Useful Science Links—Jargon-Free Sites

Looking for clear explanations of science issues, for personal interest or homework? Or perhaps you have to write something? Try one of these sites. Absolute zero Absolute zero means that there is no heat at all. Strictly speaking, this never happens, because quantum particles won’t allow it. (Both the position and velocity of particles could then be measured, and they do not allow themselves to be measured in this way.) However, absolute zero temperature is pegged theoretically at –273.16° C (–459.69° F), or 0° on the Kelvin scale (0 K). You can find out more about absolute zero at http://www.sun.rhbnc.ac.uk/~uhap057/LTWeb/Absolute.html> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Animals — Can animals learn human languages? In recent years, researchers who study animal behaviour have reported that apes can learn human language skills. Personally, I would be quite happy in a world with a number of intelligent, speaking species, such as C.S. Lewis portrayed in his Narnia tales. But wait! Can we really teach apes human languages? Click here for page. Animals — Can animals think? New research information shows that animals' thinking is clearer than we sometimes suppose. Click here for page. Antimatter–What is it? Where is it? When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see a reversed image of yourself. Why are you the “real” one? Why isn’t the reversed image the real one? Scientists struggle with an issue like this: Why is our universe filled with matter and not “antimatter”? Yes, there is indeed such a thing as antimatter, but it is very rare. Somehow, very early in the universe, some kind of decision was made to go with matter and not antimatter. Or was it simply a decisive event? To find out more about antimatter, go to http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/livefromcern/antimatter/kids/AM-kids00.html A jargon-free site. Antimatter has practical uses According to The Economist, a publication for practical people if ever there was one, antimatter can potentially be used to treat cancer. If antiprotons can be persuaded to collide with protons in cancer cells, well, the meeting might be a deadly handshake for cancer. One constraint is the small number of labs that can produce antimatter of any sort. CERN is the only one mentioned. For more information, see http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2265877> —(blogged December 28, 2003) Archaea The Archaea have not provided anything like a straightforward picture of evolution. They are simple (prokaryotic), yet they have complicated strategies for handling information. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/archaea/archaea.html> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Artificial intelligence: What is it? What does it mean? Click here for page. Artificial virus created “... Dr Venter’s real goal is to synthesise the genome of a bacterium. That, he reckons, could be done by stitching together about 60 pieces of DNA of the length his team has just created. And that, in turn, would mark the start of a new phase in biotechnology, a phase in which engineers shape entire organisms for human use rather than merely tinkering with the odd gene here and there.” Of course, the ability to create new life forms - the real goal - could fall into the wrong hands. Read more at http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2224008> —(blogged December 30, 2003) Bacteria You can see one move at http://www.arn.org/docs/mm/flagellum_all.htm> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Big Bang Sounded Like a Deep Hum? Actually, the sound of the Big Bang, as recreated by physicist John Kramer of the University of Washington sounds like a tractor trailer backing into the loading dock outside my front window. Kramer’s idea is that the temperature variations from the afterglow of the Big Bang can be rendered as the din of sound waves that were last heard 13.7 billion years ago. Apparently, Kramer composed this file in response to the request of an 11-year-old boy working on a school science project. And now you too can hear it too on Real Player. Surely someone is going to incorporate this into serious modern music. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994320> —(blogged November 18, 2003) Black holes Useful information about black holes is available from NASA. Despite the disclaimers, black holes are weird. See at http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l2/black_holes.html> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Bogus science or real science? Here is one expert’s tips for telling the difference: http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21b02001.htm> —(blogged April 5, 2003) Burgess Shale and other old life forms Essentially, there was more diversity in basic types of life half a billion years ago than there is today, and no one knows why. There are also some earlier bursts of complex life forms, for example a spate of creatures up to two metres long, also found in Canada, on the