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Doing Science in the Past

Scientific American — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000

History is not often thought of as a science, but it can be if it uses the “comparative method.” Jared Diamond, professor of geography at the University of California, Los Angeles, and James A. Robinson, professor of government at Harvard University, employ the method effectively in the new book they have co-edited, Natural Experiments of History (Harvard University Press, 2010). In a timely study comparing Haiti with the Dominican Republic, for example, Diamond demonstrates that although both countries inhabit the same island, Hispaniola, because of geopolitical differences one ended up dirt poor while the other flourished.

Christopher Columbus’s brother Bartolomeo colonized Hispaniola in 1496 for Spain, establishing the capital at Santo Domingo on the eastern side of the island. Two centuries later, during tensions between France and Spain, the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 granted France dominion over the western half of the island. Because France was richer than Spain at this time and slavery was an integral part of its economy, it turned western Hispaniola into a center of slave trade with staggering differences in population: about 500,000 slaves in the western side of the island as compared with only 15,000 to 30,000 slaves in the eastern side.

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Hispaniola – Dominican Republic – Haiti – Jared Diamond – France

When Will We Be Able to Build Brains Like Ours?

Scientific American — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 05:00:00 +0000

When physicists puzzle out the workings of some new part of nature, that knowledge can be used to build devices that do amazing things — airplanes that fly, radios that reach millions of listeners. When we come to understand how brains function, we should become able to build amazing devices with cognitive abilities — such as cognitive cars that are better at driving than we are because they communicate with other cars and share knowledge on road conditions. In 2008, the National Academy of Engineering chose as one of its grand challenges to reverse-engineer the human brain. When will this happen? Some are predicting that the first wave of results will arrive within the decade, propelled by rapid advances in both brain science and computer science . This sounds astonishing, but it’s becoming increasingly plausible. So plausible, in fact, that the great race to reverse-engineer the brain is already triggering a dispute over historic “firsts.” [More]

Good teachers really do make a difference

Scientific American — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:30:00 +0000

Twin studies have shown that genetic factors can account for as much as 82 percent of the variability in children’s reading skills. But while genes might set the bar for reading potential, a new study published April 23 in Science shows that teachers play a leading role in helping kids reach it. [More]

`Missing Heat` will Eventually Show Itself

Global Warming — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:32:31 +0000

Very interesting article was posted not too long ago on Physorg.com about a recent study about ‘missing’ heat energy. The study was led by NCAR’s Kevin Trenberth. Roughly half of the world’s heat energy that has built up over recent…

What’s the (dark) matter? Physicist Peter Fisher says we may not know for 10 years

Scientific American — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Maybe science really is back in vogue. Or maybe "dark matter" is a case of remarkably successful scientific branding–who wouldn’t be drawn in by a name like that? Then again, maybe people just want to know what the heck makes up the vast majority of the universe, a question to which science has provided only sketchy answers. [More]

NOAA Confirms Warmest March on Record Globally

Global Warming — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:58:37 +0000

Earlier this month, two sources for satellite measured temperatures of the lower troposphere indicated that March 2010 was the warmest March in the satellite record going back to 1979. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has now confirmed…

DARPA Reveals Plans for Avatar-Like Flying, Electric Transformer Car (Inhabitat.com)

Pollution and Warming - Revue de presse Earth-stream.com — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:17:04 +0000

Photo credit: Popular Science
We are totally nerd-ing out right now over a new DARPA project. The Department of Defense’s research branch wants to merge the best elements of a pl …

Ancient Trees could Unlock Climate Change Secrets

Global Warming — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:26:36 +0000

Ancient Kauri Trees, which are hidden in New Zealand’s peat bogs will soon be unearthed by researchers led by the University of Exeter. The base of a Kauri Tree. ScienceDaily article. Professor Christopher Ramsey, from the School of Archaeology at…

Climate Change Models taking Heat

Global Warming — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:32:46 +0000

Nice article from the Washington Post today. The story is about the ramped up attacks on climate change models. The article also gives examples of how models are also used in government, business and sports. In talking specifically about the…

Symphony of Science

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:48:00 +0000

Wisdom of science in a musical format.