MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'About.com Physics' source. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:24:43 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5644237&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2012%2F01%2F28%2Fquantumuniverse.htm Books on quantum physics are pretty common, but few of them do a very good job of balancing the complexity of the subject with the need to get these core ideas across to the lay readers. Usually, the core ideas and experiments are discussed, and the real complexities are only hinted at....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5644237 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:35:57 +0100 5644237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5644236&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2012%2F01%2F28%2Fbbt100.htm Season 5 of The Big Bang Theory has picked up, right as they reached the 100th episode of the series. The three latest episodes have had some of the funniest moments of the whole series, and seems to be setting the stage for the rest of the season to play out in a way that I'm really looking forward to. You can check out the coverage of the science that shows up, as well as some notable quotes from each episode, in the individual episode reviews from this month:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5644236 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5644236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577097&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2012%2F01%2F07%2Fteachingsciencevalues.htm I've been thinking a lot about scientific values lately, since watching a talk by neurologist Sam Harris, where he is speaking on whether science can say anything about morality. I won't speak to his larger point (other than to direct readers to his book The Moral Landscape), but I will pull this one quote out of his statements (starting around the 19:30 minute mark on the video):...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577097 Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:58:25 +0100 5577097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5625201&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2012%2F01%2F22%2Fmangarelativity.htm It's really amazing to think about what you can get into a comic book, especially if your goal is to teach about scientific concepts. I've highlighted some of the gems that have come my way over in our science comic books list, and I've just had the opportunity to get through a new one: The Manga Guide to Relativity....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5625201 Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5625201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5577096&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2012%2F01%2F07%2Fjanphysicsbooks.htm Every month, I get physics books from all over the place. I only get an opportunity to review a fraction of these books, though I feel bad about each one that I have to pass up. Plus, it's kind of hard to remember which books came out in a given year when I'm working on my "Best of the year" posts in December....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5577096 Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5577096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5556986&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F12%2F31%2Fbigbangreviews.htm First, I have posted an article about the most recent season 5 episode, "The Speckerman Recurrence," which features Sheldon watching the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics awards streaming live online. This episode, therefore, took place on December 10, 2011....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5556986 Sat, 31 Dec 2011 08:22:55 +0100 5556986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5556985&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F12%2F31%2Fbigstories2011.htm Two physics stories in 2012 easily eclipsed all the others, making headlines all over the place. Here are the two stories that caused the entire physics world to sit up and take notice:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5556985 Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5556985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5501605&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F12%2F11%2Fphysicschristmas.htm As a science geek, once of the coolest gifts I ever received was a copy of The Physics of Christmas, given to me by my grandmother only a few years before her death.  In addition to some discussion of the thermodynamics of cooking turkey and the possible scientific explanation of the Christmas star, there's a great historical analysis of how Christmas has change over the years. One of the most fun parts for me was the chapter which discussed Santa. How could he travel the whole world in one night? Well, physics offers some ideas....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5501605 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:35:26 +0100 5501605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5520883&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F12%2F18%2F5sciencebookgifts.htm A couple of weeks ago I mentioned one of my favorite science-related Christmas gifts, the copy of The Physics of Christmas which I received as a teenager from my grandmother. If you're still in the process of searching for a great gift for your positively neuro-atypical friends and family members, here are a few other suggestions....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5520883 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5520883 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5501604&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F12%2F11%2Ffabriccosmos-2.htm Physicist and popular author Brian Greene hosted a series of four documentaries as part of the American public television station PBS' NOVA science series. The documentary, Fabric of the Cosmos, ...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5501604 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5501604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5483902&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F12%2F07%2Fcomicbookscience.htm Most people don't think of comic books as a way to learn about science, but sometimes even unorthodox sources can provide great insights. Some of them are formal reference books, like those in the Manga Guide series, while others are more narrative, such as the Feynman biocomic. I've gathered some of these books together into a list of science comic books....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5483902 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:13:19 +0100 5483902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5483901&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F12%2F08%2Ffoolmetwice.htm Politicians often make decisions that have an impact on science, but because they usually lack basic scientific literacy, they really don't have an understanding of the scope involved in these decisions. In his new book, Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America, filmmaker and science advocate Shawn Lawrence Otto argues that scientists need to become more engaged in the political realm and politicians need to have a better scientific understanding in order to make more informed decisions....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5483901 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5483901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5437683&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F21%2Fbigbangrecruiting.htm There's been a recent upward trend in the number of British students taking physics classes in high school and university. Some attribute the trend to the popular science documentaries hosted by Brian Cox...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5437683 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:25:15 +0100 5437683 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5437682&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F22%2Fspeed-of-light-update.htm It's been a couple of months since the news came out that the OPERA experiment at CERN got results which indicated that some neutrinos were moving faster than the speed of light....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5437682 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5437682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5428605&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F18%2Fcolbertquantumlev.htm Last week, comedian Stephen Colbert became (so far as I know) the first comedian to quantum levitate ... well, pretty much anything! On the November 9 episode of his hit satirical political Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, Colbert used this curious quantum physics property as a key element in one of his show's segments....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5428605 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5428605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418468&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F14%2Fa-new-call-for-open-science.htm Physicist Michael Nielsen has turned his attention from the quantum realm toward becoming an advocate for the open science movement. The goal is to have scientists leverage the power of the internet to exchange information - and thus grow knowledge - at unprecedented rates. It's a movement that is gaining momentum, but there are still structural barriers to embracing this sort of approach. Nielsen suggests that these barriers consist of a cultural problem within science and solving it will require changing the values that scientists hold, so that they will see the sharing of data as a fundamental part of their work....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418468 Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:25:24 +0100 5418468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418467&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F17%2Felectromagnetics.htm Sometimes even a skeptic like me feels like the universe is trying to tell him something. Today, it was telling me to write about electromagnetism. The subject has come up no fewer than 3 different times today. So today we're going to discuss a bit about electromagnetic radiation, and why it can be a bad thing....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418467 Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5418467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5397482&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F08%2Frepublicanscience.htm Republican candidate Jon Huntsman appeared on the Sunday, Nov. 6 episode of Meet the Press and took a (sadly) rare pro-science stance for a modern Republican candidate, when questioned on the issue by host David Gregory:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5397482 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:58:17 +0100 5397482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5397481&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F09%2Fturkeyheat.htm It's the time of the year where people around America begin their annual ritual of applied thermodynamics: cooking the Thanksgiving turkey! Fortunately, molecular gastronomists (i.e. the chef version of mad scientists) have explored ways to understand the science of how to properly cook one of these birds, and some of that information is gathered together in our Turkey Physics article. Check it out to find some suggestions about how to get the entire bird cooked to the proper temperature....