This week was a mix of editing and garages. The edits on the 2nd Logan’s World book are going well, and as the temperatures have warmed up a bit, I was able to get out to do a little work in my garage – something I’d not be able to think of for at least another month in previous years. After lifting my Corvette on my new Quickjack, I removed all the wheels in preparation for getting new tires. There’s always time for some science though!
- Space flight is usually considered the exclusive domain of rich national organizations or rich businessmen, but if the small independent group Copenhagen Suborbitals has anything to do with it, that could all change. Read more…
- The world of quantum mechanics routinely throws up all kinds of ideas that seem nonsensical to our normal ways of viewing things. One of the trippiest is that life isn’t actually real, and we live in a quantum dream of our own making. Read more…
- We live in a world where everyone is told to multi-task, and we juggle daily with everything that we “should” do, whether at work or in our home lives. We’ve even created entire industries to “help” us with this, but what if we’re simply incapable? Read more…
- Black holes! These wondrous gravitational monsters have fascinated us with their sheer destructiveness since they were first theorized in 1958 by David Finkelstein. Typically they are seen at the center of galaxies. But now, astronomers have discovered something previously unseen: a black hole wandering freely through interstellar space! Read more…
- In my Joe Ballen novels, the space-faring Atolls have a quite different culture to Earth people, and part of that is the way they have children. Essentially, offspring are produced through artificial insemination guided by genetic selection and raised in artificial wombs. Sex is something only for pleasure. Parents never know their children and have no involvement in their raising. Now Chinese researchers have created the first robot systems that can care for embryos grown in artificial wombs! Read more…
- Our brains constantly deceive us. Thinking is hard, and energy intensive, so in efforts to prevent us using too much, our brains try to second-guess what’s coming. Many times the brain gets it right, but often it doesn’t. Read more…
- It looks like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was right all along. Wormholes may be stable after all! Read more…
- SpaceX says it’s “Starship” rocket will launch to orbit this year. But given Elon Musk’s only tangential relationship to veracity and repeated failure to deliver, is that likely? Read more…
- Venus is a cloud-laden mystery with a surface that’s impossible to see in visible light, and for years, scientists have relied on infrared and radar to explore its depths. But NASA’s WISPR cameras on the Parker Solar Probe have captured images from the dark side of the planet for the first time. Read more…
- Genetic modification can hugely increase crop yields and nutritional value in many foods, which could potentially cure world hunger and help fight climate change. So what’s stopping us? As it turns out, the problem isn’t in the science. Read more…
If you found these stories interesting, feel free to comment below. Until next time, stay safe, positive, and curious!