April 14, 2008
Take a moment to read this uplifting post on the unwound road. It makes a beautiful connection between art and science, and the key ingredient is imagination.
“Discovery is what makes science interesting for me, because I can continue to “discover” so many new things for myself. I’m particularly fascinated how innovation and imagination work together in the realm of science, not only in generating a hypothesis but also in providing the means to prove or disprove it. My own theory is that little would be discovered at all without imagination and its cousin curiosity.”
more…
Bobjack
Jimmy in Milwaukee
3 Comments | 
photos, science-tech | Tagged: Arts, imagination, photo, photography, photos, science | 
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Posted by JANrobot
April 11, 2008
Look to the sky to predict earthquakes? Two Geophysicists believe this is possible. Guangmeng Guo and Bin Wang from Nanyang Normal University, China, have found cloud formations that match the fault lines of earthquakes before they occur.
One formation occurred in December 2004. Satellite images showed gaps in the clouds that precisely matched a fault line in southern Iran. Two months later, an earthquake struck in the exact area and 600 lives were lost.
Guo and Wang suggest that the appearance of the phenomena might be due to hot gases that rise up from the fault line ahead of time and evaporate the clouds. According to their evidence, Guo and Wang believe they might have a useful tool for prediction.
Full story and Comments
3 Comments | science-tech | Tagged: clouds, earthquakes, geology, science | Permalink
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April 4, 2008
According to the buzz of reviews surrounding Jeffrey Bennett’s new release, Beyond UFOs is a fascinating read. In a nutshell, Christopher McKay at NASA describes the book as: “Precise, accurate, lucid, and engaging. This is popular-science writing at its best.”
“Planet by planet, moon by moon, [Beyond UFOs] explores the possibility of life elsewhere in this solar system. It then speculates about other solar systems in our galaxy where, according to the prevailing scientific view, simple life almost surely exists and intelligent life is plausible. For the most part, Bennett’s search for extraterrestrial life adds up to a very satisfying package. . . . At its core, this book delivers a combination that is hard to beat: solid yet highly speculative science plus accessible prose that add up to an out-of-this-world reading experience.” Fred Bortz, Seattle Times
Jeffrey Bennett is an astrophysicist and an expert in astrobiology – a new field of study that draws on geology, biology and astronomy to look at the origin and evolution of the universe. Beyond UFOs is said to be an astonishing journey through this new field, and a humanitarian call to arms.
“Science is a way of helping people come to agreement,” Bennett says, and he argues that in order to be prepared to meet intelligent life, “we must solve global warming, debilitating disease, terrorism, poverty, and war. We must use our compassion to teach all people to respect all others, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or gender.” Publisher’s Weekly. “[A] political message couched in fascinating and completely accessible science.”
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• Princeton review
• Bennett’s page
• Amazon
Leave a Comment » | Books, science-tech | Tagged: astronomy, Books, Jeffrey Bennett, NASA, science, UFO | Permalink
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April 1, 2008
Stonehenge. Health spa or burial site? A place of human sacrifice or a temple for religious rites? These long held queries may soon be answered by Tim Darvill and Geoff Wainwright.
The two archaeologists and a team of experts are in the process of carbon dating the site. Stonehenge was erected some 5,000 years ago, but the huge standing stones mark the existence of a mysterious older site buried underneath.
Most scholars believe that Stonehenge was a scared site, a place of burial or a symbolic gateway between the living the and dead.
Darvill and Wainwright take a different view. During their 14-day dig, the two experts hope to gather enough evidence to support their own theories: that according to folklore, the standing stones had health-giving powers, and that far from being a place of the dead, Stonehenge was a site of pilgrimage for health and well-being.
* Darvill and Wainwright’s theory
* Yahoo Archaeology great photos, Darvill/Wainwright
* BBC Science great Timewatch video of Stonehenge
1 Comment | Well♥being, science-tech | Tagged: archaeology, Health, photo, photography, science, Stonehenge, wellbeing | Permalink
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