We Are the Explorers

As submitted by lonecenturion:

We Are the Explorers (video) 

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If you have 10 minutes spare, here is another thing I think you may like…

As submitted by mileswayward:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U

In the confines of a London dinner party, comedian Tim Minchin argues with a hippy named Storm. While Storm herself may not be converted, audiences from London to LA have been won over by Tim’s wordplay and the timely message of the film in a society where science and reason are portrayed as the enemy of belief.

Enjoy =)

Here’s the embed of the video:

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thewalrusisagod said:

Does wind power really have “under-rated potential”? I’ve read before (can’t cite sources, so I’m not sure as to the accuracy) that, at least a decade or so ago and depending on the climate, it might take more energy to create/maintain them in working order than they could generate, long-term (repairs, replacement blades, etc.) and that they couldn’t operate without subsidies (at that time, at least). I also know, from my high school physics ventures, that making a reasonably efficient wind-powered generator is *not* easily done. 

I guess I’m really un-informed about wind power, though.

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What is the Scientific Method?

As submitted by mileswayward:

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the evolution of the Scientific Method, the systematic and analytical approach to scientific thought in a BBC broadcast:

In 1620 the great philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon published the Novum Organum, a work outlining a new system of thought which he believed should inform all enquiry into the laws of nature. Philosophers before him had given their attention to the reasoning that underlies scientific enquiry; but Bacon’s emphasis on observation and experience is often seen today as giving rise to a new phenomenon: the scientific method.

The scientific method, and the logical processes on which it is based, became a topic of intense debate in the seventeenth century, and thinkers including Isaac Newton, Thomas Huxley and Karl Popper all made important contributions. Some of the greatest discoveries of the modern age were informed by their work, although even today the term ‘scientific method’ remains difficult to define.

Rare Earth Element Tellurium Detected for the First Time in Ancient Stars

Today, stars and planetary bodies bear traces of these elements, having formed from the gas enriched by these supernovas over time. For the past 50 years, scientists have been analyzing stars of various ages, looking to chart the evolution of chemical elements in the universe and to identify the astrophysical phenomena that created them.

Now a team of researchers from institutions including MIT has detected the element tellurium for the first time in three ancient stars. The researchers found traces of this brittle, semiconducting alloy — which is very rare on Earth — in stars that are nearly 12 billion years old. The finding supports the theory that tellurium, along with even heavier elements in the periodic table, likely originated from a very rare type of supernova during a rapid process of nuclear fusion.

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Thanks to thenewenlightenmentage for the submission!!

Fluids in Action: Amazing Properties!

As submitted by djsven:

Recently posted by Alchymista was a post on Ferrofluids. I wanted to show some examples in action. Here they are! Enjoy!

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