Category Archives: Science and Technology

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 →

Posted in Business, Education, environment, Health, In the Neighborhood, Nature, Obituaries, Remembrances, Science and Technology, Transportation, Volunteering | Comments Off on Remembering Tom Gibbs, a Titan of Seattle Infrastructure

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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Wreckage of WWII aircraft carrier USS Hornet discovered in expedition

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Paul T for sending this along.

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Brain chemistry and love – from BrainHQ.com

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Sally S who sent this in. BrainHQ is an online brain-training system that represents the culmination of 30 years of research in neurological science and related medicine. It was designed by an international team of neuroscientists, led by Michael Merzenich—a … Continue reading →

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Alfred U. MacRae ’54, G’57, G’60 a pioneer in integrated circuits, satellite communications

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Ed note: The following article came out this past year from Syracuse University. It highlights Al’s career as a scientist and rogue bagpipe player – the ghost of Archibald Stadium. Al is one of the many “FIPs” at Skyline. “I’ve … Continue reading →

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Ingenious: Leonard Hayflick

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Jim deMaine

One of the world’s preeminent experts on aging on his life in research. From Nautilis: “After all, for 60 years it had been known that human cells were immortal, capable of dividing forever if they were cultivated in the right … Continue reading →

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Is the future of medicine a cell, not a pill?

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Gordon G for sending this along. We are entering a new area where using specialized cells modified with your genome in mind, may provide the breakthroughs in cancer, parkinson’s and other serious illness.

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Should Scientists Toy With the Secret to Life?

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Jim deMaine

Ed Note: Science continues to push well ahead of the ethical implications involved, especially now with the ability to modify our basic genetic makeup. With Crispr the key is now present to consider literally cutting out bad genes known to … Continue reading →

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