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5397481 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5397481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5376463&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F30%2Ffabriccosmos.htm This November, the PBS science series NOVA will tackle some of the most fundamental concepts of the universe. Together with theoretical physicist Brian Greene, the series will present a 4-part ...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5376463 Sun, 30 Oct 2011 08:00:16 +0100 5376463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5376462&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F11%2F01%2Fkrausstalk.htm In a recent talk at Britain's The School of Life, Lawrence Krauss discusses the grand scope of the history of the universe and our relatively insignificant role within it. And, in fact, this tongue-in-cheek (but still true) approach helps illuminate some of the biggest problems in the world, because they tend to come from humans having an over-inflated sense of self importance. Krauss humorously alludes to this in his opening to the presentation:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5376462 Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5376462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5376464&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F29%2Fgeekdadbook.htm One of the biggest real-life geek moments of my life is intimately tied to the Geek Dad book franchise, despite the fact that, until just a few days ago, I didn't own any of the books....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5376464 Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:54:05 +0100 5376464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5376465&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F29%2Fbigbangepisodes6-7.htm We continue our coverage of new episodes from CBS' sitcom The Big Bang Theory, including coverage of their Halloween-themed episode, "The Good Guy Fluctuation." There's some great physics that came up in the last couple of episodes, including some Halloween-related science....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5376465 Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:08:26 +0100 5376465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356007&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F27%2Fpodcastphysics.htm I first began listening to podcasts back when I got an iPad, shortly after they came out. I was expecting that the new iOS5 release, which allows you to go completely wireless and avoid synching with iTunes on the computer, would also make it possible to synch podcast episodes wirelessly. Somehow, the company which created the iPod (and thus was the source of the term "podcasting") missed this in their massive upgrade....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356007 Sun, 16 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5331339&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F16%2Fbigbang-5eps.htm Last week's review of Season 5, Episode 5 of CBS's geek-driven sitcom The Big Bang Theory is up. This episode had some great physics references, specifically Sheldon using concepts from quantum physics to explain the nebulous status of his friendship with Leonard. Here are the links to the episodes so far, along with some breakdowns of episodes from earlier seasons (more to come, especially now that it's in syndication):...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5331339 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5331339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5311453&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F10%2Fmonthmuseum.htm Though overshadowed by last week's Nobel Prize announcements, there was another announcement that slipped through under the radar. The Chicago Museum of Science & Industry announced the winner of their second annual Month at the Museum event....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5311453 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:00:54 +0100 5311453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5311452&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F11%2Fscience-explained-in-four-big-bang-episodes.htm We're four episodes into this season of CBS' award-winning sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This season hasn't been the most hilarious (or science-filled) of them all, at least so far, but they've been consistently entertaining. As promised, we've been tracking and explaining the science referenced in these episodes, from drug trials to the Large Hadron Collider to model trains. Here are the first four, as well as links to some of the earlier seasons:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5311452 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5311452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5282001&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F10%2F04%2F2011-nobel-prize-to-dark-energy.htm The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae" with one half to Saul Perlmutter and the other half jointly to Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess. These scientists were the key researchers involved in the two 1998 independent research groups that discovered that expansion was accelerating, a phenomenon more commonly called dark energy....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5282001 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5282001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5269695&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F09%2F30%2Ftevatrons-last-day.htm Today marks the end of an era for American scientific research, as Fermilab's Tevatron collider shuts down for the final time. For many years, this was the most powerful particle accelerator until it got surpassed by the Large Hadron Collider....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5269695 Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5269695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5257701&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F09%2F24%2Fscientific-truths-are-tentative.htm About a decade ago, fresh with an undergraduate degree in physics, I picked up an intriguing book in a Barnes & Noble store: Darwin's Black Box. I knew about evolution, but as I'd pretty much steered clear of biology since my freshman year of high school, I had never read a book specifically on the subject....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5257701 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5257701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5246889&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F09%2F20%2Fscience-on-google.htm I've spent the last several weeks as part of the invitation-only beta of Google+. So far, the major difference between it and something like Facebook is that Google+ has been populated entirely by the early adopters. Well, that's about to change, because Google+ announced today that they're opening Google+ for everyone.  You can now just go to Google+, sign up, and begin searching for people to assign to your Circles....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5246889 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:51:13 +0100 5246889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5246888&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F09%2F23%2Fbrokenlightspeed.htm News has been flying around about new findings out of CERN that they may have detected some neutrinos which were travelling faster than the speed of light. This is one single experiment and so, as the Bad Astronomy blog deftly points out, there's ample reason to be skeptical. However, team spokesman Antonio Ereditato said:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5246888 Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5246888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5234204&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F09%2F18%2Fbigbangseason.htm One of my favorite television shows is CBS' quirky sitcom The Big Bang Theory, about a group of scientists and the girls that love them. I've mentioned the show here and there on the blog throughout the last four years, but haven't taken the time to really dedicate much space to it....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5234204 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5234204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5218109&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F09%2F12%2Ffull-color-feynman.htm I have always described physicist Richard Feynman as a colorful character, but that's never been more true than now, because his life has been immortalized in the colorful form of ... a comic book!...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5218109 Sat, 03 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5218109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5191663&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F09%2F03%2Finflationtheory.htm As we look back into the past, through telescope that see light which has been travelling to us for billions of years, cosmologists see a universe that was once much more compact than it currently is. Though the theory that the universe began in a big bang has been around for some time, and confirmed by numerous experiments (such as the detection of the cosmic microwave background radiation...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5191663 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5191663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174121&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F08%2F28%2Findiana-celebrates-science.htm My home state of Indiana is set to have a major science event called Celebrate Science Indiana, on October 8, in an effort to gain greater interest in science education ...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174121 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5137954&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F08%2F16%2Fvisibileinvisibility.htm For the past several years, it seems like every few months there's been some new story posted somewhere about how this group or that had found some new design to make an object invisible to a certain narrow bandwidth of the electromagnetic spectrum. This progress has been heartening, but the search for invisibility had still been mostly in the realm of non-visible light ... at least until now....