Why is the universe expanding?
Is the universe expanding? First, it’s probably a good idea to wrap your head around the idea that the universe is expanding and how this is even possible. We know that the Big Bank resulted in a (very rapid) expansion of a plasma of pure energy. Later, once it cooled, it started to coalesce and…
Einstein vs Newton! How time is relative and why it matters
If you’re even remotely into physics or science generally (or you’ve just been alive during the last 100 years) you will have heard about Einstein’s theory of relativity. To properly understand it though, and it’s importance to our understanding of how the universe works, is another matter entirely. The truth is that, while complicated, it’s…
Why salt kills. And not because you eat too much of it!
Most people would probably vote sharks as their number one fear when thinking about swimming in the sea. Here’s the thing though. The amount of shark attacks on humans per year globally is a tiny fraction compared to the number of people who drown because they get swept up in a strong current. Most of…
Red is hot. Blue is cold. Right? Wrong.
It’s always amusing to think of how much of our everyday lives, things we take for granted, are actually based on fallacies. When you go into a bathroom and you look at the tap you will sometimes see the colours blue and red, indicating the temperature of the water depending on which tap you turn.…
The ocean – not the rain forest – is Earth’s lungs
If you were asked where the majority of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere comes from what would you say? The rain forest? Wrong. Scientists estimate that between 50-80% of the oxygen on Earth is produced by the ocean. More specifically, it is produced by plankton and other tiny micro-plants that drift with the oceans currents…
You think zombies exist only in movies? Think again!
Scientists have discovered that a particular species of fungus targets carpenter ants that live in the rainforests of Thailand. Now for the gory part. This fungus, once it finds its way into the body of it’s host ant, multiplies to such an extent that it occupies the ant’s entire body which leads to muscle decay…
Why the static on your analogue TV channel was actually pretty cool
Ok, so I appreciate that not many of the younger generation will appreciate that analogue TV was once a thing. Trust me, digital is better. For those of us who do remember it though, one of the things you will no doubt ‘fondly’ recall is the static or ‘snowy’ screen – what NASA refers to…
Looking for creative inspiration?
If you don’t mind being sleep-deprived then this trick might help. Salvador Dali, the Spanish surrealist painter, famous for paintings such as the Melting Clock and the Burning Giraffe, apparently sought inspiration for his hallucinogenic style on the intercept between dreams and reality. Wanting to tap into the imagery of the unconscious imagination (and obviously…
Why we don’t need welders in space
When I was a kid I was always fascinated when I watched welders at work, with their Star-Wars-like face masks and spark-spewing flame guns. Welding is still common in the construction industry today. It remains the quickest and securest way of binding two metals together to form a seamless single unit. It’s used on everything…
8% of men across parts of Asia (and 0.5% worldwide) are related to Genghis Khan
In the 13th Century, when Genghis Khan lived, birth control had not yet become a topical issue. Certainly not for those nomads traversing the wild steppes of Mongolia. The Mongolian ruler was equally famed for his fertility as for his military conquests. Khan believed that to leave a lasting legacy (and sustain familial loyalty among…
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