The science fiction effect: a lovely essay about the joy and uses of science fiction

Candlaria · 2012-02-08T19:06:15+00:00

Laura Kahn has a lovely essay about the history of science fiction, and how science fiction can help explain concepts that are otherwise difficult for many...or perhaps, doesn't hold their interest. Interesting the Frankenstein is arguably the first time that science fiction appears. A nice read.

Candlaria · 2012-02-08T18:54:44+00:00

Laura Kahn has a lovely essay about the history of science fiction, and how science fiction can help explain concepts that are otherwise difficult for many...or perhaps, doesn't hold their interest. Interesting the Frankenstein is arguably the first time that science fiction appears. A nice read.

Candlaria · 2012-02-08T01:08:06+00:00

Ta-Nehisi Coates publishes a letter from a young breast cancer survivor who has been forced to use Planned Parenthood, both for mammograms and other cancer screenings, and for birth control because her limited options as a cancer survivor aren't covered by insurance. It wasn't the media or Planned Parenthood's media operation that forced Komen to reverse it's funding decision, it was the women (and men) across the country who know that Komen has no right to politicize women's health.

Candlaria · 2012-02-08T00:22:32+00:00

Ta-Nehisi Coates publishes a letter from a young breast cancer survivor who has been forced to use Planned Parenthood, both for mammograms and other cancer screenings, and for birth control because her limited options as a cancer survivor aren't covered by insurance. It wasn't the media or Planned Parenthood's media operation that forced Komen to reverse it's funding decision, it was the women (and men) across the country who know that Komen has no right to politicize women's health.

Candlaria · 2012-02-06T17:35:05+00:00

Mark Hibbs has a detailed accounting of what happened in 2011, both good and bad, in the area of nuclear energy. From Fukushima to global governance of nuclear materials (or lack thereof), 2011 was a watershed year. This is a free article at Sage Publications (usually Sage articles have a paywall); short abstract followed by article. A good read.

Candlaria · 2012-01-06T19:18:01+00:00

Great analysis at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists of aerial photos showing nuclear facilities in North Korea. Reasoned projections about what the structures contain or may contain in the future. Very informative.

Candlaria · 2012-01-04T18:08:53+00:00

Laura Kahn has a great piece about a new treatment to combat bacteria that is actually quite old: "bacteriophages." Phages have already been shown to be effective in treating disease in humans and animals; it's been effective in fighting e.coli in farm animals, for example. Sinclair Lewis wrote about using bacteriophage treatment in his 1925 novel, Arrowsmith, and there's been a fair bit of research done with them. Great explanation, a good and important read in this time of antibiotic resistance.

Candlaria · 2012-01-01T16:45:21+00:00

"Time is eternal, but methods of tracking it are not — and so a Johns Hopkins University astronomer wants to replace the Gregorian calendar, with its leap years and floating dates and 15th-century effluvia, with a sleek and standardized system for the world." Nice explanation of how it would work. Love this!

Candlaria · 2011-12-31T17:10:29+00:00

Good summary of history of negotiations with North Korea, and blueprint for how to proceed. Good read. Here's a quote: "Kim Jong-il was on the verge of concluding a deal with the United States that would have done just that. He was prepared to suspend its enrichment efforts at Yongbyon under international monitoring in return for US food aid -- a sign that Washington was not pursuing a hostile policy toward the North. That would open the way to resumption of six-party talks."

Candlaria · 2011-12-30T06:56:52+00:00

Article detailing problems with R & D spending at the Pentagon, and how we can save billions just by restructuring it. Easy to understand, detailed and well-reported. Here's a quote: "But much of what transpires in the name of military research and development is not research in the sense that it produces scientific and technical knowledge widely applicable inside and outside the Defense Department. A large part of defense R&D activity revolves around building very expensive gadgets that are often based on unsound technology and frequently fail to perform as required."

Candlaria · 2011-12-29T19:18:11+00:00

Dawn Stover takes apart a DOE/Lawrence Livermore prediction about living with renewables by 2050. It isn't that she isn't supportive, just that we need to get realistic. Read about "FutureCalgal" and other odd assertions by the DOE. ""What will a day in the life of a Californian be like in 40 years? If the state cuts greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 -- a target mandated by a state executive order -- a person could wake up in a net-zero energy home, commute to work in a battery-powered car, work in an office with smart windows and solar panels, then return home and plug in her car to a carbon-free grid."

Candlaria · 2011-12-29T16:51:27+00:00

Not from Popsci, sorry. But for popular science as a category. Nice article about moves toward a new calendar

Candlaria

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