Did you know that a species of firefly known as Photinus carolinus can synchronize their little buggy flashes? Check out this link to Great Smoky Mountains from the National Park Service, which provides some awesome details on the bioluminescent acrobatics:
"No one is sure why the fireflies flash synchronously. Competition between males may be one reason: they all want to be the first to flash. Or perhaps if the males all flash together they have a better chance of being noticed, and the females can make better comparisons. The fireflies do not always flash in unison. They may flash in waves across hillsides, and at other times will flash randomly. Synchrony occurs in short bursts that end with abrupt periods of darkness."
For those of you near the Great Smoky Mountains, I am truly jealous that you have the chance to see this in real life (CCH, I'm looking at you). For the rest of us, here's a YouTube video that gives an idea of the kind of light show that Photinus carolinus can put on.
Enjoy!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Music to Their Ears
With all the extraordinary scientific developments that happen everyday, sometimes we forget about science-past, even when it's still science-present. For example, how many of you know (without an Internet search!) what The Golden Record is?
I didn't. Well, that is to say, I didn't know what it was called. The Golden Record is the album that was sent into space with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. It's purpose was "to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials." Launched in 1977, both Voyagers are now well on their journeys into the cosmos. However, we may be in for something of a wait before we get a response from alien life. Scientists estimate that it will take the Voyager probes approximately 40,000 years to arrive at the nearest star.
While we await a "how do ya do" from our far away neighbors, we might ask ourselves, "Er...so what exactly is on that record?" The Golden Record contains, amongst other things, "116 pictures and diagrams about our global civilization and our species, greetings, samples of the world's great music, the brain waves of a young woman in love and much else."
I particularly like the list of included musical compositions. The Golden Record has everything from Bach to Chuck Berry. Rumor has it that when Bach was suggested for inclusion on the album, Carl Sagan quipped, "Bach? Now that would just be bragging."*
For more info, check out the links above. They'll lead you to Nasa's Voyager webpage and Carl Sagan's official website. Happy nerding!
*I have nothing to back this statement up. That's why it's rumor, people.
I didn't. Well, that is to say, I didn't know what it was called. The Golden Record is the album that was sent into space with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. It's purpose was "to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials." Launched in 1977, both Voyagers are now well on their journeys into the cosmos. However, we may be in for something of a wait before we get a response from alien life. Scientists estimate that it will take the Voyager probes approximately 40,000 years to arrive at the nearest star.
While we await a "how do ya do" from our far away neighbors, we might ask ourselves, "Er...so what exactly is on that record?" The Golden Record contains, amongst other things, "116 pictures and diagrams about our global civilization and our species, greetings, samples of the world's great music, the brain waves of a young woman in love and much else."
I particularly like the list of included musical compositions. The Golden Record has everything from Bach to Chuck Berry. Rumor has it that when Bach was suggested for inclusion on the album, Carl Sagan quipped, "Bach? Now that would just be bragging."*
For more info, check out the links above. They'll lead you to Nasa's Voyager webpage and Carl Sagan's official website. Happy nerding!
*I have nothing to back this statement up. That's why it's rumor, people.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Point of No Return
Or, as some in the astrophysics set like to call it, the event horizon. What's an "event horizon"? No, it's not just a terrible movie starring Dr. Grant. (Sometimes also referred by his real name, Sam Neill.) Well, when it comes to black holes, it's the line in the sand...er, stars...where once you cross over you're going to get sucked into the black hole. Yup, it can't be helped. You're totally, utterly, screwed.
"But Ashley, what's the deal with black holes, and why don't I want to get sucked into one? Won't I just get transported to some new and far away cosmos, where really hot green-skinned alien chicks are the norm?" Sadly, that is not the most likely outcome. Odds are that once you get sucked into that black hole, you're going to become cosmic pulp. As described by Brian Greene in his book The Elegant Universe,
"[I]f you dropped feet first through the event horizon, as you approached the black hole's center you would find yourself getting increasingly uncomfortable. The gravitational force of the black hole would increase so dramatically that its pull on your feet would be much stronger that its pull on your head (since in a feet-first fall your feet are always a bit closer than your head to the black hole's center); so much stronger, in fact, that you be stretched with a force that would quickly tear your body to shreds."
The good news is that Mr. Brian Greene was not kidding when he described the shredding speed as quick. Apparently, you get shredded so fast that your poor little nerves don't have enough time to scream to your brain, "Holy crap, we're being shredded to bits. There are no hot green alien chicks. It was all a lie!"
All in all, I feel we've learned a very valuable lesson here. DON'T cross the event horizon. ("Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.")