Avalon Peninsula of southern Newfoundland and dated to about 570 million years ago. Most of the organisms have not been found anywhere else in the world as of 2003, and “defy identification with any known living organism.” Some have not even received scientific names. There is also a remarkable discovery from the same era at Cheng-jiang, in southern China. Interestingly, very old organisms show a sudden explosion of life, not a slow ascent from non-life to semi-life to more-like-life to life. For more information about the incredible array of life forms found in the Burgess Shale, go to http://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/menu.htm> For the Newfoundland find, see http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vendian/mistaken.html> For the Cheng jiang find, see http://geology.about.com/library/weekly/aa022899.htm> See also Cambrian explosion below. Cambrian explosion Five hundred and thirty million years ago, an immense array of life forms appeared suddenly in the oceans — suddenly, that is, in geological terms. You can learn more at http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/camb.html The Burgess Shale, the original Cambrian site excavated in Canada, can be viewed at http://www.geo.ucalgary.ca/~macrae/Burgess_Shale/ For a debate between the late Stephen Jay Gould and Simon Conway Morris about how to understand this remarkable period of life’s history, see http://www.stephenjaygould.org/library/naturalhistory_cambrian.html Both attempt to understand the period from the standpoint of Darwinian evolution. According to Paul Chien and colleagues, however, intelligent design explains the Cambrian explosion better than Darwinian evolution. You can read their chapter of Darwinism, Design, and Public Education (Michigan State University Press, 2003) online at http://www.darwinanddesign.com/excerpts.php The graphic illustrations are in all cases very helpful. —(blogged April 19, 2004) Cells For an interactive look at how cells work, see http://www.intelligentdesign.org/menu/cell/cell_life.htm> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Computers That Can Think? A long way off, says world’s leading expert. He explains the difference between the way computers think and the way people think. Note for starters the difference between how computers play chess and how people play chess. http://www.newswise.com/articles/2003/2/PREY.MIE.html?sc=wire> —(blogged March 20, 2003) Update: Nerds Say Their Latest Computer Will Win but Kasparov scoffs and reveals that Deep Blue crashed three times while playing him. This article is exceptionally jargon-free. Read more at http://www.arn.org/docs2/news/manversusmachine040103.htm> —(blogged April 5, 2003) A tie! And some really interesting insights too. Computers are apparently much better at tactics than strategy, because they do not have imagination. Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3280251.stm> —(blogged November 25, 2003) Also, for more information on the high-tech way that the game was played, go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s992242.htm> —(blogged November 25, 2003) Meanwhile, in yet another twist, Computer vs. Grandmaster?! Chess-playing computers and grandmasters are both getting better! AI enthusiast Kenneth Silber complains, "This is a disappointing state of affairs for enthusiasts of artificial intelligence. Chess, with its demands for calculation and memory, is an activity seemingly well-suited for computers. If computers are making only moderate progress in chess, what prospect is there for them to develop such capabilities as creativity, common sense and consciousness — let alone the superhuman intelligence that some experts predict?" Hal, keep your day job. The rest of you, go to http://www.techcentralstation.com/040604C.html> for more info. —(blogged April 14, 2004) (Note: See also the page on Artificial intelligence.) Dark energy — top news story of 2003 According to the current model of the universe, 70% comprises dark energy, 25% dark matter, and only 5% known types of matter. So most of the universe is still actually quite mysterious. Learn a little more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3330527.stm> —(blogged December 30, 2003) Dinosaur Extinction: Fried by Fireball! A New Take on Extinction New research suggests that the asteroid hit that took out the dinosaurs killed most of them within hours, because the temperature of the atmosphere rose to Broil. Accordign to the researchers, mammals and reptiles escaped, by digging or hiding underground. One wonders then why small dinos did not also dig for safety; also, the theory does not explain the pattern of ocean extinctions. But it’s interesting and informative, so have a look anyway at http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/dinosaur_death_040526.html> —(blogged June 6, 2004) Earth: Is It Unique? Click here for page. End of the World? This scenario is from science, not religion. The“end of the world” scenario that planetary scientists Ward and Brownlee write about in their new