Scientific Discovery
|
Mathematical discovery
Maths. It's one of those things that most people either love or hate. Those who fall on the hate side of things might still have nightmares of showing up for a high school math test unprepared, even years after graduation. Math is, by nature, an abstract subject, and it can be hard to wrap your head around it if you don't have a good teacher to guide you. But even if you don't count yourself a fan of mathematics, it's hard to argue that it hasn't been a vital factor in our rapid evolution as a society. We reached the moon because of math. Math allowed us to tease out the secrets of DNA, create and transmit electricity over hundreds of miles to power our homes and offices, and gave rise to computers and all that they do for the world. Without math, we'd still be living in caves getting eaten by cave tigers. Our history is rich with mathematicians who helped advance our collective understanding of math, but there are a few standouts whose brilliant work and intuitions pushed things in huge leaps and bounds. Their thoughts and discoveries continue to echo through the ages, reverberating today in our cellphones, satellites, hula hoops and automobiles. We picked five of the most brilliant mathematicians whose work continues to help shape our modern world, sometimes hundreds of years after their death. Enjoy! Read more: http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/blogs/5-brilliant-mathematicians-and-their-impact-on-the-modern#ixzz3F3rJdmD1 |
Micro Worlds
The images opposite are from a new monograph Microcosmos by photographer Brandon Broll, that reveal the world around us, and on us, in surprsing ways leaving us with an opportunity to make discoveries that may lead us to question our assumptions about the world we though we knew. Image 1 - The cover showing a wood ant carrying a microchip Image 2 - A section of the human eyebrow Image 3 - Butterfly eggs attached to a leaf Image 4 - Cigarette paper showing the crystals that release Oxygen on heat |
|
Science Fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations, and has been called a "literature of ideas". Authors commonly use science fiction as a framework to explore politics, identity, desire, morality, social structure, and other literary themes. Science fiction is difficult to define, as it includes a wide range of subgenres and themes. Author and editor Damon Knight summed up the difficulty, saying "science fiction is what we point to when we say it"a definition echoed by author Mark C. Glassy, who argues that the definition of science fiction is like the definition of pornography: you do not know what it is, but you know it when you see it.Vladimir Nabokov argued that if we were rigorous with our definitions, Shakespeare's play The Tempest would have to be termed science fiction. According to science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, "a handy short definition of almost all science fiction might read: realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method."Rod Serling's definition is "fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science fiction is the improbable made possible."[6] Lester del Rey wrote, "Even the devoted aficionado—or fan—has a hard time trying to explain what science fiction is", and that the reason for there not being a "full satisfactory definition" is that "there are no easily delineated limits to science fiction." Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternative possible worlds or futures.It is similar to, but differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated physical laws (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). The settings for science fiction are often contrary to those of consensus reality, but most science fiction relies on a considerable degree of suspension of disbelief, which is facilitated in the reader's mind by potential scientific explanations or solutions to various fictional elements. Science fiction elements include:
|
|
New Frontiers
Science has a long traditon of leading in discoveries of new technology and ways of understanding the world and exposing new frontiers of knowledge for humanity. In the twenty first century, robotics, combined with new discoveries in the field of artificial intelligence has ushered in the era of the drones. The clip opposite presents ways that this new technology might reveal new frontiers. |