"But Ashley, what's the deal with black holes, and why don't I want to get sucked into one? Won't I just get transported to some new and far away cosmos, where really hot green-skinned alien chicks are the norm?" Sadly, that is not the most likely outcome. Odds are that once you get sucked into that black hole, you're going to become cosmic pulp. As described by Brian Greene in his book The Elegant Universe,
"[I]f you dropped feet first through the event horizon, as you approached the black hole's center you would find yourself getting increasingly uncomfortable. The gravitational force of the black hole would increase so dramatically that its pull on your feet would be much stronger that its pull on your head (since in a feet-first fall your feet are always a bit closer than your head to the black hole's center); so much stronger, in fact, that you be stretched with a force that would quickly tear your body to shreds."
The good news is that Mr. Brian Greene was not kidding when he described the shredding speed as quick. Apparently, you get shredded so fast that your poor little nerves don't have enough time to scream to your brain, "Holy crap, we're being shredded to bits. There are no hot green alien chicks. It was all a lie!"
All in all, I feel we've learned a very valuable lesson here. DON'T cross the event horizon. ("Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.")
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
I Guess I've Just Got That Type of Face
That is, the type of face that encourages attacks by crows. About a week ago I was stirred from my morning-walk-to-work-reverie by a crow dive bombing my head. It didn't rip out my hair or anything. Just buzzed me a bit.
Yesterday, on the walk home from the office, I was buzzed again by a crow. It was at the same intersection, but was it the same crow? We'll never know. I mean, how do you pick out a crow out from a lineup? "Yes officer, the one with the feathers - that's the crow that done it!"
Today, as I set off across the intersection, I kept my wits about me. Sure enough, as I hit the halfway point on the crosswalk, ZOOOOM!
The crow would make two more passes at me before I was out of its attack zone. It did continue to eye me warily as I progressed down my street back to the relative safety of my apartment. (I own a cat, so the term "relative safety" is not one I toy with here - she's not called Demon Kitteh for nothing.)
After the attacks had abated I texted one of my friends with my strange story. His response, "You know crows can remember human faces for up to a year?" What?!?!?!?! Well, it's true. Scientist Bernd Heinrich of the University of Vermont seems to think the behavior is a “byproduct of their acuity" - in particular, their ability to recognize and differentiate between individual members of their own species.
So what does all of this mean for me? It's time to buy a helmet.
Yesterday, on the walk home from the office, I was buzzed again by a crow. It was at the same intersection, but was it the same crow? We'll never know. I mean, how do you pick out a crow out from a lineup? "Yes officer, the one with the feathers - that's the crow that done it!"
Today, as I set off across the intersection, I kept my wits about me. Sure enough, as I hit the halfway point on the crosswalk, ZOOOOM!
The crow would make two more passes at me before I was out of its attack zone. It did continue to eye me warily as I progressed down my street back to the relative safety of my apartment. (I own a cat, so the term "relative safety" is not one I toy with here - she's not called Demon Kitteh for nothing.)
After the attacks had abated I texted one of my friends with my strange story. His response, "You know crows can remember human faces for up to a year?" What?!?!?!?! Well, it's true. Scientist Bernd Heinrich of the University of Vermont seems to think the behavior is a “byproduct of their acuity" - in particular, their ability to recognize and differentiate between individual members of their own species.
So what does all of this mean for me? It's time to buy a helmet.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Welcome One and All
Hello, my friends, and welcome to Phacton. What is Phacton, you ask? It's my little blog project - my daily attempt to learn a bit of science and share it with my friends, loved ones, and (hopefully) strangers.
As a disclaimer, I am not a scientist. Sometimes I pretend to be, but that's just to pick up guys at the bar. (What?! I live in Seattle. It's nerds ahoy here.) Lack of science degree aside, I am just another gal interested in nerdy scientific stuff. Brought up on a diet of Star Trek, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Mythbusters, it's only natural that my nerdy inclinations would eventually need an outlet.
The name of the blog is a mash-up of "photon" and "fact." (Because, as any good trademark attorney will tell you, the best kinds of trademarks are those devised from made up words.) I also like the idea of a one-word title. It'll look better on t-shirts. You know, if/when I become wildly successful and have Simon and Schuster calling me screaming, "OMG, you are the hottest thing since gamma ray bursts! We want to publish you NOW!"
But, I digress. And daydream. Ooh, look! A butterfly! <Puts down laptop, chases silently after newly found lepidopteran friend.>
As a disclaimer, I am not a scientist. Sometimes I pretend to be, but that's just to pick up guys at the bar. (What?! I live in Seattle. It's nerds ahoy here.) Lack of science degree aside, I am just another gal interested in nerdy scientific stuff. Brought up on a diet of Star Trek, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Mythbusters, it's only natural that my nerdy inclinations would eventually need an outlet.
The name of the blog is a mash-up of "photon" and "fact." (Because, as any good trademark attorney will tell you, the best kinds of trademarks are those devised from made up words.) I also like the idea of a one-word title. It'll look better on t-shirts. You know, if/when I become wildly successful and have Simon and Schuster calling me screaming, "OMG, you are the hottest thing since gamma ray bursts! We want to publish you NOW!"
But, I digress. And daydream. Ooh, look! A butterfly! <Puts down laptop, chases silently after newly found lepidopteran friend.>
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