book, The Life and Death of Planet Earth is gloomy but at least it features a more relaxed timetable than some religious scenarios. The world will not end soon. They give us 500 million more years, which is more than enough time to finish your homework. http://www.newswise.com/articles/2003/1/ENDEARTH.UWA.html?sc=wire> —(blogged March 20, 2003) If you are really ambitious and want to know how the whole universe will end, according to current science, try Time Magazine online, http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010625/story.html Note that you still have time to finish the course you are taking. End of universe update For more current thinking on the end of the show, see Helen Briggs, “Dark Future for Universe,” BBC News, August 14, 2003. Finish your homework. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3148041.stm> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Exoplanets—Our Distant Neighbours Information is beginning to filter back to us about the planets that orbit stars other than the Sun (exoplanets). One of them appears to be melting away. The planet HD209458b, bigger than Jupiter, is one hundred times closer to its sun, with bad, bad consequences. Find out what happens when global warming really gets going at http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/03/13/planet_melt030313 More detailed information at http://www.newswise.com/articles/2003/3/EVPCOMET.UAZ.html?sc=wire By the way, do readers agree that some of these planets—the ones that are not melting like ice cream cones on a hot sidewalk—should be given more interesting names? How can you compare HD209458b, as a brand, with, say, Venus or Mars? —(blogged March 14, 2003) Exoplanets around Vega? The star Vega may have planets like Earth, according to recent discoveries. Note, however, that Vega is three times as large as our sun and only 350 million years old. Our Earth is thought to be 4.5 billion years old, and the sun is thought to be about 5 billion years old. So whatever planets Vega has may be in some state of disorganization at the present time. Anyway, read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3251382.stm> —(blogged December 30, 2003) Extraterrestrial life The SETI site is a valuable source of information about the conditions needed for the existence of life as we understand the term. www.seti.org> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Extreme organisms: Could the Cells from Hell live on Mars or Venus? Fans of extremophiles — life forms that survive extreme conditions — were delighted to learn of another new find, bacteria thriving in volcanic rocks more than 4,000 feet below the island of Hawaii. These “hard core bugs” as one science writer calls them, live in rocks that have the organic elements necessary for life, plus water. They raise hopes of finding bacteria on Mars, in places where water or ice exist. (Of course, those bacteria, if found, may well have migrated from Earth; in the early days, the planets exchanged rocks now and then.) http://abcnews.go.com/sections/SciTech/DyeHard/bacteria_extreme_dyehard_040107-1.html> —(blogged March 6, 2004) Extreme organisms: Laugh with my expatriate compatriot Mark Steyn Mark is recycling a still-relevant 1996 column skewering a variety of life-on-Mars topics. Excerpt: "In Canada, the CBC's national news produced a woman scientist who said we had to stop thinking of aliens in human form. It may be, she said, that, when there appears to be no life on the surface of Mars, that the surface of Mars is itself a life form - a sort of giant carpet. When you think about it, Attack Of The Killer Carpets! is not unpersuasive. Even in Britain, most of us have friends who installed shagpile in the Seventies and haven't been heard from since. Certainly, the pictures of the alleged life form look uncannily like carpet fibres. But you can sense in this theory a certain desperation: having failed to deliver any little green men, the best science can offer is the confirmation of a few urban myths. If Martians are flying carpets, maybe those multiplying coat-hangers in the closet are life-forms from Jupiter. But, even if they were, would you want to get to know them?" http://www.steynonline.com/index2.cfm?edit_id=35 > —(blogged January 18, 2004) Galaxies: Amazing galaxies come in all shapes and sizes The newest camera on the Hubble Space Telescope has created a mosaic of 10,000 galaxies, the largest colour image ever made by the orbiting telescope. This is about 150 times the size of an earlier survey of galaxies known as Hubble Deep Field. The larger image is needed because deep, narrow images may mislead us about what is really out there, just as you would not get a very good idea of what is in a room by peeking through a crack in the door. Anyway, says astronomer Shardha Jogee of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, “Galaxies are incredibly diverse creatures. You really need a large sample, otherwise your results get skewed.