Author: Kelly Burnes
-
Weekly Science Picks
Welcome to Weekly Science Picks! Here are some of the top science stories that caught my eye this past week. A smorgasbord of science stories, if you will. Topics include farming in the African desert, the publish or perish dilemma of academia, the wiring patterns of the male and female brains and skilled builder bees. Hope…
-
Ocean Chemistry Unbalanced
Ocean acidification is a decrease in the pH of the oceans, caused by the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. It’s a problem; a real problem. One that marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called global warming’s “equally evil twin.” If pH levels in the ocean continue to decline, as a…
-
Weekly Science Picks
Good morning. Or good afternoon, or evening, depending on your time zone. But it’s time for Weekly Science Picks, so let’s take a look at some of the stories making headlines in the world of science this week. CLIMATE. 2013 ‘one of warmest’ on record by Roger Harrabin Dr Steve Rintoul, research team leader at…
-
Plastic’s Reach
Plastic. Seems it has extended its reach into the farthest corners of the universe. An earliest post described how plastic has changed our lives, for better…and for worse. ADD link to earlier post. That post largely reflected on the growing problem of plastic in the oceans and the effect on plant and animal life. Now,…
-
Weekly Science Picks
Welcome to this edition of Weekly Science Picks! Here’s a great little story to get us started about how one scientist found out about his Nobel Prize win this past week. He doesn’t carry a mobile. Prof Peter Higgs did not know he had won Nobel Prize by BBC News Nobel Prize-winning scientist…
-
Big Data…Big Deal
Data is everywhere. It touches and informs every aspect of our lives. You go to the doctor, and your medical records are electronic on a computer screen before your eyes. You bank online. The stock market is all done by computers. We are living in The Data Age. I grew up in a time where…
-
Weekly Science Picks
Well, it’s a new day in Australia with the election of Tony Abbott. It will be interesting to see what changes may be ahead for environmental laws and science. But this is Weekly Science Picks and not a political roundup at the moment, so let’s get started on some of the fascinating stories in the…
-
Hyperloop – A Reality for Commuters?
As many of you may have heard, Elon Musk – founder of Tesla Motors, PayPal and SpaceX – released his plans for an extraordinary new mode of transportation, the Hyperloop. Whether they are ‘his’ plans, and if it is a ‘new’ idea, is up for debate. But we’ll leave it there and focus on the idea…
-
Water, water everywhere?
We often don’t plan for water in the broader sense when we think of developing communities and towns. The water pipes are underground, sure, and they flow to the water and sewer treatment plant, and we have water whenever we command the faucet to release it. But when you think about it, the water cycle…
-
Weekly Science Picks
What a week in the world of science! Let’s dive right in! I’m currently re-reading the Ultimate ‘ Guide by Douglas Adams. This next story got me to thinking of custom designed planet building. What a lovely shade of pink! Newly Discovered Pink Exoplanet on the Lighter Side by Jane J. Lee In a new study announcing…
-
Talking Cars
The automobile. If you have one, it is the largest computer you own. When you think about the rate of changes made from the Model T to the present day 4-door family sedan, the evolutionary rate of development has been extraordinary. It’s data and computers and sensors that inform what’s running right with your car,…
-
Drug Sport
The 100th edition of Le Tour de France came to a close yesterday evening in Paris. It was a spectacular 3 weeks of racing. The battling of teams, riders positioning for stage wins, fans in fancy (and quite often strange) dress, stunning scenery – all made for a memorable tour indeed. I’ve watched a lot of…
-
Talking Carbon, Talking Solutions – Australians Want Action
The issues of climate change and carbon pricing have been caught in a purgatorial pinball game over the past 12 months. No wonder there is confusion, doubt and general misunderstanding on climate change among the populace considering the political battle lines drawn between parties in state houses, parliament buildings and capitols worldwide. But a recent…
-
Weekly Science Picks
Welcome to this edition of Weekly Science Picks. What a busy news week – with the markets up, the transportation incidents with planes and trains, major flooding in China…well, there’s been a lot going on. And there were numerous stories of scientific importance reported on as well. So I’ve listed the stories I’ve found significant…