Tag: science

A forest of dark green pine trees.

In the presence of trees, I am often filled with a sense of wonder. Observing them, I appreciate their poetry. At the same time, I wonder about the science of trees — I am curious about how exactly the trees I see are living in this place, in this season and in relationship to others.

For others who also respond to trees with awe and curiosity, I recommend reading the following books by Peter Wohlleben and Suzanne Simard.

If I’m still reading a book after two weeks, I get antsy. Don’t get me wrong, I like to take my time with a book, appreciating its intricate plotting or dazzling prose or mind-expanding insights. But time is also a limited resource. A book that monopolizes my time makes me feel like I’ve been cornered at a party by a compulsive talker.

Scientists have known about the theoretical existence of black holes for about 100 years, but it wasn’t until last week that anyone had ever seen one of these wondrous cosmic objects. Thanks to the team behind the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) we now have the first-ever image of a black hole (click here for the full resolution image). This is a monumental scientific achievement, on par with the discovery of gravitational waves or the Higgs-Bosun.

Some of the highest grossing films in history have involved space in some capacity. However, I have never been a fan of space movies. I don't know what it is about space movies, but I've never found them enticing. Recently, I didn't have many movies rented and 400 Days had been sitting on my shelf for awhile. Begrudgingly, I popped it into the DVD player. It started out relatively how I had anticipated, but very quickly I realized that perhaps I was not watching a space movie after all...or was I?

Depending on your age, the Apollo Program either belongs to history or memory. It’s been 47 years since the first human beings walked on the moon, and time, with its abiding patience, has eroded the impact of this monumental achievement. But great films act like wormholes through the fabric of time. Films collapse the distance between past and present and liberate history from the history books. The Apollo Program has been the subject of dozens of films, but two in particular stand above the rest.

Time travel. Extraterrestrial civilizations. Artificial wormholes crisscrossing the galaxy like a celestial highway system. These are the types of ideas science fiction has made famous. However, most of the science in science fiction isn’t very...scientific. And that’s okay. Science fiction is, after all, fiction; it has no obligation to accurately depict scientific concepts.

Yes, it's that time of year again: back to school. Time to say goodbye to summer and hello to school. Time for seeing old friends and making new ones. Time to sport all your new swag. Time to tell everyone about the amazing adventures you had this summer. Time for new beginnings. Time for homework. Wait, did I just say that?  Yes, I'm afraid I did. Now, before you get all grumpy, let me tell you about some great resources we have at Anythink to help with the homework blues.

If you could travel to space, would you?

Many people, including myself, have dreamed about becoming an astronaut and visiting outer space. This past Monday, Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial spaceline, brought that dream one step closer to reality. VG's SpaceShipTwo successfully completed its first full-powered test flight and has entered the final phase of development before it begins offering sub-orbital commercial space flight to those who are able to pay the hefty fare (ticket prices starting at $200,000).