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late June 2017 |
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American eclipse: T - 2months (Sky & Telescope) and counting Disappearing evidence for Planet 9? (Nature) 4 new solar-system objects show no orbit alignment Trying Planet 9 in absentia (Quantum) or maybe there's a Planet 10? (Astronomy) that's Earth-sized Sky & Telescope comments on both possibilities A guide to the summer solstice (Washington Post) 12:24 am EDT 6/21/17, plus what & why climate change Atmospheric CO2 levels are rising sharply (NY Times) but CO2 emissions by humans are not How much do you know about global warming? (NY Times) the most effective ways to slow Earth's warming are surprising economic costs How much climate change will cost (or benefit) your county (Science) The full, peer-reviewed article (Science) What's the damage? (Science) a summary of the full article by William Pizer, NCSSM '86 The South and the poor get hammered (NY Times) |
A brown dwarf birthed by its parent star (Astronomy) only 50 Myr ago Defining stardom (Sky & Telescope) a minimum mass of 70 Jupiters |
The case for cosmic modesty (Scientific American) looking for life in all possible forms and for the extra geeky, Natural and artificial spectral edges in exoplanets (arxiv) how to do it Hello aliens: please don't kill us (NY Times) should we send the entire WWW to get their attention? A partly-cloudy exoplanet? (Sky & Telescope) 51 Eri b Kepler's final exoplanet count (NY Times) 4034 candidates, 2335 confirmed Small exoplanets come in 2 sizes (Kepler) peaking at 1.4 and 2.5 Earth mass Kepler 'Exoplanet Week' is June 17-23 (NASA Kepler) sadly, none of the talks will be posted on line... (they even cost money to attend!) apparently our tax money is insufficient support? |
A dead galaxy still in disk form (Hubble) challenging the standard model of galaxy evolution |
The unbearable lightness of neutrinos (Science) one last grand push to weigh nature's lightest particles Where gravity is weak and naked singularities are forbidden (Quanta) cosmic censorship revived? dark matter: new ideas without a shred of evidence A new theory of dark matter (Quanta) it's a superfluid, and it can phase change! Is dark matter made of primeval black holes? (Scientific American, July 2017 issue) more SA silliness? ----------------------- No sign (yet) of strong- force parity violation (Nature) China's quantum satellite sets spooky-action-at-a- distance record (Science) entangled photons sent over 1200-km separation distance |
the media from the right They're wrong about everything (Wash. Free Beacon) "almost the entirely of what one reads on web or in print is speculation" from the left Media malpractice (The Nation) keeping American shocked rather than informed from elsewhere Media needs to get out of the spotlight (Washington Post) says CJR publisher How Twitter pornified politics (NY Times) Explaining the Internet (Washington Post) porn, nazis, and irony ---------------------------- Millenials: the cheapest generation (Atlantic) the bad and the good The cons of getting a PSA test (Scientific American) misdiagnoses rule |
How Silicon Valley pushed coding into America's schools (NY Times) what millionaires do with their money The shapes of eggs (Science) and what they depend on Losing Health benefits will worsen NC's teacher shortage (Raleigh N&O) NC's Republican legislature's short- sighted-ness knows no bounds |
early June 2017 |
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A(nother) new theory of Moon's origin (Scientific American) the synestia hypothesis A change in NASA's mission? (Atlantic) Congress makes a tiny edit A new Moon (Physics Today, June 2017 issue) recent findings challenge old ideas Explaining Earth's Xe paradox (Sky & Telescope) clues from Rosetta Earth is not in the middle of a Sixth Extinction (Atlantic) and if we are... we're already doomed The best of Cassini: 13 years at Saturn (Atlantic) 40 detailed images with captions Testing general relativity at the August total eclipse (NASA) you'll need to do telescope photography 2 new moons for Jupiter (Sky & Telescope) now up to 69 total The origin of each chemical element (Starts with a Bang) just in case you've forgotten (it even includes the r process!) climate change Trump's Paris- pullout speech Speech annotated by an energy expert (Vox) "Practically