Sunday, May 31, 2015

Big Picture Science for Monday 01 June 2015 - Math’s Days are Numbered

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Big Picture Science - Math’s Days are Numbered

ENCORE: Imagine a world without algebra. We can hear the sound of school children applauding. What practical use are parametric equations and polynomials, anyway? Even some scholars argue that algebra is the Latin of today, and should be dropped from the mandatory curriculum.

But why stop there? Maybe we should do away with math classes altogether.

An astronomer says he’d be out of work: we can all forget about understanding the origins of the universe, the cycles of the moon and how to communicate with alien life. Also, no math = no cybersecurity + hackers (who have taken math) will have the upper hand.

Also, without mathematics, you’ll laugh < you do now. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has peppered his animated show with hidden math jokes.

And why mathematics = love.

Guests:

This encore podcast was first released on December 2, 2013.

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Math_s_Days_Are_Numbered

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Unusual Radar Echoes Detected as Noctilucent Clouds Intensify


Source - Space Weather News for May 28, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

Last week, Earth-orbiting satellites detected the first noctilucent clouds of the 2015 season.  Now people on Earth are seeing them, too.  Photographers in Scotland recorded a fairly bright display of the electric-blue clouds on May 28th.  At the same time, radars have detected intense echoes coming from the "noctilucent zone" 80 km to 90 km above Earth's surface--possibly coming from the clouds themselves. 

Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and observing tips to help readers see NLCs for themselves in the weeks ahead.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Big Picture Science for Monday 25 May 2015 - Skeptic Check: After the Hereafter

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Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: After the Hereafter

There are few enduring truths, but one is that no one gets out of life alive. What’s less certain is what comes next. Does everything stop with death, or are we transported to another plane of existence? First-hand accounts of people who claim to have visited heaven are offered as proof of an afterlife. Now the author of one bestseller admits that his story was fabricated.

We’ll look at the genre of “heaven tourism” to see if it has anything to say about the possible existence of the hereafter, and why the idea of an afterlife seriously influences how we live our lives on Earth.

Also, a neurologist describes what is going on in the brain during near-death and other out-of-body experiences.

It’s Skeptic Check, our monthly look at critical thinking … but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Skeptic_Check_After_the_Hereafter

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Roundworms have the Right Stuff


Source - NASA Science News for May 23, 2015

The common roundworm shares a surprising amount of genetic material with humans - enough, in fact, to make them good substitutes for astronauts in low-gravity medical studies.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/23may_roundworms/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8wVRZwL_Qc&feature=youtu.be



Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

Friday, May 22, 2015

Electric-blue Clouds Spotted over the Arctic Circle


Source - Space Weather News for May 22, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS: NASA's AIM spacecraft has spotted a luminous patch of electric-blue drifting across the Arctic Circle. The sighting marks the beginning of the 2015 season for northern-hemisphere noctilucent clouds (NLCs). Long ago, NLCs were a polar phenomenon confined mainly to the Arctic. In recent years, however, they have intensified and spread, with sightings as far south as Utah and Colorado. 

Learn more about these exotic clouds and how you might see them this summer on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Geomagnetic Storm on May 19th


Source - Space Weather News for May 19, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

GEOMAGNETIC STORM: A moderate (G2-class) geomagnetic storm is underway on May 19th as Earth enters an unsettled stream of solar wind.  High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras, especially during the hours around local midnight.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates.

SPRITE SEASON BEGINS: As northern summer approaches, photographers in Europe and the USA are starting to see "red sprites," an exotic form of lightning that shoots out of the tops of thunderclouds.  Photos and observing tips are highlighted on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Big Picture Science for Monday 18 May 2015 - They Know Who You Are

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Big Picture Science - They Know Who You Are

You’re a private person. But as long as you’re on-line and have skin and hair, you’re shedding little bits of data and DNA everywhere you go. Find out how that personal information – whether or not it’s used against you – is no longer solely your own. Are your private thoughts next?

A security expert shares stories of ingenious computer hacking … a forensic scientist develops tools to create a mug shot based on a snippet of DNA … and from the frontiers of neuroscience: mind reading may no longer be the stuff of sketchy psychics.

Guests:

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/They_Know_Who_You_Are

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Friday, May 15, 2015

The First Martian Marathon


Source - NASA Science News for May 15, 2015

On Earth, a fast runner takes a few hours to complete a marathon. On Mars, it takes about 11 years. NASA's Opportunity rover crossed the finish line of the first "Martian Marathon" in 2015.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/15may_marathon/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gN_cmK9TUc&feature=youtu.be



License: Standard YouTube License

Monday, May 11, 2015

Auroras on Mars


Source - NASA Science News for May 11, 2015

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has detected widespread auroras on Mars.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/11may_aurorasonmars/

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Big Picture Science for Monday 11 May 2015 - A Fundy Thing Happened













Big Picture Science - A Fundy Thing Happened

Get ready for déjà vu as you listen to some of our favorite interviews from the past year. It’s our annual fundraising podcast. Come for the great interviews, stay for the great interviews. Lend us your support along the way.

What’s for dinner? Maybe Soylent. Made by … people! We do a taste test. Then meet your gut microbes. They control your health and even your mood.

Get tips on how to talk to aliens, why you should keep an eye on government surveillance, and the future of 3D printing human tissue. Also, why extraordinary beliefs persist – including Holocaust denial – despite the persistence of evidence to the contrary.

And, global perspective: why Ebola won’t be the next big pandemic but sea level rise could wipe out coasts along Florida and Thailand.

Plus, we imagine life hundreds of years ago for the renegades on the rough seas, and what the world would be like had the dinosaurs not gone extinct.

All this and more on a special Big Picture Science podcast!

Guests:

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/A_Fundy_Thing_Happened

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

X2-class Solar Flare Causes Radio Blackout


Source - Space Weather News for May 6, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

X-FLARE: Emerging sunspot AR2339 unleashed an intense X2-class solar flare on May 5th at approximately 22:11 UT.  Radiation from the flare caused strong radio blackouts on the Pacific side of Earth, interfering with communications at frequencies below ~20 MHz.  The blast also hurled a CME into space, but not toward Earth. This event could herald a sustained period of high solar activity, as AR2339 appears to be large and explosive.

Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.

Saturday, May 02, 2015

Big Picture Science for Monday 04 May 2015 - The Evolution of Evolution

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Big Picture Science - The Evolution of Evolution

Darwinian evolution is adaptive and slow … millennia can go by before a species changes very much. But with the tools of genetic engineering we can now make radical changes in just one generation. By removing genes or inserting new ones, we can give an organism radically different traits and behaviors. We are taking evolution into our own hands.

It all began with the domestication of plants and animals, which one science writer says created civilization. Today, as humans tinker with their own genome, is it possible we will produce Homo sapiens 2.0?

Also, what happens to those species who can’t control their destiny? How climate change is forcing the biggest genetic reshuffling in recorded history.

Guests:

Permalink: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/The_Evolution_of_Evolution

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://radio.seti.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.