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Category Archives: Science
ISAAC NEWTON AND THE CURVE BALL.
ISAAC NEWTON AND THE CURVE BALL. This article by Sharon Begley begins by noting that Isaac Newton in 1671, after watching numerous games of tennis, observed that spin makes balls curve. Three hundred years later, scientists still haven’t worked out … Continue reading
Posted in Baseball, Science, Sports
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NOISY FISH.
NOISY FISH. Nonny De La Pena has an article today about how much noise fish make. She points out that when Jacques Cousteau used the title “The Silent World”, his diving apparatus was concealing the sounds of the deep. Some … Continue reading
Posted in Science
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PLACEBOS AND HOMEOPATHY.
PLACEBOS AND HOMEOPATHY. In the article I posted on yesterday, Michael Skapinker raises the question of whether placebos should be prescribed by doctors. He points out that placebos are already widely prescribed, saying that “Homeopathic medicines are so heavily diluted … Continue reading
RESEARCH ON THE PLACEBO EFFECT.
RESEARCH ON THE PLACEBO EFFECT. I posted here about the placebo effect, which is important, but as far I can tell, little studied. What are the factors that determine the strength of the placebo effect? Dan Ariely (whose behavioral research … Continue reading
Posted in Science
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PAINT DRIES IN LOTS OF PLACES.
PAINT DRIES IN LOTS OF PLACES. Professor Mahadevan, whom I posted on yesterday, sees paint drying everywhere. He sees mountains as wrinkles on the earth. He sees the islands of Japan as formed by molten lava collapsing with a perimeter … Continue reading
Posted in art, Science
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WATCHING PAINT DRY—DOES IT CRACK OR DOES IT WRINKLE?
WATCHING PAINT DRY—DOES IT CRACK OR DOES IT WRINKLE? Perhaps because, as a baseball fan, I am predisposed to take an interest in paint drying, I loved this article by Jonathan Shaw about the applied mathematician Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan. When paint … Continue reading
Posted in art, Science
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BUTTERFLIES AND SLEEP.
BUTTERFLIES AND SLEEP. Howard Johnson called my attention to an article on butterflies by Robert Lee Hotz in the Wall Street Journal for February 8. (This link will only work for a short time). Monarch butterflies, traveling at speeds of … Continue reading
Posted in Science
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MULTIPLE SELVES.
MULTIPLE SELVES. I began this blog with this post about how the radiation from the big bang still affects our radio reception. I could understand what that meant. I don’t understand the argument that: ”you …are more likely to be … Continue reading
Posted in Science
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LOOKING BACK– OPPOSITION TO SAVING LIVES BY USING CHECKLISTS.
LOOKING BACK– OPPOSITION TO SAVING LIVES BY USING CHECKLISTS. I posted here about Atul Gutwande’s argument that doctors would do a better job if they used checklists for complicated procedures. I was surprised that they didn’t already use checklists. In … Continue reading
UPDATE–WAS PROUST A NEUROSCIENTIST?
UPDATE–WAS PROUST A NEUROSCIENTIST?Daniel Engbar has a harsh review in Slate of Jonathan Lehrer’s new book PROUST WAS A NEUROSCIENTIST (which I posted on here). Engbar argues that Lehrer overstates his case by saying that the artists and writers that … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Science
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