every paragraph is rooted in a falsehood." "Filled with misleading statements" (Scientific American) Fact-checking Trump's pullout speech (Washington Post) debunking only the major lies 9 lies from Trump's speech (Huff Post) Trump misused MIT research number (Tech Review) the fake "0.2 °C" that Trump cited The top 5 untruths in Trump's pullout speech (Vox) so hard to choose Making America last and isolated (NY Times) science part of Larsen C ice shelf is near breaking point (Washington Post) a Delaware-size iceberg-to-be Hundreds of huge craters discovered in Arctic Ocean (Atlantic) implications for methane release and climate change? Coral reefs: a return to the past is not an option (Nature) the great dying off has already begun telling the truth 9 questions you were too embarrassed to ask (Vox) with answers that expose Trump's lies The history of carbon emissions (NY Times) China leads in total emissions; US leads in per capita emissions & historical emissions How China & the EU undermine the Paris climate accords (ProPublica) while trying to look so innocent economics What killed coal? (Stanford) increased worker productivity & cheap natural gas -- NOT environmental regulations politics 4 Pinocchios: how EPA's Pruitt lies (Washington Post) and gets away with it How GOP leaders came to regard climate change as fake (NY Times) political money & Democratic hubris Paris pullout: more damaging to the US than to the climate (Guardian) The world will fight back (Washington Post) What the top carbon emitters committed to in Paris agreement (National Resources Defense Council) |
Do dying stars give a swift kick to their black- hole progeny? (Rochester IT) @AAS A white dwarf mass from gravitational lensing (Astronomy) @AAS 3rd merger of stellar-mass black holes detected (LIGO) 32 & 19 solar masses Sky & Telescope gives has excellent perspectives Evidence for primeval black holes? black hole capture? lowering the upper mass limit of the graviton? (Scientific American) does discovering 3 of something count as routine?? published paper in Phys. Rev. Letters Explaining Tabby's star (Astronomy) Trojan asteroids around a giant exoplanet? a dust ring in our solar system? or the star itself? |
TRAPPIST-1: more like Jupiter & its moons (Astronomy) formation, pebble-by-pebble Miniflares on dwarf stars: a hazard for planets? (Hubble) @AAS KELT-9B: a planet hotter than most stars (Scientific American) surface temp = 4600 K, orbiting an A star the NASA JPL press release |
Massive galaxies in clusters show spatial alignment... not clear why (Astronomy) but field galaxies don't Do we live in a galaxy void? (U Wisconsin) @AAS Are the brightest galaxies brightest because of gravitational lensing? (Astronomy) @AAS Super-hot gas found between banging galaxy clusters (U Colorado) @AAS CMB cold spot a result of 'bruise' from a parallel universe? (Scientific American) is Scientific American purposefully trying to lose respect? Galaxy nurseries: help find baby galaxies (Zooinverse) a citizen science project |
Hidden worlds of fundamental particles (Physics Today, June 2017 issue) how hidden sectors might solve the hierarchy problem, dark matter, and matter/antimatter asymmetry Does 'lepton universality' need to be revised? (UCSB) 3 experiments 'hint' at it -- with 99.95% certainty |
Another post-election study (Voter Study Group) there were 5 types of Trump voters, that had little in common Also: The many groups Republicans don't like: unions, immigrants, Muslims, Black Lives Matter, feminists, gays, & Wall St. bankers... Dems only dislike Wall St. bankers The mathematicians who want to save democracy (Nature) including Jon Mattingly, NCSSM '88 and Duke math prof Democracy has never faced a threat like Facebook (Bloomberg) the danger of social isolation Rewriting human history (Nature) 315,000-yr-old fossil claim in Morocco.... so we didn't start (only) in E. Africa? Best cities for successful aging (Milken Institute) Durham-Chapel Hill is 3rd, Raleigh is 42rd Charlotte is 72nd out of 381 locations interactive map First published NSA report on Russian hacking (Intercept) and the leaker has now been arrested Busting myths: Trump supporters weren't poor and weren't working class (Washington Post) 65% of his voters came from the better-off half of the economy refighting the 6-day war pro-Palestinian Israel's 50-yr occupation started with an Israeli lie (Intercept) Israel found an advantage in attack pro-Israeli 6 days and 50 years of war (NY Times) Egypt and allies provoked it a review of 5 books Irrational rationality (NY Books) -------------------------- the failure of Democrats Too rich for their own good (NY Times) Dems have a big working-class problem (Prospect) Clinton just doesn't get it (Washington Post) still blaming everything & everyone but herself ------------------------------ |
