Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer at Discover Magazine, describes the danger of asteroids are, then tells us how to keep them away from the Earth. Here's a hint: it does not involve the use of nuclear weapons. This is an entertaining and informative talk.
I learned this from National Geographic:
[Gary] Hack and co-author Andrew Gallup, of Princeton University, propose that yawning causes the walls of the maxillary sinus to expand and contract like a bellows, pumping air onto the brain, which lowers its temperature. Located in our cheekbones, the maxillary are the largest of four pairs of sinus cavities in the human head. Like a computer, the human brain is "exquisitely" sensitive to temperature and must stay cool to work efficiently . . . "
I sometimes hear that science is a threat because it turns humans into "machines," and otherwise removes the magic of life. I've sometimes had a fleeting thought of this type, for instance, while first encountering "Terror Management Theory" (I got over it). Does science ruin the magic of life? In this entertaining TED monologue, BBC radio show host Robin Ince argues more science teaches us about the astonishing behavior of the universe, the more we stand in awe. Understanding does not remove the wonder or the joy. He offers many anecdotes and thought experiments. For instance, one of the atoms that is now part of you was once part of Napoleon's knee; "We are all totally recyclable."
When someone from another country does something impressive, Americans are well-
trained to be threatened. We are teaming with ressentiment. Here's an example from the July 18, 2011 edition of Time Magazine. Notice the photo on the right. It is an image of a brand new extremely long bridge, the longest sea bridge in the entire world. It is more than 26 miles long. It's extremely impressive. It is something that reminds me that the Chinese people have excelled in many ways.
But notice the text under the photo. Especially notice the line: "The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is yet another Chinese nose thumbing."
Where does this writer get the idea that the Chinese have built the world's longest bridge to make the United States look bad? I hear this attitude all the time, exemplified by statements like this: "America is the world's greatest country." Despite the fact, of course, that there is much room for improvement in modern day United States.
Many of these comments I hear uttered by Americans are aimed at the Chinese; for many Americans, anything impressive done by Chinese people is a threat to America. More disturbing, I fear that this ressentiment of outsiders builds into paranoia about outsiders and fuels the "need" for exhorbitant and irresponsible warmongering by the United States. I remember that in the months prior to 9/11, there was intense building hostility aimed at the Chinese. Then we got distracted by the Middle East. It seems that Americans intensely need an enemy, and that if they don't actually have one, they invent one. That is a destructive technique most of our politicians use to maintain power and obeisance of the governed.
I'd recommend that Americans, especially those involved with the American media industry, work harder to keep their ressentiment in check. Time should have reacted to this amazing bridge by saying something like: "That's amazing engineering and construction! Well done, Chinese people." I'm afraid, though, that this attitude of being happy for the successes of others has become thoroughly un-American.
Check out these stunning images captured by the LRO cameras in 2010. I felt great pride when I viewed these images. Seeing them brought back some of the emotions I felt back in 1969 when the U.S. sent astronauts to the moon. If our country ever turned its attention from villainizing and attacking entire countries and cultures, maybe we could get back to serious space exploration, as well as other cutting edge science.