If human beings are ever to colonise other planets – which might become necessary for the survival of the species, given how far we have degraded this one – they will almost certainly have to use generation ships: spaceships that will support not just those who set out on them, but also their descendants. The vast distances between Earth and the nearest habitable planets, combined with the fact that we are unlikely ever to invent a way of travelling that exceeds the speed of light, ensures that many generations will be born, raised and die on board such a ship before it arrives at its destination.
Continue reading “Would it be immoral to send out a generation starship?”Passive Houses save energy and have reduced impact on the environment
The passive house movement, which is arguably strongest in Europe, is gaining in popularity around the world. People who are committed to protecting the environment and reducing their energy consumption turn to the passive house movement to create a home that has minimal impact on the environment. If you’re a homeowner who would like to reduce your dependence on carbon-based fuels while at the same time maintaining a high quality of life, here’s what you need to know about the passive house movement.
Continue reading “Passive Houses save energy and have reduced impact on the environment”Highest-Resolution Mars Panorama Yet by the Curiosity Rover
Between November 24 and December 1, 2019, NASA’s Curiosity Rover has captured its highest-resolution Mars panorama yet. The composite contains 1.8 billion pixels of the Martian landscape and it is composed of more than 1,000 images.
Continue reading “Highest-Resolution Mars Panorama Yet by the Curiosity Rover”Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling in STEM Fields
It may be a man’s world but, let’s face it, far more often than not, it’s the women who are running it. It’s the women who provide the brains as well as the heart, the wisdom and the care.
However, for all the remarkable contributions women have made, and continue to make, to human history, barriers persist. The fields of science and technology, for example, continue to be overwhelmingly populated by men.
Nevertheless, women are at last breaking into the boys’ club of the STEM fields. In this article, we’ll explore the STEM fields in which women are playing an increasingly important role. We’ll also celebrate the women who are breaking the glass ceiling and unlocking the doors for the female scientists and technologists of the future.
Continue reading “Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling in STEM Fields”Evolution: that famous “march of progress” image is just wrong
Jordi Paps, University of Bristol and Cristina Guijarro-Clarke, University of Essex
Evolution explains how all living beings, including us, came to be. It would be easy to assume evolution works by continuously adding features to organisms, constantly increasing their complexity. Some fish evolved legs and walked onto the land. Some dinosaurs evolved wings and began to fly. Others evolved wombs and began to give birth to live young.
Continue reading “Evolution: that famous “march of progress” image is just wrong”Harnessing Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy taps into and harvests the heat released from below the surface of the earth. It’s a renewable energy that doesn’t contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Geothermal energy reduces our carbon footprint and doesn’t take up a structural footprint, either. Unlike the endless fields of wind turbines or solar panel arrays, most of the energy generation happens out of sight and underground.
Continue reading “Harnessing Geothermal Energy”Neil Diamond: Hands – Best Meme about COVID-19 (2019 Coronavirus Disease)
I saw a funny but also instructive meme about COVID-19 (2019 Coronavirus Disease) on Twitter and I couldn’t help but share it.
Continue reading “Neil Diamond: Hands – Best Meme about COVID-19 (2019 Coronavirus Disease)”Freeman Dyson who imagined alien megastructures dies at 96
Sad news… Freeman Dyson, the English-born American theoretical physicist, and mathematician who imagined hypothetical alien megastructure called “Dyson Sphere” died on February 28, 2020. Freeman was 96 years old.
Continue reading “Freeman Dyson who imagined alien megastructures dies at 96”Earth and Moon as seen through Saturn’s rings – amazing 2017 Cassini image
A very beautiful photo of Earth and Moon as seen through Saturn’s rings – an image taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on April 13, 2017.
Continue reading “Earth and Moon as seen through Saturn’s rings – amazing 2017 Cassini image”Why the night sky is dark?
Roger Barlow, University of Huddersfield
Why the night sky is dark? It sounds obvious. That’s what night is. The sun has set and when you look up at the sky, it’s black. Except where there’s a star, of course. The stars are bright and shiny.
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