What object in our solar system is farthest away from the sun? At one time, this honor went to a trans-Neptunian object officially designated 2018 VG18 (but nicknamed Farout) that was estimated to be 124 AU from the sun. To explain, a trans-Neptunian object is any minor or dwarf planet that orbits the sun at a greater average distance than the planet Neptune. And AU stands for astronomical unit,
February 16 is a major cultural milestone in the Western world. On this day in 600 AD, Pope Gregory decreed “God bless you” to be the right response to a sneeze. At one time a sneeze was thought to be a sign of impending death, since many dying people had sneezing fits. Consequently, the usual
For about 1.5 billion people, the Chinese New Year came on February 12, 2021. Also known as the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival, this holiday really is a festival that celebrates the beginning of another year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. This celebration has a special significance for me because our family has a
George Pratt Shultz was a dedicated public servant. Trained as an economist, he was a Marine artillery officer in World War II and a businessman. But he is best known for serving three Republican presidents and is one of only two people in history to have held four cabinet positions. He was Secretary of Labor,
One of our more ubiquitous building materials is concrete. It is strong and durable, and has been used since ancient times. Yet it does have limits. Concrete is strong against pushing (compression) forces, but weaker against pulling (tension) forces. To increase strength, it can be reinforced, usually with steel bars or fibers. Now, researchers in
I’ll freely admit I’m not a good housekeeper, and I don’t think I’m alone in that regard. That’s why I was surprised to read a New York Times article entitled “The Joy of Watching Other People Clean” by Ronda Kaysen (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/29/realestate/cleaning-videos-youtube.html?). It seems there is a YouTube channel, “Jessica Tull: Cleaning Organization and Motherhood,” where
As if today’s world hasn’t messed with your mind enough already, in late December 2020, the Neural Correlate Society announced the top designs in its annual Best Illusions contest. This year’s winner is a 3-D interpretation of a classic optical illusion, the Shröder Staircase. In the original, two-dimensional illusion, a series of zig-zagging parallelograms span a
Searching for good news about 2020, I came across an interesting article, “Ten Scientific Discoveries From 2020 That May Lead To New Inventions” by Rachael Lallensack in the Smithsonian Magazine. This piece features animals with newly discovered special abilities that may be useful to us. The lessons come from many different sources, including suckerfish, flying
One of the rituals of a new year is to plan self improvement in the form of a resolution, then ultimately slip back into your former habits. There’s got to be a better way. Actually, there is. In an article entitled “How to Set Goals You’ll Actually Achieve,” Amanda Loudin lays out a plan to
What is your trigger point, the moment when you see a wrong and feel you just have to do something about it? For Dutch clothing designer Bas Timmer, it was in 2014 when a friend’s father succumbed to hypothermia after being unable to find adequate shelter. Bas had started his own outdoor, cold weather clothing line,