Project-based learning takes off (Physics Today, June 2017 issue) in college American Astronomical Society meets the week of 6/5/17 Day 4 summary astro education Day 3 summary solar magnetic field, white dwarf lensing, galactic evolution Day 2 summary Planet 9, galaxies and clusters, humans' future in space... and more Day 1 summary dark matter, black holes, inner solar system origins.... and more ------------------------- Why conservatives have always distrusted science (Bloomberg) creeds are ok ... theories, not so much The first ever 2-D magnet (Nature) just one atom thick 85% of top science jobs in Trump's administration don't even have a nominee (Washington Post) if "a crisis occurs ... it's too late to get up to speed" Silicon Valley billionaires remaking America's schools (NY Times) is this good? US Education: producing a society of 'smart fools'? (Scientific American) lots of smart people, but they're not solving any important problems The demolition of American education (NY Books) by Trump & DeVos: a 14% cut in public education funding College students are changing.. why aren't are higher education policies? (Washington Post) they/re older, with family commitments, more likely to be working, & from poorer economic backgrounds College-town achievement gap (Atlantic) where is the black- white achievement gap highest? Palo Alto and Chapel Hill Science workplace habits (Nature) say 'no' to 80-hr workweeks |
late May 2017 |
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Surprises at Jupiter (Sky & Telescope) Juno's first science results 25 things to bring to an eclipse (Astronomy) Journey to the birth of the solar system (Quanta) a 7-minute video with virtual reality A moon around a dwarf planet (Hubble) orbiting 2007 OR10 (it's the 3rd largest; why no fun name?) Determining topography and geologic history from ancient rivers (Sky & Telescope) Mars and Titan didn't have plate tectonics Astronomers: help select what's on the Europa Lander (phys.org) even though the mission has yet to be approved Vacation Guide to the Solar System (Astronomy) coming June 6, $13 hardback What a near-Earth asteroid looks like (Sky & Telescope) JO25, 650-mile diameter 1st true-color images of Saturn's NP hexagon (Astronomy) climate change Global warming is not leveling off (Nature) a rebuttal to EPA- head Pruitt's claim Washington Post comments visible effects Hawaii's King tides (Atlantic) the ghost of climate- change-yet-to-come some cities could be 14°F hotter by 2100? (Guardian) global warming & urban heat islands so says Nature research article The social cost of carbon (Nature) depends heavily on your model assumption Documenting the Antarctic ice falling into the sea (NY Times) in three parts Mapping glacier loss at Glacier NP (NY Times) its glaciers on track to disappear in a generation Eastern US trees head west and north (Nature) as climate changes see published research article (Science) Sleeping badly? it's climate change! (Atlantic) high nightime temperatures are responsible says published research (Science) and it's worse for old/poor people technology Fossil power, guilt free (Science) a new power cycle consumes CO2 rather than producing it politics World better off if US is out of Paris climate accords (The Conversation) USA and the Paris accords Atlantic comments California vs. US on climate change (NY Times) |
Massive star dies as black hole (Hubble) without a supernova Brown dwarfs do jets & disks, too (Sky & Telescope) Tabby's star takes a dive in brightness (Sky & Telescope) finally? Fireworks galaxy: a 10th supernova in 100 years (Astronomy) when do we get to have one? Want to help find supernovas? (Astronomy) another citizen science project Cracking the Crab (NRAO) new images detail energy spectrum but you might need the research article to interpret them |
Aliens, a book review (NY Times) TRAPPIST-1 gains another planet (Sky & Telescope) system has 7 A history of SETI@Home (Atlantic) |