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1022795.htm> For pictures, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3909376/> —(blogged March 6, 2004) Giant Squid? Can We Interest You in a Colossal Squid? This squid, with eyes like dinner plates, poisonous spines, and a passion for large snacks, shows that science fact can be stranger than science fiction. We really do NOT know what is down there in the deep. We just get hints now and then. http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/04/03/colossal.squid.reut/index.html> —(blogged April 5, 2003) Human evolution Click here for page. Goldilocks Zone: And the Little Bear’s Porridge Was Just Right, Yes? If you are interested in the Rare Earth principle, you might also want to consider the Goldilocks Zone, the zone where life as we know it can survive. Here on Earth, that zone isn’t just Lake Muskoka in the summer and St. Petersburg, Florida, in the winter. Learn about “Hell’s cells,” and other life forms that thrive in weird and awful environments that you would never have expected. Could they also survive the deadly conditions of other planets? http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/02oct_goldilocks.htm?list101728> —(blogged November 18, 2003) Imaginary numbers The square root of a minus number is called imaginary because it cannot exist in nature; no natural number, whether positive or negative, yields a minus result when multiplied by itself. However, imaginary numbers can be used in calculation. For more information, go to the University of Toronto Mathematics Network page on imaginary numbers, at http://www.math.toronto.edu/mathnet/answers/imaginary.html> —(blogged December 1, 2003) Living fossils: Creatures that change little over many millions of years. Click here for page. Neutron stars — fastest-orbiting duo “Even though they are about 800,000 kilometres apart, they are orbiting each other every 2.4 hours,” says researcher Dick Manchester of a recently discovered pair of neutron stars. Apparently, each had about the same mass as the Sun but a diameter of only about 20 kilometres. They move at about 300 kilometres a second. One also rotates on its own axis about 48 times a second. Scientists hope to discover more about gravity waves from studying neutron stars like these. See http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1003006.htm> —(blogged December 30, 2003) Order in the universe? Just your imagination? In his new book Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order (Hyperion, 2003), Cornell University professor of applied mathematics Steven Strogatz argues that scientists often fail to see order in the universe, even faced with obvious examples. He argues that order is not only possible, it is inevitable. Read more at: http://www.newswise.com/articles/2003/3/SYNC.CNS.html?sc=wire> Discover Magazine has an interesting, accessible jargon-free article on hidden order as well, at http://www.discover.com/jul_00/featmath.html> —(blogged March 29, 2003) Origin of Life —Hydrothermal vents In “Row erupts over ‘life-starter vents’” a recent online article from the BBC, Paul Rincon notes that the ancient hydrothermal vents that are considered a possible home of the earliest life may only be a few thousand years old. Awkward discovery. See [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3220633.stm> —(blogged November 24, 2003) Philosophy and science: Physicist Paul Davies says that scientific discovery does not make the cosmos seem increasingly pointless. He argues that this position is “purely ideological.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/science/story/0,12450,879894,00.html" —(blogged January 26, 2003) Planet Formation: Planet Formed at Speed of Fast Food A recently discovered planet less than a million years old may force astronomers to rethink how planets form. Generally, 100 planets have been detected outside our solar system, but they are assumed to be over 1 billion years old. (Earth is middle-aged at 4.5 billion.) Apparently, this new precocious planet formed from large scoops of star dust. Read more at http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1118026.htm> —(blogged June 6, 2004) Planet Pluto – Really a planet, or just another big round rock spinning in wonky circles? What is a planet anyway? As more bodies are discovered both inside and outside our solar system, the question of defining a planet or a moon has become more urgent. Should any rock trapped in orbit around a sun qualify? What about Quaoar, the newly discovered orbiter, beyond Pluto, that is larger than all asteroids combined? When Pluto was first discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, its size was greatly overestimated, due to the fact it was full of ice and glared intensely. Here’s a preview of what is certain to be a cosmic-level fight: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/09/1047144868646.html> Also, for more on Quaoar, see http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/07oct_newworld.htm> —(blogged March 14, 2003) Puzzles in evolution? Sure, lots of them. There's always plenty of work to be done in science. Here are some examples. Click here for page. Science myths: Did people in the Middle Ages think the Earth was flat? Apparently not. According to historian David Lindberg, “... it’s almost impossible to find an educated person after Aristotle (d. 322 B.C.) who doubts that the earth is a sphere. In the Middle Ages, you couldn’t emerge from any kind of education, cathedral school or university, without being perfectly clear about the earth’s sphericity and even its approximate circumference.” Lindberg fingers American storyteller Washington Irving for having “flagrantly fabricated” evidence about flat earth beliefs. