The New York Times reported last week on some hopeful advances in the whole area of embryonic stem cell research.

The advance is an easy-to-use technique for reprogramming a skin cell of a mouse back to the embryonic state. Embryonic cells can be induced in the laboratory to develop into many of the body’s major tissues.

If the technique can be adapted to human cells, researchers could use a patient’s skin cells to generate new heart, liver or kidney cells that might be transplantable and would not be rejected by the patient’s immune system …

The technique, if adaptable to human cells … would not involve the expensive and controversial use of human eggs, and should avoid all or almost all of the ethical criticism directed at the use of embryonic stem cells.

This seems to me like the best of both worlds – the benefits of embryonic stem cells without the destruction of human embryos. This would allow for medical research to continue while preserving the sanctity of human life in the womb.

  (Tacoma Narrows Bridge – video below)

My three sons and I were talking about this the other day. I was explaining to them how a marching band can potentially set up a standing wave in a bridge setting up a feedback loop in the bridge’s construction eventually causing it to collapse. (Who says physics can’t be fun?)

There are historical examples where this has actually happened. In 1831 cavalry troops marched in step over a suspension bridge near Manchester, England causing the bridge to collapse. In 1850 the Angers Bridge in France collapsed when 478 soldiers marched across it in lockstep. Because of instances like these, groups marching in formation are now instructed to break step when crossing bridges.

So what is the science behind all this? Here is an answer from the physics department at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

When troopers march in cadence across a bridge, the marching may match a natural resonance frequency of the bridge. Although only a small amount of energy is added with each step, because of the resonance effect this energy will be stored. As a result, the bridge will cumulatively absorb energy from the marching men, increasing the oscillation amplitude in the bridge (just as pushing someone on a swing, in cadence, increase the amplitude of the swing). Enough energy may be added this way to damage or destroy the bridge. (from: How to Cross a Bridge)

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge over Puget Sound in Washington is a famous example of a bridge that was destroyed by resonance vibrations. The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, also known as “Galloping Gertie,” was a concrete and steel suspension bridge. It was the third longest span bridge in the world when it was built. Construction on the bridge began in 1939, and the bridge was put into service on July 1, 1940. Just four months later, on November 7, 1940, the bridge was destroyed by resonance vibrations set up by winds acting on the bridge. The bridge that had taken a year to build was destroyed in a matter of hours.

Here is actual video footage from 1940 of the bridge’s vibrations and eventual collapse. I remember seeing the footage of this concrete bridge bouncing up and down like a piece of rubber back in high school, and it was fun to find it online again. (Click below for video.)

(more…)

My Dad is an avid astronomer. In fact I grew up with a planetarium and observatory in the back yard complete with high power telescope. Dad still has the observatory and telescope, but had to give up the planetarium when he and Mom moved a number of years ago. I have great memories of looking up through Dad’s telescope as a child at the craters of the moon or the rings of Saturn or far away star clusters in the sky. My only regret is that I did not spend more time using this incredible resource in my own back yard.

So I was excited to see this neat online site called Wikisky. This is like a Google Earth for outer space. It looks like an updated version of an old software program I used to have for the kids but has now been made available online. You can pan across the night sky, zoom in on different objects, or view the stars above a given location at a certain time. You can turn on constellation overlays or hover over a particular star to get information such as name, distance, magnitude and constellation. You can even switch from normal browsing mode to SDSS mode (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) to see actual photographs of the sky while you browse.

If you have any interest in astronomy I encourage you to check this site out. Parents, this is a great site for your kids, too.

HT: Lifehacker

(This is from a series of posts on the Iron Sharpens Iron Men’s Conference in Hartford, CT on March 24, 2007. To view the whole series, click here.)

Here is a brief summary of Hugh Ross’ afternoon seminar called “Creation as Science.”

Hugh spoke about the testable creation model that he and the people at Reasons To Believe have been working on developing. He explained the Anthropic Principle – how everything in the universe tends toward man, toward making life possible on earth and sustaining it. He described the fine-tuning of the universe and how human life on earth can only exist within finely-tuned parameters. Forty years ago astronomers could only identify a few of these characteristics, but by the year 2001 they had identified more than 150 finely-tuned characteristics necessary for life. These findings reduce the odds that any given planet in the universe would possess the necessary conditions to support intelligent physical life to less than one in 10¹⁷³.

(more…)

Please don’t wash my sneakers! This girl won $2,500 in the 32nd annual national Odor Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest. Now she can afford to buy a new pair. The prize-winning sneakers will be enshrined in the Odor Eaters’ “Hall of Fumes” in Montpelier, VT.

Unidentified Flying Snowflakes. For over a century people have reported seeing giant snowflakes, some as large as frisbees. Scientists are interested in the stories and have begun collecting data. The largest snowflake ever reported was during a storm in January, 1887, when a Montana rancher claims he measured one 15 inches wide.

$1 million dollars only goes so far. More and more people are becoming millionaires, and yet some still worry about whether they will have enough money for the future. These people should pay a visit to the Global Rich List.

Watch out for killer frogs! I don’t know. First we had killer bees, now we have killer frogs. The city of San Francisco is having trouble with African clawed frogs in Golden State Park. These 5-inch long amphibians have voracious appetites and are eating up the other wildlife. Now they are eating themselves . . . which should take care of the problem.

Science girl. Congratulations to Mary Masterman, a senior at Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City, who won a $100,000 scholarship in the 66th annual Intel Science Talent Search. I can hear parents all over the nation telling their teens to break out their science books.