Dr. Rockrazer, an archaeologist from the twentieth century was excited. And, for him, that was completely out of character. Because most of his contemporaries and fellow workers in the dirt found him to be quite dry, if you’ll pardon the accidental pun. But here he was with a face full of obvious exuberance as he held a tiny thimble above his head to get … Read the rest…
Homo sapiens. The pinnacle of design. And incredibly, almost incomprehensibly complex. But even the fittest, most sophisticated models break down. And that’s in spite of all the mechanisms installed to help them function at optimum levels. If you’re a homo sapiens, here’s one example you might find interesting. (And by the way…if you’re reading this, you fall into this category. At least if you’re … Read the rest…
Yeah, it only takes 23 chromosomes to create the person you know as “myself.” Well, to be more accurate, it takes 23 from your mother and 23 from your father. But who’s counting. I mean besides DNA specialists, biologists, and other people who dive into such microscopic things. But you know who’s not counting? God. Why would God count to see if there are … Read the rest…
DNA extraction. Sounds like something straight outta Jurassic Park, right? But it’s not science fiction anymore. And it’s another one of the millions of examples of how we’re not just carbon based lifeforms. DNA extraction has been done in impossible places. But before I share a few of those, I’d like to share some steps to the extraction process. Because it’s important to know … Read the rest…
You don’t need radiometric dating to discover the first rock-n-roll song to top the Billboard charts was written by a guy from the 1800’s. But you DO need to know how that’s even possible. And I’m here to share a little bit about it. Plus, I’ll show you how timing is everything. But what’s radiometric dating got to do with rock-n-roll? Well, patience my … Read the rest…
I’ve seen it described as “a geometric drawing device that produces mathematical roulette curves of the variety technically known as hypotrochoids and epitrochoids.” And since that sounds too simple for most people, maybe you’d prefer the description in their commercials from back in the 60’s. “Make a million multicolor designs so beautiful your eyes won’t believe what your hands have done.” What is it? … Read the rest…
Since I’m more known for composing (music), it might seem a little weird for me to talk about decomposing. But here I am talking about it. And I’m guessing that you might already be aware of how your DNA starts decomposing the moment you die. Am I right? Well, it does. And apparently before 1990 almost no one believed DNA could be more than … Read the rest…
Let me tell you about Old Fourlegs, the fish. I know that sounds weird from the git-go. But I think you’ll get a kick out of it. Because it’s one of the rarest of fish tales. It’s true. Just about all other fish tales pale in comparison. OK, once upon a time (hey, I said it’s a tale) there was a big fish … Read the rest…
I’ve been accused of being corny more than once in my life. And just because the accusations have been tossed out there doesn’t mean I’m guilty. I AM guilty. But not just because of the accusations. And it looks like I’m about to pile on some fodder because I’m interested in the Corn Moon this year. The Corn Moon got its name from some … Read the rest…
Young galaxies are everywhere Well, they’re not here on earth. That’s just silly. But young galaxies are all over the place in space. In fact, none of them are more than several thousand years old. And in space time that’s young. Are you still with me? Thinking about young galaxies makes me remember way back in 1964. I’ve mentioned, before, how my Mom and … Read the rest…
A star is born – no, not that one I believe I’ve seen three out of four versions of the movie, A Star Is Born. I know I’ve seen first one from 1937 starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. And I’m pretty sure I saw the second one with Judy Garland and James Mason. And I know I saw the third one, in 1976 … Read the rest…
Ain’t it nice when stars collide? Yeah, usually that expression, when stars collide, brings on visions of falling in love. But what about when actual stars crash into each other? It’s all bliss and fun till somebody gets hurt. Right? Fortunately it’s a rare event when stars collide. So rare that scientists had never seen it happen until recently. At least that’s what … Read the rest…