Science Art: Ptolemaic System, from Andreas Cellarius’ Harmonia Macrocosmica
This chart shows the universe as understood in 1660 – a solar system with a giant Earth at its center.
Science Art: Earth-moon Relationship MSC, HOUSTON, TX
This is a line drawing of the Apollo mission’s lunar module reaching the Moon, staying a while, and then coming…
Read moreScience Art: Chromista
An illustration from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Biological Illustration” collection of chromista, whic…
Read moreScience Art: Eyes of Epeira conica x30, 1884
A spider’s face seen at 30-times magnification, from the February 1884 issue of Science Gossip.
This is i…
Read moreSONG: Birds Are Digging
SONG: “Birds Are Digging”. (OGG version here.)
ARTIST: grant.
SOURCE: Based on “How A Black Fossil Digger…
Read moreScience Art: OSIRIS-REx after SRC release, 2023
This is a still from an animation showing what a larger spaceship does after firing a small capsule toward Eart…
Read moreScience Art: Stand-Pipe, Boston, 1882
A hydrological edifice. As explained in A practical treatise on hydraulic and water-supply engineering: relatin…
Read moreCell phone gourmand.
New Scientist unveils yet another thing Nokia is designing cell phones to do – read the menu for you:
… Read the rest “Cell phone gourmand.”Snap a picture of, say, a dessert menu and the phone will recognise the characters
Burning coal creates nuclear waste.
Scientific American reports on a series of studies that mess with our sense of common sense. Nuclear power plants should be creating nuclear waste, and coal plants should be creating smog,… Read the rest “Burning coal creates nuclear waste.”
Songs for Giant Isopods
[n.b.: Subsequent to writing this post, I wound up writing a song about isopods myself. I think it’s one of my better ones; check it out for yourself.]
I swear I didn’t know about… Read the rest “Songs for Giant Isopods”
Burning Man’s Gift: Solar Cities.
The Burning Man festival is a bit of a hassle for folks in rural Nevada, who once a year get overrun by thousands of freaks, punks, hippies and ravers, clogging up the streets and doing who knows… Read the rest “Burning Man’s Gift: Solar Cities.”
Henry Gray, Human ovum examined fresh in the liquor folliculi.
A drawing of a human egg cell, from Gray’s Anatomy (the book, not the TV show). From its description quoted on Wikipedia:
… Read the rest “Henry Gray, Human ovum examined fresh in the liquor folliculi. ”Human ovum examined fresh in the liquor folliculi. (Waldeyer.)
Bad Astronomer’s Top 10
The so-called Bad Astronomer picked the top 10 astronomy pictures of 2007.
Go and see them.
They’re beautiful.
SONG: Jaekelopterus!
SONG: “Jaekelopterus!” (To download: right-click & “Save As”)
ARTIST: grant. Dui, shi wo. (Oui, c’est moi.)
Science Art: The Helix Nebula
At the very center of this giant, staring eye is a white dwarf star. It’s located about 700 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius.
The image was taken by NASA’s Spitzer… Read the rest “Science Art: The Helix Nebula”
The Pale Blue Dot
Found via Barbelith. More on the film is available at palebluefilms.com.
Good Yule, fellow dot-fractions. Stay warm during this longest night. … Read the rest “The Pale Blue Dot”
Raising Stonehenge: The Power of Pebbles & Sticks.
This is my favorite kind of science – a guy figuring out things in his back yard.
Retired construction worker W.T. “Wally” Wallington thinks he’s discovered … Read the rest “Raising Stonehenge: The Power of Pebbles & Sticks.”
Power from space.
It’s nice to see this idea is still being kicked around – and taken more seriously now that oil prices are rising so dramatically. It wouldn’t take that much, the folks… Read the rest “Power from space.”
One word: Plastics.
PopSci reports on why one man thinks the petroleum industry wants him dead. Frank Pringle has figured out a way to turn plastics back into oil and natural gas:
… Read the rest “One word: Plastics.”Petroleum is composed of strings
Go well, Voyager.
Welcome to interstellar space. Nature reports that Voyager 2 has left the solar system. And, as NASA emphasizes, it did so while discovering our solar system is a little bit squished. From… Read the rest “Go well, Voyager.”
Be nice. It’s in your DNA.
Israeli researchers believe they’ve found a genetic basis for generosity, according to PhysOrg.com:
… Read the rest “Be nice. It’s in your DNA.”Through an online task involving making a choice whether or not to give away