This post is followed by: Newton's Theory of Gravity (Part 2)
I fear that I got a bit ahead of myself at the end of the last post on the spectral lines of hydrogen. To fully close the circle between dark matter and everything I've been talking about in the last few entries, we do need to cover Newton's theory of gravity. Therefore, I will try to do so now, so that we can put this particularly sequence to rest.
First, on talking with a friend earlier today, I was asked, "I ...

After acquiring the book almost a year ago, I (again) started reading Gary Taubes’ book entitled Good Calories, Bad Calories. Based on what I’ve read so far, and knowing Gary Taubes’ background, I believe it’s a very scholarly work, and very thoroughly researched. From the title, it’s obvious that this book considers the scientific evidence for specific types of diets and how they affect body weight regulation.
In the first part of the book, in order to draw parallels with current scientific evidence for the “epidemics of obesity and diabetes,” he ...

As mentioned in the last post, the Bohr atom is not correct, quantum mechanically speaking. It does, however, do an excellent job in modeling the simplest atom, that of hydrogen. Hydrogen is the lightest element, consisting of one proton with one electron in orbit. With the Bohr atom model, we know that the orbiting electron can exist in various discrete orbits, corresponding to different energies. In addition, we know that when the electron jumps between these levels, it emits or absorbs a photon. Finally, we know that the energy of ...

Also see Rosalee's review of The Age of Stupid.
With ice caps melting in the Arctic and the rising of global temperatures, how many more years do we really have on Earth? The Age of Stupid is a documentary which combines fiction, personal accounts from real people, and animation to illustrate how our ignorance will lead to our demise. The Age of Stupid opens in the United States on September 21, 2009, as part of the United Nations’ Climate Week. The producers want us all to take action against climate change ...

Our top ten list of good things about global warming… 1) Good for satellites; 2)…ummm…OK, we're working on it.The air in earth's outer atmosphere is thin, but still offers enough resistance to slow the stuff trying to travel through it. The drag on satellites prompts the people who manage them to periodically tweak orbits to get them back on the right track.
Enter a surprising hero. Carbon dioxide. That's right! Everyone's favorite greenhouse gas. The CO2 molecules in the outer layers of the atmosphere actually have the effect of cooling the ...

Our own video producer Jesse Strauss had the opportunity to ask astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson of NOVA a question about the potential benefits of space flight for the human race. The video is below:

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It's always fun to ponder the future with a thoughtful gathering, especially when the folks attending are fancied as the movers and shakers of the global economy... in this day and age maybe more shakers than movers.
At the World Economic Forum's annual summer meeting in China, I couldn't resist the session titled "What the Future Holds."
Ian Goldin, head of Oxford University's 21st Century School, raised a host of issues about how gargantuan advances in the sciences might change the world as we know it today.
My favorite among his questions: ...

Howdy all. My name is Matt Segal, and since my school requires all of its seniors to undertake 3 weeks of independent study as a graduation requirement, I’ve decided to spend my time working at the Rao Lab in the Immune Disease Institute in the Harvard Medical School. This is my second stint working at the lab (I completed a summer long internship last year here as well), and hopefully I’ll be able to give you a window into what real research lab work is like (at least to the ...

Most of us may think of listening to music as a relatively laid- back exercise, and not as (excuse the pun) a “relativity” exercise. But enter into the realm of the physics of music, and all that quickly changes.
Benjamin Grow, the new conductor of the 92nd Street Y Youth Orchestra, and Fernand Brunschwig, Professor of Science Education and Physics at Empire State College and Teacher’s College, gave a lecture demonstration entitled “Mysteries of Science: The Physics of Music: A Hands-On Multimedia Exploration of the Known and Unknown” to a group ...

Kito's phone is very green, but Bebbo's probably has more bars.
Telecommunications companies are now developing phones with smaller carbon footprints than their predecessors. Motorola's website promotes the MOTO™ W233 Renew as the first CarbonFree® cell phone, as determined by Carbonfund.org. Its 100% recyclable plastic housing is made of recycled water bottles. Through its partnership with Carbonfund.org, Motorola says the Renew is carbon neutral, since it offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation. Motorola says the phone earned ...