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2002/004/17.44.html A much more detailed summary of the evidence is provided by Jeffrey Burton Russell, who laments that the myth still finds its way into textbooks. http://www.id.ucsb.edu/fscf/library/RUSSELL/FlatEarth.html —(blogged March 13, 2003) Species? What exactly is a species? If you are following the debates over evolution and the origins of species, you may find yourself wondering. I mean, obviously, cats and dogs are different species. But beyond obvious examples like cats and dogs, the concept is actually complex and the boundaries are fuzzy. Find out why from this interesting online paper by Joseph Boxhorn (1995). http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-speciation.html Also, just when you think you have the concept nailed down, you find you have been nailing jelly, or corals or something, to a wall. See also Corals Defy Species Classification, which demonstrates that it is indeed possible to resist being labelled, even in today's society, but you may have to be a polyp to get away with it. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/02/030219080258.htm> —(Blog updated February 27, 2003) Statistics Not sure what to make of the statistics you hear? Are they lies, dumb lies, or statistics? Author Wendy McElroy offers some useful aids to critical thinking in this timely news story. McElroy notres, “There are five questions you should demand of any statistic,” including Who says so? How does he know? What does the competition say? Did someone change the subject? And, Does it make sense? Read the details at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114991,00.html —(blogged April 19, 2004) Teaching evolution: Is evolution a religion for some teachers? Apparently so, according to Michael Ruse, a philosopher of science at the University of Florida, writing in Science magazine. “...there is indeed a thriving area of more popular evolutionism, where evolution is used to underpin claims about the nature of the universe, the meaning of it all for us humans, and the way we should behave.” He thinks they should stick to teaching science, but check out his views in more detail at >http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/299/5612/1523 —(blogged March 8, 2003) Note: Read Denyse O'Leary's response published on the Science site at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/eletters/299/5612/1523> —(blogged March 29, 2003) Teaching evolution: A fun and fractious NPR radio debate about how evolution should be taught in schools. Features an advocate of intelligent design and two evolutionists. Depressing news: Some advocates of evolution think that the main problem is that the rest of us are just too plain dumb to understand their explanations. According to them, for our own good, we should seldom be exposed to any point of view other than theirs, and then only with the greatest caution. At least that’s how they come off. Well, now I know why tax-supported school boards in the States are coming under fire on this issue. Some taxpayers are literate, and listen carefully to programs on National Public Radio. Check it out for yourself at http://www.arn.org/docs2/news/nprtranscript111702.htm —(Blogged November 21, 2002) "Theory of Everything" further off than ever? “Claims that a simple explanation for everything in the universe (a Theory of Everything or TOE) is in sight should be taken with a gritting lorry’s worth of salt,” says British Telegraph writer Robert Matthews. He discusses recent failures to detect or explain key information. For example, he says, proton decay has not been observed despite decades of search. The recent Japanese discovery of a unique new type of basic particle also undermines conventional explanations. So, the universe must continue to fail to make sense for a little while longer at least. Read more at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2003/12/03/ecrqed30.xml> —(blogged December 30, 2003) Universe's origin: But Baby, Look at You Now A “baby picture” of the universe, released by NASA, suggests that the universe to be 13.7 billion years old. A surprising finding is that stars got started only 200 million years after the Big Bang. Heck, there was hardly time to brew a proper pot of coffee before ... Great full-sky map. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/11feb_map.htm?list101728 —(blogged February 18, 2003) (to top of page)