Category Archives: Science News

Seeking truth, learning how things work, using that knowledge to make new tools

Off the Rails

About 78 folks were on Amtrak Cascades passenger train 501 Monday morning. They’ll be late. At best. I’ll be looking at what happened, new and old technology. Also how I see change and progress. New issues, old problems Changing Tech, … Continue reading

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California Fires, 2017

The good news is that only a small fraction of California is on fire or incinerated. The bad news is that this year’s California wildfires have been big, destructive, and aren’t over yet. I’ll be talking about a few of … Continue reading

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No More Sunspots?

Sunspots come and go in an 11-year cycle. Our sun has acted that way for centuries. With a few exceptions. The sunspot cycle changed about 23 years back. I think we’ll learn a great deal by studying what’s happening, but … Continue reading

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Still Seeking Earth 2.0

We’ve known about 55 Cancri e since 2004. It may have lakes and rivers of lava. But that’s probably not what keeps its night side hot enough to melt copper. Ross 128 b, discovered this year, is a bit more … Continue reading

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Visitor from the Stars

Scientists thought ‘Oumuamua was a comet when they spotted it last month. Follow-up observations showed it was more like an asteroid: and going too fast to be from the solar system. ‘Oumuamua is from interstellar space. It’s the first object … Continue reading

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