Science and SciFi
In a past post I mentioned the serendipitous discovery of an encrypted message attached to the leg of a pigeon. The message, from WWII, had eluded the experts at GCHQ and the contents of… Read More »The most secret of messages… cracked!!
If is said that if a cell is the building block of life, then a transistor is the building block of the digital era. Without them a lot of the gadgets, gizmos and technology we… Read More »Transistor – Sci-advent – Day 16
Lasers have become so common that the number of applications they have do not surprise us. Nonetheless, their characteristics still captivate all of us. Laser is an acronym of Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission… Read More »Laser – Sci-advent – Day 15
One may think that anti-matter features only in theoretical physics textbooks or in sci-fi devices, nonetheless it is very much in current use. Positrons are the anti-particle of electrons and their existence was proposed… Read More »Positron Emission Tomography – Sci-advent – Day 14
Materials that respond to the application of a magnetic field are described as magnetic materials. Magnetism can be attractive (paramagnetism) or repulsive (diamagnetism). Some materials are permanent magnets, this mess that their magnetic fields are… Read More »Magnetism – Sci-advent – Day 12
A 1970 periodic table by Prof. Wm. F. Sheehan of the University of Santa Clara that claims to show the elements according to relative abundance at the Earth’s surface. Dmitri Mendeleev published a first… Read More »Periodic Table (by abundance) – Sci-advent – Day 11
Spiders and their webs are an excellent example of a predator, but can you enslave a spider? Well it seems that a species of wasp has mastered the art. The unsuspected spider is instructed by… Read More »Zombie Spiders – Sci-advent – Day 10
British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore, died aged 89 Sir Patrick Moore was an inspiration to generations of astronomers and scientists in general. He presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50… Read More »Sir Patrick Moore – Sci-advent – Day 8
Total solar eclipse over the Marshall Islands in 2009. Picture by Vojtech Rusin. A solar eclipse happens when, as seen from the Earth, the Moon passes in front of the Sun and thus blocking it… Read More »Total Solar Eclipse – Sci-advent – Day 7
Grrrreat!