What the World’s Largest Dump Truck Can Tell Us About the Physics of the Sun
Behold the mighty Liebherr T 282B dump truck! It is one of the two or three largest dump trucks in production. By many measures, it’s the largest dump truck in the world. The Leibherr T 282B is 14.55 metter long (48 feet), 8.7 meters wide (29 feet) and stands 7.4 meters tall—a towering 24 feet! … Continue reading
Drag Race! Cheetah takes on a Ferrari!
Just about everyone knows that on land, no animal can sprint faster than a cheetah. Able to hit top speeds of 70 to 75 mph (112 to 120 km/h) the cheetah is probably the fastest animal that has ever lived on Earth. In the long, amazing history of animals on Earth, it is our privilege … Continue reading
How scientists brought the power of the Sun to Earth
The super-amplified light impacts the target area with an intensity and ferocity only found in the hottest places in the universe. Imagine 500 times the energy of the entire United States being used at any given moment focused on a target smaller than a pinhead! In a few billionths of a second, the target reaches … Continue reading
Taking a look at landslides in California
Readers of this extreme science blog might want to stop by my Berkeley, Naturally! site and take a look at my latest post: Berkeley Hills Landslide We had a series of very powerful El Niño-related storms last week in California, and I wrote about the effects here in the Berkeley Hills and San Francisco Bay … Continue reading
The Moral Math of Climate Change
Click to listen to: The Moral Math of Climate Change [Speaking of Faith® from American Public Media] “A conversation about climate change and moral imagination with Bill McKibben, a leading environmentalist and writer who has been ahead of the curve on this issue since he wrote The End of Nature in 1989. We explore his … Continue reading
Discover Interview: Roger Penrose Says Physics Is Wrong, From String Theory to Quantum Mechanics
Click to read: Discover Interview: Roger Penrose Says Physics Is Wrong, From String Theory to Quantum Mechanics One of the greatest thinkers in physics says the human brain—and the universe itself—must function according to some theory we haven’t yet discovered. by Susan Kruglinski; photography by Oliver Chanarin “Roger Penrose could easily be excused for having … Continue reading
Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot
Astronomer and scientist Carl Sagan is one of my favorite science writers. I also consider him a hero. Few people have done as much to spark public interest in the wonders of science. Few fought more bravely or openly against the ignorance and bigotry that have hindered the advance of science since its beginnings. I’ll … Continue reading
