Here we go again. First large-scale formal quantitative test confirms Darwin’s theory of universal common ancestry. … Until now, the theory that makes ladybugs, oak trees, champagne yeast and humans distant relatives has remained beyond the scope of a formal test. Now, a Brandeis biochemist reports in Nature the results of the first large scale, quantitative test of the famous theory that underpins modern evolutionary … Continue reading Uh oh! Darwin was right?!
From the BP Twitter account (BP_America) Pictures of the cofferdam (containment dome) being lowered into the water at Deepwater Horizon site http://bit.ly/duzKCa At ten tons, I thought it would be bigger. Hopefully this is effective. Continue reading Pictures of dome being used to cap undersea well
Max Tegmark argues that it is, delighting neo-Pythagoreans everywhere. Continue reading Is Everything Mathematical?
Well, a tenth of a second of it, anyway. Continue reading Seeing the Future?
HP scientists have discovered a fourth element of electrical circuits, the memrister, the implications of which could be revolutionary: Engineers could, for example, develop a new kind of computer memory that would supplement and eventually replace today’s commonly used dynamic random access memory (D-RAM). Computers using conventional D-RAM lack the ability to retain information once they are turned off. When power is restored to a … Continue reading Advances in Physics: The Memrister
Katherine Freese, Douglas Spolyar, and Paolo Gondolo hypothesize that the first stars were powered by dark matter (HT: Wil Oxford): For a long time, scientists have assumed that the very first stars were powered by fusion, in processes similar to what goes on in present day stars. But a new theory is emerging to challenge that view. “The first stars were different in a lot … Continue reading Stars, Then and Now
Wired lists its ten top science stories of 2007. It’s too early, perhaps, to say whether “An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything” belongs on the list. Of more practical use might be this explanation for why wires, threads, and just about everything else ends up in knots. Continue reading Top Science Stories of 2007
Physicists are considering a seemingly metaphysical question and seeking physical evidence for answers. (Hat tip: Wil Oxford.) Continue reading Are There Other Worlds? How Could We Know?
The View from Alexandria 