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5137954 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5137954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5117799&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fphysicscowboysaliens.htm While most people probably didn't go to the recent film Cowboys and Aliens to further their understanding of nature, I did find one thing that was very interesting from a physics standpoint. (I also quite enjoyed the movie, actually, though several reviews suggest I'm one of the few who did.)...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5117799 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:47:40 +0100 5117799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5117798&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2Fphysics-mailbag-heat-transfer.htm I am frequently approached with questions about physics, and occasionally these questions lead to an interesting exchange, and a possibility of explaining some cool physics. Here's one such question I got recently, from a friend (who happens to be a minister):...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5117798 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5117798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5076834&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F28%2Fsciencehackday.htm My friend, Doktor Kaboom!, has a saying that I like: "Lookout, science is coming!" Well, that saying may need to be borrowed, because a new movement is sweeping the country. Okay, maybe "sweeping" is an exaggeration, for now, but with a recent infusion of cash may help it spread a bit more quickly....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5076834 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5076834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057425&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F22%2Fgenderinscience.htm While gender differences may be fun and games on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, it poses a real problem for the science community. A traditionally male-driven culture continues to work to try to increase its diversity, but is it being successful?...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057425 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:30:19 +0100 5057425 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5068839&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fnew-particle-discovered-at-fermilab.htm Fermilab continues to produce results with some interesting physics results, and they've just uncovered a new type of particle called the Xi-sub-b (Ξb). This isn't an unexpected result, because this particle had been predicted by theory for years, but hadn't ever been observed in any sort of experiment....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5068839 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5068839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057424&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F22%2Fwolframdocs.htm Stephen Wolfram's a very clever guy (and, by extension, his company Wolfram Media is a very clever company). If anyone doubted it after he created the revolutionary mathematics computer program Mathematica, it was left without a doubt when he wrote the brilliant, complex, and long tome, A New Kind of Science, attempting to do nothing less than transform the way science is done. (It hasn't really caught hold, yet.) He's even tried to transform internet search with WolframAlpha, his "computational knowledge engine." You can get a glimpse at his way of thinking by watching his TED video....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057424 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5057424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5048813&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F20%2Fharry-potter-science.htm With all the hubbub around the new Harry Potter film, it should have occurred to me earlier that this had some relevance to this physics blog. But the excitement has overwhelmed me, I suppose. I've seen the film and loved it, because I'm a huge fan of the books and the films. (Really, I love Harry Potter, as I've blogged about elsewhere.)...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5048813 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5048813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5018485&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F09%2Fwebbtelescope.htm Among the physics and astronomy community, the last week has not been full of good cheer, since a Congressional sub-committee proposed cancelling the James Webb Space Telescope. As we all know from Schoolhouse Rock, laws take a bit of time and debate to get passed, so this isn't the end of the story, but it is a disturbing announcement....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5018485 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5018485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007053&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F06%2Ftobeahologram.htm One of the most amazing concepts in all of science got even more amazing a couple of years ago, when a physicist suggested that we were actually holograms. New research, however, suggests that we probably aren't holograms, but the principle at the heart of the matter may still be salvaged, allowing there to be holograms of us somewhere out there....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007053 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992056&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F06%2F30%2Fmonthatmuseum.htm The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is looking for a volunteer to spend a month living inside the Museum, for their Month at the Museum 2 event! The first event, in 2010, involved selecting someone to live in the museum, 24/7, for 30 days ... and they're doing it again in 2011! If you'd like to try your hand at this bold initiative, then the details are available below the fold....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992056 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:29:28 +0100 4992056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992055&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F07%2F02%2Ffermilabantimatter.htm The standard model of particle physics describes a universe that contains 16 types of elementary particles. There are three "generations" of matter, consisting of 6 quarks and 6 leptons, along with 4 force-carrying bosons....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992055 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4992055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4967907&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F06%2F23%2Ffermilabbump.htm Earlier this month, we got a strange case of science working exactly like it's supposed to. There was some flurry of activity about a bump in the data at Fermilab's CDF apparatus, part of their Tevatron collider. If this data could have been confirmed, it would have potentially signalled a whole new type of particle, which may have required revisions to the Standard Model to get everything to work out consistently....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4967907 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4967907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4951711&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F06%2F19%2Fsummer-movie-science.htm I'm always a fan of unraveling the science behind popular culture. Even in the case of some of the more outlandish summer blockbusters, there's often a glimmer of scientific understanding that can be gleaned....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4951711 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4951711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4932855&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F06%2F13%2Fgreenlanterngalaxyzoo.htm It would be hard to miss all of the marketing related to the upcoming Green Lantern film, based on the DC comics series, but one unique viral marketing campaign may have escaped your attention. It turns out that a blog maintained by one Dr. Waller (familiar to DC fans) provides an opportunity for readers to participate in a "confidential" project to review astronomical photos, identifying potential anomalies that might be related to extraterrestrial activity....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4932855 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4932855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4891890&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F06%2F01%2Ffeeds-for-physics-tweets.htm I freely confess, I'm still trying to really get a handle on how to most effectively use Twitter. I have an account, of course (@AboutPhysics), but am not sure I'm getting the most out of the whole experience. Still, it's nice to have instant interactions with others interested in physics, and overall I'm finding it rather enjoyable....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4891890 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:55:43 +0100 4891890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4891889&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2Felectron-spheres.htm Glowing globe from arcs of light Source: Chad Baker If you've ever studied physics, you've probably seen a pictures of electrons, protons, and other particles as tiny spheres, but actually physicists have long questioned how spherical such objects really are. The results of a new ten-year study at Imperial College London have helped narrow down the answer, for the electron at least ... and that answer is that it's very spherical....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4891889 Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4891889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852368&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F05%2F23%2Fphilosophy-and-science.htm As readers know, I enjoy philosophy. I minored in it in college and write essays for books that link popular culture to philosophy topics, such as the recent Green Lantern and Philosophy (which I have discussed before)....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852368 Mon, 16 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4852368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4840112&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F05%2F17%2Fthe-importance-of-education.htm I believe that education is the single most important activity there is. If there is good education, then I think everything else takes care of itself, on every level: personal, family, business, community, state, regional, and national levels. I have faith that most of our problems - economic disasters, international and intercultural strife, and even climate problems - can ultimately be solved by a well-educated populace. Education is the cornerstone to growth and there are many reasons to study physics as part of a well-rounded education....