NYT : Edison ...Wasn’t He the Guy Who Invented Everything?

An article from the New York Times revealed the truth about innovators and patents. For instance, the human recording voice was actually invented two decades before Thomas Edison's famous invention, phonograph. It was invented by the Frenchman in who ran out of money for patent. This has occured numerous of time.

For further reading, click on the link below.

Edison ...Wasn’t He the Guy Who Invented Everything?

NYT : Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More

I found a story interesting. The is a laboratory that builds the Large Hardon Collider, in which the colliding protons will recreate energies and conditions last seen a trillionth of a second after the Big Dang.

Two guys are suiting because they claimed that it can create the black hole that can swallow the Earth.

That's ludicrous! I don't think that this type of collider is capable of doing something to create something that could become the black hole.

For further reading, click on the link below.

Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More

NYT : On Saturn Moon, Life’s Basics

Scientists have been speculating about the life on Saturn's small moon Enceladus. The reason that the speculation of life is due to geysers at the south pole some 500 miles off the icy surface into space.

Since this moon does have some water, it is capable of supporting life. I would assume that relatively simple life can be formed, especially with microbes. I think that this moon is unlikely to form a complex organics.

Let's send a robot to that moon and have it search for something and relay back the information to us. It could happen in 20 years from now.

For further reading, click on the link below.

On Saturn Moon, Life’s Basics

Yahoo : Gas-belching volcanoes may have killed dinosaurs

Even though the article was published late last week, I want to comment on this. There are several different theories about how dinosaurs went extinct. Gas-belching volcanos may have wiped out dinosaurs. The volcanos would have released a vast amount of sulfur and chlorine, releasing too much toxic.

Both dinosaurs and sea reptiles vanished But, why didn't other reptiles such as snakes, lizards, alligators, etc., go extinct too? The size of dinosaurs may be the factor. Mammals, birds, and other animals were small when king lizards were wiped out 65 million years ago.

I like the asteroid impacts theory more but I shall not close the door on the gas-belching volcanos theory. I think that it's important to look at all different theories. For further reading, click on the link below.

Gas-belching volcanoes may have killed dinosaurs

NYT : A Boy’s Life, Guided by the Voice of Cosmic Wonder

I just read a lovely essay about Arthure C. Clarke. Dennis Overbye was describing his own passion in reading books by Arthur while growing up. Read on.

A Boy’s Life, Guided by the Voice of Cosmic Wonder

DISCOVER : Did Life Evolve in Ice?

There is a fascinating article about life evolving in ice. Did it really occur that gave the rise to life today? Stanley Miller had filled the vial in 1972 with a mixture of ammonia and cyanide, the chemicals that may be the key ingredient that originated the life. He had kept them at -108 –108 degrees Fahrenheit for a quarter of century. The ice was very dry. After he and his former student brushed off the frost from the vial, they have discovered that the mixture of ammonia and cyanide went from colorless to color.

For further reading, click on the link below.

Did Life Evolve in Ice?

NYT : Stuff of Life (but Not Life Itself) Is Detected on a Distant Planet

This is the beginning! The Hubble Space Telescope has finally detected an exoplanet with relatively simple life -- molecules. I agree that the planet requires to have water and some sort of gases in order to originate life. The exoplanet itself is too hot. The temperature goes as high as 1,700 Fahrenheit. It orbits around the sun that is smaller than our own sun. The distance between that exoplanet and small sun is about 3 million miles apart and the exoplanet mass is similar to Jupiter.

I am still skeptical on other planets supporting intellectual life like ours. But, I am more optimistic on finding out about simple life on other planet. If the simple life could evolve into more complex living things, I would be totally impressed.

For further reading, click on the link below.

Stuff of Life (but Not Life Itself) Is Detected on a Distant Planet

NYT : Arthur C. Clarke, Premier Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 90

Arthur Clarke's death has gotten my attention. I have read two books written by him. Even though I preferred Isaac Asimov books, I have been impressed with Arthur Clarke's accomplishments. The New York Times published an interesting obituary about this author. Below, you will find the link to this article.

NYT : Arthur C. Clarke, Premier Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 90

NYT : Stop the Mutants!

Just read Olivia Judson's essay about evolutionary biology in the New York Times. I thought that it's a very good essay. I have included the link in this post. Enjoy!

Stop the Mutants!

NYT : Kissing the Earth Goodbye in About 7.59 Billion Years

What do you think will happen to the Earth in a couple billion years from now? As our sun's core starts to burn out, the size of sun will get larger and larger and it will become the red giant like all other dying stars.

What exactly will happen to the Earth? Will it be swallowed into sun? Will it go into a violent tug war with their own star? Will it break up into pieces? Will it escape sun's mighty gravitational force?

Will it actually occur in about 7.59 billion years from now? The calculation may be accurate.

Below is a link to an interesting New York Times article.

Kissing the Earth Goodbye in About 7.59 Billion Years

NYT : Gauging Age of Universe Becomes More Precise

We are getting closer to reality. Before that, we got some different figures on age of universe. It was 10-20 billion years old. Now, the figure is 13.73 billion years old with 120 million years old more or less. Will future instruments be able to give us the exact age? It will probably become reality during our lifetime.

The new data suggested that the earliest stars switched on 400 million years after the Big Bang. Also, it took half a billion years to break apart all of the atoms.

Separately, In the past, I have pondered about the Big Bang theory and how this was created. What has happened before the Bang Big? Did the time start prior to the Big Bang or it actually started when the Big Bang occurred? WE will probably never know.

For further reading, click on the link below.

Gauging Age of Universe Becomes More Precise

NYT : Sociable, and Smart

In fact, the enormous size of the human brain is mysterious. The article has suggested that the social networking could be the factor. They had to study other animals rather than primates in order to help to shed the light. The researchers have discovered that the primates with a big frontal cortex tend to live in large groups. The predators and other factors could have helped primates to move ahead. I think that hypothesis is interesting.

For further reading, click on the link below.

Sociable, and Smart