Explaining the Milky Ways's γ-ray excess (Sky & Telescope) pulsars or dark- matter annihilation? The debate over first light heats up (Scientific American) were massive stars or SMBH-driven quasars responsible for the universe's reionization? or both? A Cygnus A surprise (Astronomy) 2 SMBHs Don't believe the SA article about inflation in the February 2017 issue (Scientific American) say 33 cosmologists A magnetic bridge connects the Magellanic clouds (Sky & Telescope) |
A defense of the reality of time (Quanta) First results in search for dark photons (Jefferson Accelerator) yep, dark photons Why quantum computers might not break cryptography (Quanta) Can Quantum Mechanics save the multiverse? (Scientific American, June 2017 issue) let's hope not as it "sets a new standard for outrageous nonsense" (Not Even Wrong) Why string theory is STILL not even wrong (Scientific American) |
Make a comment on whether we should keep 19 National Monuments designated since 1996 (Dept of Interior) help prevent Trump from opening them up to mining, logging, grazing, etc interests... deadline: July 10 The new class war (American Affairs) what is America about? (Only) the poor die young (American Prospect) lifespan difference between richest and poorest is now 13 years Battle for Bears Ears heats up (NY Times) rethinking monument status You're not getting a raise soon (Washington Post) and no one knows why How Trump used Facebook to win (NY Books) manipulating the electorate American heartland: rising economy (RCP) but still dismissed by liberals The coming assault of privatization (American Prospect) schools, prisons, & even transportation Robert Rauschenberg: Trickster & showman (NY Books) or Audacious & influential (New Yorker) Invoke the 25th amendment: Remove (not impeach) Trump (NY Times) no long trial; just 2 votes in Congress & 1 in the Cabinet Why Trump's actions (revealing Israeli intel, the Trump-Comey notes) this week matter (Law Fare) a dispassionate but revealing account Why don't we (or at least Microsoft) do more to stop hacking? (NY Times) Supreme Court won't rescue NC voter-ID (Raleigh N&O) but the fight is probably not over |
education The financial assault on colleges (NY Times) state/federal spending has collapsed Top colleges doing the most for the American Dream (NY Times) 6 of top 9 are UC campuses Counted out: Why are low-income students excluded from advanced classes? (Raleigh N&O) in 3 parts NC per-pupil spending 10% lower than 10 years ago (NC Public Schools First) in inflation-adjusted dollars ------------------------- teaching Why Mary Freeman is no longer an NC teacher (Raleigh N&O) low salary, inapt assessment, NC legislature's cluelessness Grading the teachers (NY Times) the statistician behind teacher assessments Save the children, from ipads, iphones (National Review) or i-anythings How women mentors make a difference in engineering (Atlantic) Revamped anti-science bills find success in US legislatures (Nature) teaching creationism NC teacher pay rises to 35th in US (Raleigh N&O) down 13 places from 2003; up 6 places from last year The vanishing American adult? (NY Times) young adults, chores, & parenting.... by a senator who grew up with lots of advantages ------------------------- science Trump's science budget (AAAS) big hits for NIH, basic research, Earth science How and why whales became the largest animals on Earth (NY Times) climate change altered their feeding habits 4.5 MYr ago genes & intelligence 52 genes tied to intelligence (NY Times) Intelligence research, stung by the past? (Nature) ------------------------- Dinosaurs came within minutes of surviving? (Washington Post) location, location, location (of the hit) Bone explosion: when a TRex bites (Nature) GigaPascal forces What Whole Foods would look like if it were science-based (New York) ditch GMO labels, rethink 'organic' vs. pesticide toxicity, dump unproven homeopathic junk Life's origin: land or sea? (Scientific American) debate heats up |
early May 2017 |
