Category Archives: Science and Technology

This Man Was Tried in Tennessee for Teaching Evolution

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to The Smithsonian and Ann M. In July 1925, a young science teacher named John Scopes was in court, accused of contravening the Butler Act—a Tennessee law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in schools. Click here for the … Continue reading →

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Carl Sagan talks to Johnny Carson

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Jim deMaine
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30 facts about life in Japan

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Gordon G. Can we learn?

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When you have too much time on your hands

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Jim deMaine
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Singing Mozart in the MRI shows how overtone singers can hit two notes at once

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Jim deMaine

In polyphonic overtone singing, vocalists manipulate their tongue, mouth and throat to produce two tones at once. While the technique has emerged in disparate societies, it is thought to have originated in (and is most commonly associated with) Mongolian culture. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Science and Technology | 1 Comment

The Watch Is Smart, but It Can’t Replace Your Doctor

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Jim deMaine

The Apple Watch has been quite successful as a smart watch. The company would also like it to succeed as a medical device. The recently published results of the Apple Heart Study in the New England Journal of Medicine show there’s still a long … Continue reading →

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The Ten Best Science Books of 2019

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Jim deMaine

By Jay Bennett , Rachael Lallensack From The Smithsonian – thanks to Ann M. for sending this. Science books offer an opportunity to step back from the constant stream of dramatic new discoveries to consider the broader implications of ongoing research. The books … Continue reading →

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Why curing cancer is so hard | Azra Raza | TEDxNewYork – coming to Town Hall 11/12

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Jim deMaine

We spend $150 billion per year treating cancer, yet mortality rates from this disease remain largely unchanged from fifty years ago. According to oncologist Azra Raza, our systems for treating cancer are fundamentally broken. In conversation with LeRoy Hood of the … Continue reading →

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Reconstructing ancient faces

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Gordon G for finding this. The reconstruction of likenesses of long-dead humans has made remarkable progress. With detailed computer programs, DNA studies, and advanced technologies like 3D printing — the margin of error in scientifically reconstructed faces has … Continue reading →

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Futuristic technology

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Donna D for sending this.

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Why are some people left handed

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Jim deMaine

I’m a pure rightie but in my family there are lefties and some with traits of both. One of my sons throws right in baseball, bats left and in soccer, kicks left. Gordon G sends along this interesting video essay. … Continue reading →

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How easy it is to make fake videos – and how to spot them

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Gordon G!

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Journey to the moon – Skyline presentation

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Jim deMaine
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Giant batteries and cheap solar power are shoving fossil fuels off the grid

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Jim deMaine

This month, officials in Los Angeles, California, are expected to approve a deal that would make solar power cheaper than ever while also addressing its chief flaw: It works only when the sun shines. The deal calls for a huge … Continue reading →

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Remembering Tom Gibbs, a Titan of Seattle Infrastructure

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Jim deMaine

By Doug Macdonald published in Post Alley Ed note: A good friend and colleague of Tom’s has written more of his story and sent this along to Skyline. What a marvelous legacy he has left. Do we all understand that … Continue reading →

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The Creepy Anglerfish Comes to Light. (Just Don’t Get Too Close.)

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Few wonders of the sunless depths appear quite so ghoulish or improbable as anglerfish, creatures that dangle bioluminescent lures in front of needlelike teeth. They are fish that fish. Typically, the rod of flesh extending from the forehead glows at the … Continue reading →

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DNA Microscope Sees ‘Through the Eyes of the Cell’

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Jim deMaine

From the NYT by By Knvul Sheikh Peering inside cells has been an integral part of biology ever since the 17th century, when cells were discovered under a microscope. But even with advances in light and electron microscopy, researchers who want … Continue reading →

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Technology is revealing new information about the ocean floor

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Jim deMaine
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Making ears out of apples

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Gordon G for finding this interesting TED talk. Andrew Pelling is a biohacker, and nature is his hardware. His favorite materials are the simplest ones (and oftentimes he finds them in the garbage). Building on the cellulose structure … Continue reading →

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Was It an Invisible Attack on U.S. Diplomats, or Something Stranger?

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: The article below from the New York Times raises the possibility, even probability, that those diplomats in Cuba were affected by a “functional” psychogenic type of disorder. It’s a real, treatable and widely misunderstood – a neurologic phenomenon … Continue reading →

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The world seems designed against the elderly

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Aside from being old, Don Norman is a leading authority on the design of emotional pleasing and useable technology. He is the author of Design of Everyday ThingsandEmotional Design, a former vice president at Apple, and professor and director of the … Continue reading →

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The NASA Kelley Twin Study – comments and a video about the future of genetics in space travel

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Jim deMaine

The news media yesterday had a fascinating story about a twin experiment involving astronaut Scott Kelly and his identical twin Mark. The results of the effects on Scott have recently been published in the journal Science. Most changes to his … Continue reading →

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The first-ever picture of a black hole

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Jim deMaine

In April 2017, scientists used a global network of telescopes to see and capture the first-ever picture of a black hole, according to an announcement by researchers at the National Science Foundation Wednesday morning. They captured an image of the … Continue reading →

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The biggest problem we are not addressing

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Jim deMaine

The frozen continent of Antarctica contains the vast majority of all freshwater on Earth. Now that ice is melting at an accelerating rate, in part because of climate change. What does this transformation mean for coastal communities across the globe? … Continue reading →

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Office Depot settles tech support scam FTC complaint

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Jim deMaine

From KIRO news: “Office Depot agreed yesterday to pay $25 million in a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission as part of a lawsuit accusing the company of tricking customers into buying unneeded tech support services –akin to a real-world version … Continue reading →

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