Category: Uncategorized
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The gospel lesson of the “widow’s mite” tells how the poorest person, a widow (no SSI in those days) offered two mites, the smallest coins in circulation, for the religious community–and was praised for giving proportionally more than the wealthy. So what do we say of Prochlorococcus—among the smallest known bacteria, half a millionth of a…
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Is true artificial intelligence just around the corner? The journal Nature thinks so. It’s called deep learning–essentially, teaching a machine to learn the way a three year-old does. That’s how a Google supercomputer discovered a recurring phenomenon on the internet–cats. Deep learning involves neural networks that change in response to experience. That’s how a toddler learns–by…
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This photo is part of an amazing new National Geographic series of photos from nature and people. Few words needed, but definitely worth a Sunday stroll.
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What better way to start the New Year than with a new hydrogen car. From Toyota to Mercedes, they’re getting into the act. As we just discussed, hydrogen is a clean-burning fuel; and it counts as “green” if it comes from a clean source. Right now the trouble is, most hydrogen comes from burning stuff…
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The most underreported science story of the year, in Ultraphyte’s opinion: Bacteria hydrogenate CO2 and CO to make formic acid, a pure storable fuel that is interconvertable with hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas, H2, has long been a dream for the world’s cleanest fuel. Hydrogen could power houses and autos, and propel lightcraft from Earth. But hydrogen…
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So what’s your top science story from 2013? Atmospheric CO2 hits 400 ppm? Or was it organs from stem cells: liver buds and brain organoids? Or else the host of new gene therapy miracle cures that avoid mentioning AIDS-related vectors? Or the non-surprise that fracking does cause earthquakes? Or the truly amazing discovery of argon-containing…
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What outrageous idea led an esteemed Yale animal biologist to call his colleagues a “nuthouse”? Plant intelligence. Michael Pollan at the New Yorker asks, do plants have it? Can plants “learn,” “solve problems,” and (most dangerously) “feel pain”? The Highest Frontier imagines plants that solve problems (even problems beyond our own democracy) and people refusing…
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It’s that time of year again to select which of nature’s creatures would look best hanging from our tree. What do you think of this iridescent weevil? An “alien” that’s reached southern Florida, making galls on grape vines, too soon to know yet if it’s invasive. Or what about this gorgeous hummingbird from Project Noah?…
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Just Google nudibranchs to find the most remarkable collection of diverse animals–all variants on the sea slug, a mollusk that lost its shell. A good example of degenerative evolution, followed by morphological innovation. At left creeps Chromodoris annae, from the collection of Sergey Parinov. Why all the bright colors? Most nudibranchs have evolved nasty-tasting substances in…
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Much of the world’s great outdoor art, especially marble statuary, is dissolving away through acid rain. And some microbes help it along by making acids. But certain microbes actually consume the acids that deposit on the statues. Micro4Art is a new “product” composed of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The bacteria use sulfate (part of sulfuric acid) as…
Joan Slonczewski 