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4840112 Sat, 14 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4840112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828054&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F05%2F15%2Fthorscience.htm I'd been looking forward to the release of Thor, but became even more intrigued as I noticed it springing up not just across the comics and film sites, but on the science sites as well....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828054 Wed, 11 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4828054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4819996&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Fibmscienceguides.htm For years, IBM has been supporting service initiatives among their employees. These service projects have ranged from the simple to the complex, and now IBM is making the results of these efforts available to the general public by sharing downloadable guides to some of their activities....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4819996 Tue, 10 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4819996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4812354&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F05%2F11%2Fscientistsareliars.htm Science requires going beyond the simple facts of a situation to create a theoretical framework that can explain the facts ... a step which requires thinking of unknown things as if they were really true. Any scientist without this ability to state something that may be false is also unable to ever achieve any great scientific discoveries....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4812354 Sun, 08 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4812354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4801800&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F05%2F09%2Fgooglescifairvoting.htm According to the Google Science Fair website, this is the date we've been waiting for, when the 60 global semi-finalists will have their presentations available for viewing, so that internet viewers from around the world can vote for the "People's Choice Award." Here's how the website describes the process:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4801800 Mon, 02 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4801800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4788415&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F05%2F03%2Fmaking-smarter-stuff.htm We are in an age where the things we create are being enhanced in ways that could only be described as magical in previous generations. Some great examples of this were in the recent "Making Stuff" series from PBS (now available on both DVD & Blu-ray disk, or for free online streaming at their official website)....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4788415 Sat, 23 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4788415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747201&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F04%2F24%2Fquantumpulp.htm In the early decades of the twentieth century, an amazing thing happened: physicists realized that essentially everything we thought we knew about the workings of the universe was wrong. Out of this realization came the amazing field of quantum physics. At the same time, authors were revolutionizing our vision of the future through the advent of a new genre of literature: science fiction....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747201 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4747201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4733095&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F04%2F20%2Fpopscicontest2011.htm Popular Science has started their third annual National School Inventor's Challenge, which allows students (or teachers, on behalf of their class) to enter to win science equipment for their school. The theme is for students to come up with inventions that will "improve the world."...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4733095 Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4733095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723130&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F04%2F17%2Fquantumman.htm Physicist Lawrence Krauss's new book looks at the life of Richard P. Feynman, one of the most important (and interesting) characters in twentieth century science and a key figure in the evolution of quantum physics....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723130 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4723130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704004&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F04%2F12%2Fnewphysicsparticles.htm Physics is about pushing the boundaries and those boundaries may well be exploding with the potential discovery of a new particle at the Tevatron experiment at the Fermilab particle accelerator ... or it could just be an anomaly in the data that goes away with further testing....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704004 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4704004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4683368&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F04%2F04%2Fmathematics-and-physics.htm The language of physics is mathematics. In fact, mathematics is the language of science as a whole, as I reiterated recently in an engaging exchange with one of our readers. (Another part of the exchange is outlined in the article "Can Science Prove Anything?")...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4683368 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:00:24 +0100 4683368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4683369&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F04%2F03%2Fbigbangtrailer.htm In one of the strangest co-mingling of genres I've seen in a while, I recently stumbled upon this trailer for a film called The Big Bang (not to be confused with CBS's fantastic television series, The Big Bang Theory)....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4683369 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:22:18 +0100 4683369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4683367&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F04%2F05%2Fkitchencircuits.htm I'm a huge fan of TED talks, and they posted a fantastic science video just a few days ago which focuses on how materials from the kitchen can be used to create homemade moldable circuitry: play dough circuits!...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4683367 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4683367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676188&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008630.htm In one of the strangest co-mingling of genres I've seen in a while, I recently stumbled upon this trailer for a film called The Big Bang (not to be confused... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676188 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4676188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676187&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008633.htm The language of physics is mathematics. In fact, mathematics is the language of science as a whole, as I reiterated recently in an engaging exchange with one of our readers.... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676187 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4676187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676189&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008627.htm What does it mean to prove a scientific theory? What's the role of mathematics in science? How do you define the scientific method? A recent e-mail conversation with a reader... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676189 Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4676189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676190&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008623.htm The events in Japan certainly give pause to anyone who's ever believed that nuclear fission is a safe energy alternative ... which, admittedly, includes your faithful Physics Guide. Despite efforts... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676190 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4676190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4641907&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F03%2F26%2Fscienceproof.htm What does it mean to prove a scientific theory? What's the role of mathematics in science? How do you define the scientific method? A recent e-mail conversation with a reader brings up some great questions about the fundamental way people look at science....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4641907 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4641907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676191&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008620.htm My heart goes out to the people affected by the March 11 tsunami. It is truly an example of the awesome destructive power inherent in nature ... and the need... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676191 Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4676191 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4614756&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F03%2F21%2Fjapans-nuclear-tragedy.htm The events in Japan certainly give pause to anyone who's ever believed that nuclear fission is a safe energy alternative ... which, admittedly, includes your faithful Physics Guide. Despite efforts to keep nuclear reactors safe, this situation has created a perfect storm of catastrophes which has created a very dangerous nuclear crisis. The information and resources below should help you piece together some of the various reports ... and prevent you from wasting time and money on potassium iodine pills if you don't need it....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4614756 Sat, 12 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4614756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676192&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008616.htm New research has revealed a process for peeling away layers of the one-atom-thick substance graphene, a significant step toward creating tiny electronic components and devices from this amazing material. Graphene's gotten... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676192 Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4676192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4577759&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F03%2F12%2Funderstanding-tsunami-physics.htm My heart goes out to the people affected by the March 11 tsunami. It is truly an example of the awesome destructive power inherent in nature ... and the need for science to understand the way such power can be released....