Florida has Cape Canaveral, and now it seems the UK city of Sheffield has a new space port dubbed “Cape Kebaberal”. The name was inspired by the favourite student food of Alex Baker and Chris Rose, who run the Sheffield-based company SentIntoSpace.
Continue reading It’s All Go at “Cape Kebaberal” in Sheffield…
It’s not often you can see lightning above Glasgow, so this 2006 Flickr photograph is a rare and impressive sight. But that’s not the point… A study by researchers in the United Kingdom shows it is not just conditions here on Earth that determine how much thunder and lightning we get. The Sun’s magnetic field also has a major influence, more than doubling the number of lightning bolts on some days…
Continue reading Lightning and the Sun’s Magnetic Field
When Classical Physics and Post-Impressionist artists meet, few results are as hauntingly beautiful or as enchanting as one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous masterpieces. The Starry Night embodies the inner, subjective expression of van Gogh’s response to Nature. And the churning night sky he depicted tells of the artist’s very unique perception of the World around him…
Continue reading A Starry Starry Night or The Unexpected Maths in a Van Gogh’s Masterpiece
Honeybees are essential to our ecosystem, but sadly their numbers have dwindled in recent years. Now, the rooftops above George Square are host to the latest addition in the Scottish local authority’s long-term sustainability initiative with two new beehives located on the roof of the iconic Glasgow City Chambers.
Continue reading It’s the Bee’s Knees – And Glasgow’s New Rooftop Tenants are Literally Buzzing…
The United States have one. The Danish used to have one, and so did the Brits, but no longer. France remains the only country in Europe to have one. So, what exactly is the GEIPAN?
Continue reading Le GEIPAN – Qu’est-Ce Que C’est?
Ever since French physicist Louis de Broglie first described the wave-particle duality in 1926, scientists have struggled to come to terms with this strange particularity of our natural World when observed at the quantum level. Waves can be particles, and particles can be waves. But are entities waves AND particles all at the same time?
Continue reading A Classical Quantum Conundrum – When To Be or Not To Be… a Wave?
Since October 24, 2014, Alan Eustace holds the World Records for vertical speed reached during freefall with a peak velocity of 1,321 kilometres per hour (822 mph) and total freefall distance of 123,414 feet – lasting four minutes and 27 seconds.
Continue reading Four Minutes and 27 Seconds of Freefall Fun – Two Years after Baumgarten, a New Record!
“The West Africans are scared” said Ban Ki-moon at a meeting of the United Nations in Washington U.S., discussing the growing threat of Ebola. And you could feel the sense of urgency as World leaders discussed the Ebola crisis. Not enough money has been put forward to tackle the disease. We are late in our response. And the clock is ticking…
Continue reading Ebola NOW! The Exponential Growth of a Deadly Outbreak
This beautiful image of Scotland was tweeted by a German astronaut from the International Space Station today, as it drifted over Europe.
Continue reading “Looks Like a Great Day, Scotland!”
Forget about the threat of Ebola for a moment and consider something much closer to home… Meet MRSA – a “superbug”, the bacterium of the decade, the Nemesis of hospitals and operating theatres. A single cell organism that can colonise the living tissues and have a devastating or even fatal impact on the human body. Now. Meet CRISPR – also bacteria. A friend that can potentially help you fight and repel an otherwise deadly bacterial invasion…
Continue reading CRISPR, the New Antibiotics Generation – Resistance is Futile!