the wonderful things that would happen to the Earth if all the people disappeared: By some estimates, we now commandeer 40 per cent of all its productivity. And we're leaving quite a mess behind: ploughed-up prairies, razed forests, drained aquifers, nuclear waste, chemical pollution, invasive species, mass … [Read more...] about Earth Without Us