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4577759 Sun, 06 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4577759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676193&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008614.htm Who is your favorite science twit? Er, make that ... who is your favorite science tweeter? Um ... favorite science twitterer? Oh, forget it: Who is your favorite person who spends their time... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676193 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4676193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4554289&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F03%2F06%2Fgrapheneseparated.htm New research has revealed a process for peeling away layers of the one-atom-thick substance graphene, a significant step toward creating tiny electronic components and devices from this amazing material. Graphene's gotten a lot of attention - the discovery of it even being recognized with the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics - but one of the major complications is that the thin layers of graphene have a tendency to stick together. To really be useful, the graphene needs to actually be able to be pulled apart cleanly....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4554289 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4554289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676194&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008611.htm Graphene is one of those revolutionary materials which has caught the imagination of scientists, even resulting in the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. It's just so weird, even in the... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676194 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4676194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4531571&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F02%2F28%2Ffavorite-science-twits.htm Who is your favorite science twit? Er, make that ... who is your favorite science tweeter? Um ... favorite science twitterer? Oh, forget it: Who is your favorite person who spends their time on Twitter talking about science?...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4531571 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4531571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489051&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F02%2F16%2Frefract-this.htm When a beam of light moves from one medium to another, such as from air into a piece of glass, the speed of the light changes slightly. This change in speed results in a change in direction as well. The name for this change? Refraction...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489051 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:34:31 +0100 4489051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489050&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F02%2F17%2Fgraphenesymmetry.htm Graphene is one of those revolutionary materials which has caught the imagination of scientists, even resulting in the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. It's just so weird, even in the quantum realm where things are weird on the best of days....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489050 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4489050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676196&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2Fa%2F008606.htm Science is a social activity, carried out by a community of scientists who work together by exchanging information, brainstorming, and innovating together. Sometimes this process takes place in public -... (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676196 Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4676196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4441689&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F02%2F05%2Fdoppler-radar-at-work.htm For over a week, I have performed a daily ritual of trying to figure out if there was going to be more rain or snow tomorrow. My tool in this is the many news programs and websites which provide those nice images of storms moving across the country. Those tools are created using a Pulse Doppler system, based on the laws of physics. Want to find out how Doppler Radar works? (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4441689 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4441689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377164&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F20%2Fsciencemakesbetter.htm No, I don't mean by inserting quantum computers in your brain, determining the source of consciousness, or curing mental illness (although those would be cool!), but instead I mean the very activity of science provides benefit to the way people think ... even when they aren't thinking about science....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377164 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4377164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4370665&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F19%2Fndgt-dailyshow.htm Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson made an appearance on Comedy Central's The Daily Show last night, where he promoted his new series of PBS specials for NOVA ScienceNOW, which explore cutting edge science topics from human Mars exploration to how we might possibly be able to live forever (or at least a really long time)....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4370665 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4370665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355419&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F16%2Fgooglesciencefair.htm Last week, Google announced their science fair ... their global online science fair. Co-sponsored by Lego, CERN, National Geographic, and Scientific American, the event allows submissions until April 4, with one grand prize winner getting an amazing set of experiences that will help set a course of discovery and innovation....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355419 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4355419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337379&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F12%2Fobservations-about-observers.htm The role of the observer is a controversial concept in quantum physics ... even among physicists! And it doesn't help that there are a lot of people out there who poorly understand this concept or willfully misconstrue the science behind the observer's role to support their own worldview....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337379 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4337379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4330484&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F09%2Flarge-hadron-crab-nebula.htm The Crab Nebula beats out the man-made Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for most powerful particle accelerator in the universe, according to new research released last week in the journal Science....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4330484 Sun, 09 Jan 2011 22:08:16 +0100 4330484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4330483&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F10%2Fphysics-music-and-contests.htm Two belated physics-related music contests came to my attention this week, but there's still time to get involved, if you're interested. Big Bang Contest The first was from one of my favorite television shows, CBS's The Big Bang Theory. (The star, Jim Parsons, is the guy in the picture.) In this contest, you upload a video of you singing the lullaby "Soft Kitty" from the show, with the winner getting a trip for two out to California to watch them film an episode....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4330483 Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4330483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4317975&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F05%2F2010-lastdarkwatch.htm The search for dark matter and dark energy continues, with some interesting stories over the last couple of months. Here are some of the more interesting ones, for your reading pleasure. ...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4317975 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:19:24 +0100 4317975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4326803&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F08%2Fquantumlev2.htm Quantum effects may cause empty space to create a repulsive force between objects, according to a new study that's being published in the journal Physical Review Letters which takes a new approach on how to apply the traditionally-attractive Casimir effect....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4326803 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4326803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4317974&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2011%2F01%2F05%2Fthe-sound-of-creation.htm Physicists and musicians join together to explore physics results. Specifically, they're turning the raw data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) into a musical format. Humans are visual creatures, by and large, with this sense easily overriding the others in terms of how we perceive the world around us. But one problem with sight, from an evolutionary standpoint, is that it's a sense which we have to aim. Typically, we use sight to look at something intentionally. Certainly, the unexpected might spring up, but if we aren't looking for it. If it's nighttime or the unexpected thing is behind us, our sight is completely useless....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4317974 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4317974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298436&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F29%2Fphysicsreality.htm Does physics actually describe reality or is it just a useful way of talking about how things happen? This question often comes up when I speak about my recent book. People want to know if these curious properties of the universe proposed by theoretical physics - whether the experimentally-verified ones such as quarks and antimatter or the speculative ones such as strings and wormholes - are physical objects or just mathematical abstractions that happen to work out....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298436 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4298436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4271935&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F19%2Flunareclipse.htm On Tuesday morning, from 1:33 AM to 5:00 AM Eastern time, there will be a lunar eclipse - the first observable in the continental US in over thirty years. (At least the first that we've been able to see from beginning to end.)...