Bob Collins
If not for science, what would we do for a daily reminder of the power of education, research and the human capacity for greatness?
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MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Tag: Science
Since the 1960s, studies have asked children to draw pictures of scientists and since the 1960s, the pictures have depicted a man. Of the 5,000 drawings submitted then, 4,972 showed a man. Read more →
We are now about a year away from a total solar eclipse in North America, the first one on American soil since 1991. You’ll have to drive south to experience it, however.
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Many men have a difficult time recognizing this reality. Why? What threat does recognizing it present?
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Buildings would be knocked over from Earl Street on the East side to Dale Street on the west, according to this calculator that’s worth wasting work time playing with today.
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Bruce MacDonaldI admit to having a minor phobia about blood-sucking insects and arachnids. I empathize with volunteers enlisted to drag sheets through fields to gather specimens in the pursuit of scientific research. As kids, my friends and I used to push our bikes across a dewy meadow at dusk and sneak into adjacent woods to watch Read more →
A cure for HIV. The words flow so easily, it’s possible not to grasp the meaning. A cure for HIV . For those who remember the fear that accompanied the realization that there was an insidious and unknown disease at work, the news that a child born with HIV has been cured — or at Read more →
I’m pretty sure there’s such a thing as climate change and I’m pretty sure humans are responsible for it. I also think it’s too late to do anything about it even if we were a country capable of discussing the question in a reasonably intellectual way. Read more →
A study out this week says deep-brain stimulation, intended as a treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder, leads to a greater appreciation of the music of Johnny Cash. Read more →
For a country that thumps its chest and talks tough every time its feelings get hurt, there’s been precious little reaction to the reality that the manned spaceflight program in the United States is in serious decline, and the country is becoming a second-rate space power. Read more →
In 1978, John Mercer at Ohio State University warned that rapid release of greenhouse gases posed the threat of disaster. He was right. Read more →
A report on climate change suggests that the Upper Midwest stands to benefit. For now. Read more →
A couple of knuckleheads tinkled into a reservoir that serves as Portland’s water supply so officials last week announced they’re going to drain 38 million gallons of water. You can’t have human urine in the water supply.
What does this tell us? Read more →
Researchers today announced they’ve discovered the gravitational waves that traveled through space/time shortly after the Big Bang. It’s the first direct evidence of the rapid expansion at the beginning of the universe. Read more →
There’s been a brain drain in the non-commercial space program since we decided to leave manned spaceflight to other countries, and an ongoing debate about whether it suits our planetary needs anymore, but there’s no question that there’s still inspiration in the best and brightest who figured out solutions where no man has gone before.
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