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Latest images of Saturn from Cassini (NASA) Martian life-searchers getting desperate (Scientific American) still no signs of life, present or past Venting and plumes on Europa (Hubble) "possible plume" is 62 miles high (if it's only "possible", how can it actually be 62 mi high?) How an asteroid (collision) would kill you (Science News) it's the winds and the shock waves How many ocean worlds in the solar system? (Space Now) NASA said 10 a year ago climate change science Methane leaks from ocean floor may decrease warming (Science) by letting ocean absorb more CO2 Saying goodbye to the glaciers (Science) and much of the ice loss is irreversible Glacier National Park: only 26 of 150 remain (Guardian) see them soon, before they're gone Reconciling controversies about the 'global warming hiatus' (Nature) "human influence is dominant in long-term warming" and commentary (Nature) the importance of data, definitions, and testing additional commentary by The Atlantic politics A guide to the Paris agreement (Atlantic) climate uncertainty a battle initiated by a deceptive NY Times opinion column a response (Climate Facts) by 35 climate scientists Certainty vs. uncertainty (Union of Concerned Scientists) understanding the scientific terms the real uncertainties (New Republic) Dealing honestly with climate uncertainties (ProPublica) renewable energy, or not The (bad) news about coal mines (Washington Post) good stats and pics about coal mines NC: 254 M$ in 2016 tax credits (Raleigh N&O) but legislature has let renewable- energy credits expire politics A small win for the environment (Mother Jones) 3 Rep + all Dem senators veto Trump's over-ride of Obama's methane limits EPA's climate change page disappears (EPA) for 'updating' Chicago city page revives EPA page (City of Chicago) "Cities in Crisis" or "Climate of Hope" (Politico) 2 books with opposite views, but climate change at the root |
What's a safe distance from a supernova? (Earth & Sky) 50 - 100 c-yrs |
Weirdest planets in the Milky Way (Astronomy) |
Giant 'wave' of hot gas in Perseus Supercluster (Chandra) twice the size of the Milky Way 'Supervoid' can't explain WMAP cold spot (Sky & Telescope) |
Dark matter: fuzzier than we thought? (Astronomy) A revolution in quantum thermodynamics? (Quantum) String theory: still not even wrong (Scientific American) Simulating the universe (Physics World) read with caution (Nautil.us) Maybe dark matter is all a big mistake Will we ever know what dark matter is? If you can't find dark matter, first look for a dark force The physicist who denies dark matter exists Mordehai Milgrom Dark matter as superfluid sometimes Does dark matter harbor life? does a dark-life civilization live among us? is there only 1 type of dark matter particle? |
Why Trump won: cultural anxiety (PRRI) one of the more believable reasons or read the short version (Atlantic) NC GOP saves the pork farms (Mother Jones) no more lawsuits against hog waster or hog smell Our dishonest President (LA Times) in 6 parts health care The horrific details of Obamacare repeal (LA Times) a handy guide "Nobody dies because they don't have health insurance" (Washington Post) so says a GOP congressman "My son has a pre-existing condition and I voted for the AHCA" (Washington Post) yep, the very same bill that exempted the Congresswoman from the AHCA People who "keep their bodies healthy" should pay less for health care (Blaze) yep, another GOP congressman totally unaware of genetics _______________ Ranking all 373 Rolling Stone songs (New York) seriously Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea (NY Times) so close, so different Was the Amazon once an ocean? (Science) tough to prove |
Teachers without training (Washington Post) a "positive" development in AZ? U can't talk to ur professor like this (NY Times) manners and titles insure respect Where have all the insects gone? (Science) noticed the absence of insects smashing into your windshield? Getting rid of grades? (Washington Post) helping rich students, hurting poor ones NC Senate bill: no pensions and no health care in retirement for new teaching hires (Raleigh N&O) millennials "aren't thinking about ... retirement plans" How to write a memorable commencement speech (Raleigh N&O) be wise and funny NC ties Texas for 1st in Prosperity Cup (Site Selections) "it's our can-do attitude" wow! How science fares in the new budget deal (Science) winner: NASA losers: EPA, fusion research No researcher too junior to fix science (Nature) "don't wait on senior colleagues" and "don't wait until you become one" Past and future of physics education reform (Physics Today) threats and opportunities |