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4271935 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 00:07:16 +0100 4271935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4293494&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F27%2F2010-nasa.htm The New Yorker had a great article where they showed off some of the top NASA pictures from 2010, which also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4293494 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4293494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4271934&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F19%2F2010-physics-geek-gift-guide.htm Every year, the winter holidays present a mad rush to seek out the best gifts. Though it probably would have been smarter for me to have gotten to this post earlier in the holiday season, here are some of my top holiday pick lists for your physics geek friends....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4271934 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4271934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4271936&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F18%2Fphysics-of-christmas.htm At club meetings for Toastmasters International, the meeting typically ends with a session called "Table Topics" in which members and guests who have not yet spoken get a chance to get up and speak in front of the group. The "Topicsmaster" provides questions to each individual, who then improvises an about-2-minute speech as a response....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4271936 Sat, 18 Dec 2010 16:02:07 +0100 4271936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4252615&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F12%2Fkaboomdvd.htm A few weeks back, I got a great gift in the mail ... just in time for the holiday season!...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4252615 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4252615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4248703&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F10%2Fscience-buddhism-and-western-religions.htm Over at NPR's 13.7 blog, astrophysicist Adam Frank discusses a recent Bangkok conference he attended on "Science and Buddhism." Here's a noteworthy excerpt from the blog: The first wave of interest in "Science and Buddhism" began in the 1970s and focused on quantum mechanics. It was, to my mind, mostly silly.  The emphasis was on how quantum physics, with its uncertainty principle and wave function collapse, was somehow embracing ancient truths of eastern religion.... The great problem with this train of thought was it assumed the answer it wanted to find in the first place. Quantum mechanics doesn't say Buddhism is true. It doesn't say anything.  It's a calculus that is open to many interpretations from the mundane (statistical approaches) to the mind-blowing (the many worlds interpre... About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4248703 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4248703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4232826&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F12%2F05%2Fjoe-genius.htm Occasionally, a show comes along that makes scientists sit up and take notice in a positive way. The show Numbers did that for cop shows. CBS's The Big Bang Theory did that for the sitcom....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4232826 Sat, 20 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4232826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4186699&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F11%2F20%2Froasted-turkey-physics.htm A few years back, I helped make a perfect turkey. It was a magical thing, the first time in my life that I'd ever eaten Thanksgiving turkey that wasn't dry to the point of being inedible. This turkey was moist and succulent....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4186699 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4186699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4171571&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F11%2F15%2Fphysicsbudget.htm Anyone who follows financial or political news to even a marginal degree has probably heard about the recent announcement from the co-chairmen of President Obama's bipartisan deficit commission, wherein they announced (surprise) that the economy is in trouble and getting out of debt will take some serious efforts: cuts in spending, removal of various popular tax breaks (such as the mortgage interest deduction and tax-free treatment of health employer-provided health insurance), and increases in the retirement age for Social Security....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4171571 Sun, 14 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4171571 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167253&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F11%2F14%2Fwaterheater.htm As I discussed in a recent post, heat loss is a major problem for me, living as I do in a 1930's era house in northern central Indiana. It could be worse (say a 1920's house in northern Michigan), but I am always looking for new ways to save energy, and a knowledge of physics can sometimes help with that....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167253 Sun, 07 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4167253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4142508&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F11%2F07%2Fbronxscience.htm The Bronx High School of Science (known as Bronx Science) opened its doors in 1938 and atoms weren't even mentioned in the physics textbook. Since then, 7 of its graduates have gone on to earn the Nobel Prize in physics, according to Robert P. Crease at PhysicsWorld....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4142508 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4142508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4124554&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F11%2F01%2Fphysics-art-redux.htm In the past, I've discussed some of the crossing points between physics and art (see below for links). Friend-of-the-blog Jennifer Ouellette has a similar discussion over at Discovery News, focusing on a new "Measure for Measure" exhibit in Los Angeles ... an exhibit co-curated by noted string theorist Lisa Randall, who also recently helped write a opera based on string theory....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4124554 Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4124554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4121673&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F31%2Foctober-dark-watch.htm What's going on with dark matter and dark energy this month? Quite a lot, actually. For one thing, some physicists think they may have finally observed dark matter ... but then, as those who have been following this stuff for a while know, such claims aren't exactly new. There is certainly reason to be hopeful that our continued, more detailed analysis of the structure of your universe will reveal answers to these enigmatic properties of the universe....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4121673 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4121673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4117651&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F28%2Frobothand.htm One of the hallmarks of genius is being able to look at two things which are unrelated and seeing how they can work together. Consider coffee grounds, which often come packaged in bags as a hard little brick. However, when you open the grounds and air is allowed back in, it's no longer hard. This curious behavior is known as jamming transition....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4117651 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4117651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4096531&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F20%2Fexploring-thermodynamics.htm Every year around this time the air begins getting a bit chillier and my mind begins drifting toward one thing: Thermodynamics. This is mostly a practical consideration, because I live in a house built in 1931. Insulating it from the drop in temperature is always a challenge. Come fall, as a rule, thermodynamics is not my friend....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4096531 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:07:50 +0100 4096531 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4096530&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F21%2Fhalloween-physics-3.htm The ghouls and goblins of Halloween are great, but in addition to horror and fantasy costumes, Halloween is also a time when the scientifically-minded can invoke scientific costumes. The classic is, of course, the mad scientist, but the science goodness doesn't end there....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4096530 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4096530 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4076697&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F17%2Fgranddesign.htm In their recent book, physicists Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow explore the recent research into the origins of the universe. Their conclusion is that the known laws of physics have the ability to spontaneously generate a multitude of universes, each containing different properties. Some of these properties, such as those in our own universe, would allow for life (such as us) to exist. With these physics theories in mind, the need for a creator of the universe (i.e. God) is removed....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4076697 Sat, 09 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4076697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4055446&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F10%2F2dgraphene.htm One of my old high school friends on Facebook followed up my recent graphene post with a question I found intriguing: Is a dimensional plane defined as the width of an atom?...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4055446 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4055446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4053164&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F09%2Fcernmural.htm An American artist, 29-year-old Josef Kristofoletti, has just completed a scientific mural on the site of the CERN complex, which houses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).  The mural depicts the main detector apparatus from the ATLAS experiment. It covers the walls of a building on the surface 100 meters above the actual ATLAS detector ... which is over twice as big as the 40-foot tall mural....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4053164 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4053164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4044593&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F08%2Ftalkparticlephysics.htm Particle physics used to be easy. You had your atoms, made up of protons and neutrons (in the atomic nucleus), orbited by electrons. It was a very simple picture, known as the Bohr model of the atom....