by Fraser Hibbitt and Carl Kruse Einstein’s house in Princeton, New Jersey saw some of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. The little unassuming place stands today as private property due to the expressed wish in Einstein’s will that the house be not turned into a museum or memorial. The Historical Society of … [Read more…]
by Carl Kruse It was on January 16, 2018 that Eugene Cernan — the Apollo 17 commander and last astronaut to walk on the moon — left our world. Cernan was famous for saying, “Dream the impossible and make it happen. I walked on the moon. What can’t you do?” What can’t you do indeed … [Read more…]
A quick peek at the blog shows how much we like to celebrate the change of seasons as we honor them each time they come around – Summer, Fall, Spring, and Winter. And now Winter again. For this post Fraser Hibbitt takes over the reins to welcome Winter Solstice, once again. Carl Kruse The cycle … [Read more…]
by Fraser Hibbitt It is not difficult to imagine that somewhere in our galaxy there is a planet like ours. A planet suited for life. The unimaginably vast, mind-boggling space outside our solar system always makes one wonder about other life out there. And extra-terrestrial life likely begins on a planet. This is what Dr. … [Read more…]
As many of you know, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is one of my favorite nonprofit groups. For decades, RMI has been tirelessly working on rearranging our relationship with energy. Few organizations have such big impact with so few resources. One of the beautiful tenets of RMI is that small changes can lead to dramatic … [Read more…]
Peering at the stars many of us wonder if anyone else is out there. At least I wonder and assume everyone does as well. And in the vastness of space someone else is likely looking back, wondering the same. And if not what a waste of space. Even if the probability of two intelligent life … [Read more…]
Much like the favorite extraterrestrial hunting software program SETI@home, the Rosetta@home initiative leverages idle computing time across the globe to crunch data. It takes its name from the “Rosetta Stone” tablet, which enabled deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. Rosetta@home seeks to decipher protein structures to help find cures for devastating diseases, including COVID-19. The project may have … [Read more…]
By Carl Kruse Most of us wonder when looking at the sky – into the infinite vastness of space — if there could be intelligent life out there, other beings we could communicate with, learn from, or even meet one day. In spite of decades of Hollywood films depicting E.T.s we have yet to find … [Read more…]
It was in April 25, 1953 when Watson, Crick, and Wilkins published their seminal paper on DNA and today a group of us crazy people celebrate what that knowledge has done for human well-being. Happy DNA Day! We covered last year’s DNA Day in another blog post and this year we return to give it … [Read more…]
The icy mountains of Norway are the perfect hideyhole for preserving anything important against time, the elements, maybe even alien invasion. The Svalbard Seed Vault, which we talked about here and also here, isn’t the only cool archival project in the region. Surrounded by glaciers, permafrost, and polar bears, GitHub is readying to store valuable … [Read more…]
In 2008, Norway gifted the world the Svalbard Seed Vault, also known as the “Doomsday Vault.” This self-sustaining facility, carved into a mountainside and surrounded by permafrost, protects heirloom seeds from future apocalyptic conditions. The idea is if we ever need to restart society these precious plant species will not be lost and our food … [Read more…]
The advance of our science begets knowledge — and control — of our environment, so much so we often seem not of this world but above it. Grand masters. But there’s no escaping we are part of nature and sometimes it’s a microscopic thing like the corana virus that reminds us of how intimately we … [Read more…]
Every April 25 some of us commemorate the day in 1953 when Watson, Crick, Wilkins, et al (particularly Rosalind Franklin who received little credit at the time) published their paper on the structure of DNA. Today we celebrate the scientific advances that the understanding of DNA has made possible. I met Francis Crick in the … [Read more…]
Help SETI Answer The Question: Are We Alone?by Carl Kruse Every year the good people at SETI @ HOME make a fundraising drive to support their efforts in tackling what is one of the great remaining questions of humanity, is there intelligent life besides us in the universe? While the answer to the question is … [Read more…]
Melting Permafrost Floods Svalbard Seed Vault By Carl Kruse On Friday, March 19, a stream of nervous reports warned that water had entered the doomsday seed repository known as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Temporary panic ensued because Svalbard is humanity’s last line of defense against a major catastrophe or doomsday situation that might imperil … [Read more…]