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4044593 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4044593 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4030778&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F05%2F2010physicsnobel.htm The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene." Graphene is a sheet of carbon only one atom thick. Source: University of Manchester...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4030778 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4030778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025455&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F01%2Fphysics-education-in-africa.htm In Stellenbosch, South Africa, there is a new type of school. It's the African School of Fundamental Physics and Its Applications ... the first to find a home on the African continent. The school held a conference through August - a bi-annual event - that brings together 50 physics students (or more) from across Africa, with preference given to those coming from Sub-Saharan Africa....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025455 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:48:33 +0100 4025455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025454&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F10%2F02%2Fwhite-house-physics.htm This week, physicist and Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman was confirmed as the associate director for science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). There's coverage at both the OSTP blog and PhysicsWorld.com. Wieman is a co-recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in experimentally creating a Bose-Einstein condensate in the laboratory....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025454 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4025454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4017831&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F30%2Fhawkingradiationdetected.htm The brilliant insight that brought Stephen Hawking fame within the world of physics was the idea that black holes aren't really black. Instead of sucking in everything there is, getting bigger and bigger indefinitely, he realized that the strange laws of quantum physics meant that black holes would actually emit a low, steady radiation. This would mean that the black hole burns off energy ... in essence the black hole would eventually evaporate away....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4017831 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:12:48 +0100 4017831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4017830&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F30%2Fseptember-dark-watch.htm Despite some hyperbolic headlines, the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy haven't been solved this month. One of the most interesting things I stumbled upon this month was the idea of a "dark flow," which sprang up during part of NPR's Talk of the Nation program. This isn't an entirely new idea, but it hasn't really gotten much popular press yet. It remains to be seen if this idea really catches on and how it relates to what's already known about dark matter and dark energy, but I imagine that, if it is confirmed, it has some profound implications for the evolution of the universe. There are a few other interesting stories of note, but nothing really earth shattering ... in either the literal or figurative sense....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4017830 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4017830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4012092&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F27%2Ftypes-of-parallel-universes.htm Ever wonder what physicists are talking about when they mention parallel universes? Well, wonder no longer! I explore the various types of parallel universes that physicists sometimes talk about in "What Are the Types of Parallel Universes?"...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4012092 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4012092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976177&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F16%2Fphysicsart.htm I've long held the belief that art can be a profound way of exploring and explaining questions of science, especially at the theoretical level. Some recent art exhibits explore this connection with spectacular results....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976177 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:20:30 +0100 3976177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976176&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F17%2Fhow-to-not-test-string-theory.htm Physicists may have a way to begin testing some elements of string theory ... but not whether it's a theory of everything. Still, it's a start. One of the biggest problems in exploring string theory is that physicists have been guided by mathematical and theoretical considerations, but with a woeful lack of experimental validation. The reason for this is simple:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976176 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3976176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965078&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F13%2Fphysicsmarketingvideo.htm Google's marketing director Dan Cobley recently spoke to the TED audience about how principles from theoretical physics can teach you things about the world of business/customer interactions that he focuses on in the process of marketing. Just as physical entities follow laws when they interact in physics, so too do economic entities follow similar rules. Using the power of metaphor, Cobley draws clear analogies that are very useful in creating a discourse between science and business, and can be helpful in putting scientific concepts into a context that a layman would be able to understand....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965078 Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3965078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3961699&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F12%2Fhawkinggod.htm In their new book, physicists Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow seem to take a swipe at the existence of God, something which has certainly earned a lot of press. What, if anything, does physics really have to say about the existence (or lack thereof) of a creator?...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3961699 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3961699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3959811&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F11%2Fdoktor-kaboom-on-fox-news.htm Science entertainer Doktor Kaboom will appear on the weekend edition of Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" morning show (details after the jump). Earlier this year, About.com Physics reviewed Doktor Kaboom's interactive science show and also conducted an extensive interview with Herr Doktor himself, so it's nice to see Fox News finally catching up to us on how great friend-of-the-blog Doktor Kaboom is ... now if they'd just book an interview with me, we'd be all set!...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3959811 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3959811 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946205&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F08%2Fgreat-engineering-projects-for-kids.htm The folks over at ConstructionManagementDegree.org have combed the web, compiling an excellent list of 100 Awesome Engineering Projects for Kids. These are some great ways to introduce kids to basic scientific and engineering concepts, and many of them require the bare minimum of fuss or expense....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946205 Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3946205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3935728&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F09%2F05%2Fwhy-multiple-universes.htm A friend on Facebook recently asked why multiple universes exist. Not just why they are possible, but why do some physicists think that it's probable that they exist. I replied on Facebook, and decided it was an excellent topic to write an article about. In short, the answer is:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3935728 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3935728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920408&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F30%2Fsheldonemmy.htm Last night, actor Jim Parsons received the Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, as a tribute to his amazing acting ability in portraying physicist Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. If you never thought that physics could be funny, then keep in mind that Parsons beat out funny men (and personal favorites) Steve Carrell, Tony Shaloub, Larry David, Alec Baldwin, and Glee frontman Matthew Morrison to get the award....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920408 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:24:02 +0100 3920408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920407&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F31%2Faugust-dark-watch.htm It's been a somewhat slow month in regards to news on dark matter and dark energy, but there have been a handful of interesting stories ... mostly having to do with the desire for future news....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920407 Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3920407 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3902612&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F25%2Fklutzflight.htm I recently had some really enjoyable flying experiences with my son, thanks to a series of experiment kits and books from the folks over at Klutz Labs. Earlier this year, I received a box full of their science kits (one of the perks of a job like this) and we finally got around to doing some launches. He loved the experience, and I had a lot of fun as well....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3902612 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:38:04 +0100 3902612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3902611&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F26%2Fwhiteholes.htm Most people know about black holes, but their enigmatic cousins white holes have gotten a lot less publicity over the years (possibly because we don't know that they actually exist). Just like black holes, they are allowed by the theory of general relativity. The difference is that it seems like everywhere we look in space we stumble upon some evidence of black holes, with supermassive black holes apparently lying at the heart of nearly every galaxy. So why don't we see any evidence of white holes?...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3902611 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3902611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872119&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F17%2Fconservativesandeinstein.htm Okay, so I've written a book on string theory ... but the complexities of the American political system absolutely vex me. Maybe complexities isn't the right word, because the whole problem is the lack of complexity, the over-arching desire to take something which is inherently complex and break it down into a soundbite, a buzz clip, a snippet that can be used in a rhetorical attack against an enemy. I don't believe in having enemies and I don't believe in surface understandings of complex issues ... and thus, I am vexed by politics....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872119 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3872119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3857819&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F11%2Fdangerousphysicsideas.htm The brainstorming video site Big Think is taking this August to present their "Dangerous Ideas." Their contributors are making videos, released on a daily basis, that present a dangerous idea ... and then they also present the counter-argument against it. What's great about this plan is that Big Think isn't necessarily advocating these ideas, they're just trying to stimulate some radical thinking....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3857819 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3857819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854156&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F10%2Fvideo-game-review-science-papa.htm When I first heard about Science Papa, I thought it would be a perfect game. A science game for the Wii where you conduct a series of experiments? This is right up my alley. And, for a few hours, it was. I figured out how to use the interfact, and how to use the pictures to figure out the next step in the experimental process. Everything was proceeding fine, and I had no real complaints about how the science was portrayed in the game....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854156 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3854156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3842798&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F08%2Fwhatschoolsneed.htm I was attending the gaming convention Gen Con this weekend, and saw this bumper sticker in a downtown Indianapolis parking garage. For obvious reasons, I had to share. (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3842798 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3842798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822555&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F08%2F05%2Fyour-very-own-solar-tsunami.htm I once saw the northern lights. On the way back from a business trip to Oregon, I was sitting on the north-hand side of our airplane as it flew late at night. The captain came over the speaker to announce that if we looked out our window, we could see them ... and, sure enough, there they were....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822555 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3822555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805575&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F31%2Fjuly-dark-watch.htm It's time for this month's "Dark Watch," our regular feature (starting last month) where I cover all of the news related to dark matter and dark energy in a given month, with as little hype as I can possibly muster....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805575 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3805575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3794308&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F27%2Ffermilab-rap.htm A couple of years ago, the physics blogosphere was abuzz over the Large Hadron Rap, and now it seems a new video has surfaced - this time a Fermilab Rap video. The lyrics to the video are available on the YouTube site, in the text below the video. (You have to expand the text window to see it.) Overall, I think I enjoyed the Large Hadron Rap a bit more, but this new Fermilab one has a pretty fun beat....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3794308 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3794308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3783908&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F23%2Fmore-string-theory-discussions.htm I'm pleased to announce that my recent interview on a Madison radio station - trying to explain string theory in a way that makes sense to the average listener - has been preserved for posterity, on the WORT radio website. (Thanks to our reader Stephen L for the heads up on this!) It looks like it only sticks around there for 52 days, so I'll try to get the interview copied over to the String Theory for Dummies website before the time runs out....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3783908 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:21:06 +0100 3783908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3783907&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F24%2Fdcscience.htm Well, it's that time of year again. Soon, I'll be making another business trip to Washington, D.C., and will be trying to use my spare time to check out some cool Washington, D.C., science sites in the city....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3783907 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3783907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3775962&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F21%2Fquantum-teleportation.htm A group of Chinese scientists have broken an important barrier, transferring information through a form of quantum teleportation through 10 miles of empty space (a new record) while retaining about 89% of the information (also better than has been done in the past). This doesn't mean that particles are actually teleporting, though, just that information is being transmitted through a pair of entangled photons that are separated by that distance. Still, it's an impressive feat and may well provide some insights that help us revolutionize telecommunications in the years to come by applying various forms of quantum information principles, such as entanglement....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3775962 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3775962 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3771792&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F20%2Fgraphene-arsenic.htm Okay, we get it, graphene is amazing stuff. Really, we get the hint. It does wonderful stuff. What's it doing today? Well, apparently it can help to soak up arsenic, sparking the notion that it could be used to purify water in areas where arsenic contamination is a real problem (including, apparently, some parts of the United States)....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3771792 Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3771792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3766887&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F19%2Ftweetproof.htm Last week, I tweeted (from my account @AboutPhysics) about one of my blog posts:  Universe Born in a Black Hole? Here's the tweet that I twote ... er, tweeted ... anyway, here's what I said:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3766887 Sat, 17 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3766887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3762719&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F18%2Fnew-size-proton.htm New research has shown that physicists may have been over-estimating the size of the proton for most of the last century. The new research uses a method which should be more precise than previous methods by a factor of 10, and the result is that the radius of the proton seems to be about 4% smaller than the previous best estimate, which has been the average of many different measurements made over the years....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3762719 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3762719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3761203&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F17%2Fthe-great-higgs-boson-rumormill.htm Physics enthusiasts may have felt a rush of anticipation over the last week, as the rumormill and blogosphere got all a-twitter (if you'll pardon the expression) over the idea that Fermilab had discovered the Higgs boson. Well, it turns out that these rumors were just that....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3761203 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3761203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757456&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F15%2Fstringtheory-radio.htm Tonight, I will be a guest on the Madison, Wisconsin, community radio station WORT 89.9 FM. The program, The Perpetual Notion Machine, runs from 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm Central time (that's 8:00 pm to 8:30 pm for those of us in the Eastern time zone ... everyone else can do the math on their own). I will be discussing my recent book on string theory, as well as other mysteries of the universe....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757456 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3757456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3749816&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F13%2Funiverse-born-in-a-black-hole.htm There have long been speculations that our universe may essentially exist inside of a black hole within another universe, but many cosmologists have scoffed at this idea over the years. One example of such a theory is presented by Lee Smolin in his book The Life of the Cosmos, in which he theorizes not only that universes (including our own) are born inside of black holes, but goes even further to hypothesize that the whole "point" of a universe may be a natural-selection-like drive to create black holes more efficiently. (This is a gross oversimplification of his premise.) However, ideas like the one proposed by Smolin have long been relegated to the sidelines of cosmology as more science fiction than science fact....Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3749816 Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3749816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3742153&cid=s_38292_75_f&fid=38292&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphysics.about.com%2Fb%2F2010%2F07%2F10%2Fcorrectingstewartscienc.htm This last week, on Thursday, July 8, Jon Stewart interviewed Marilynne Robinson about her new book, Absence of Mind, on his Comedy Central satirical news program, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. My biggest issue was a simple and perfectly understandable, though scientifically serious, factual mis-statement on Jon Stewart's part. When he was discussing how some scientific claims seem to be rooted in "faith," he said:...Read Full Post (Source: About.com Physics) About.com Physics news http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3742153 Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:35:09 +0100 3742153