Fractals are found everywhere in nature. Benoit Mandelbrot, who formalized the math behind fractals and coined the term in 1975, talks at length about this in his book, The Fractal Geometry of Nature, and it’s certainly something that is discussed frequently in biophysics and biomathematics circles. But the question naturally arises: Why? The Mandelbrot Set. […]
Fractals in biology and fundamental recursive design Read More »
Born on March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein entered a world similar to, but also irreconcilable with, the one from which he would eventually leave. His birthplace, Ulm, had recently entered the German Empire following decades of petty territorial conflict and an optimistic peace had settled over the region. From an early age, Einstein pondered the
Relativity: How one man eclipsed physics Read More »
Physics — from the Latin physica (“natural philosophy”), itself from the Greek φύσις (“nature”) — is the study of matter, energy, and the interactions between them. All such interactions fall into one of four categories, known as the four fundamental forces of physics, the combinations of which explain with great accuracy the majority of known
The four fundamental forces: A brief history of natural philosophy Read More »
The race to find sustainable energy has quite literally led us out of our world. Earth harvests energy from the Sun to keep itself alive, but for the ever-growing human species, even this massive star is not enough to satisfy our high energy needs. Ergo, scientists have been searching further into space for other sources
A simplified guide to charging your phone with a black hole (theoretically) Read More »
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics was a notable one, recognizing discoveries that constituted the beginnings of climate science for the 20th century. With scientists measuring record-high temperatures last summer, the research provides a basis for understanding climate change, namely anthropogenic climate change, which demands our attention. The prize was split in two, with half
What makes Earth feel so much like home? For some, crisp fall mornings and hot coffees make this planet the place to be. Others might argue in the name of our endless collection of island beaches and piña coladas that Jupiter just can’t offer. At the root of it all, though, there’s one thing that
Home away from home: NASA’s newest ocean-covered exoplanet Read More »
Lightning is not uncommon, nor is it particularly subtle. In fact, with approximately 9 million strikes per day, it is one of the loudest, brightest, and most common natural phenomena known to the terrestrial sciences. Most people know lightning as loud arcs of light that sometimes occur during severe storms. Indeed, this is the most
Aerial electricity: Lightning and other poorly-understood phenomena Read More »
When most people hear the name Hubble, they likely think of the groundbreaking telescope that captured unique planets, blazing stars, and clusters of light in its stunning photographs. It is less likely, however, that they think of the famous telescope’s namesake — Edwin Hubble, the astronomer who discovered the expanding universe. Until the 1920s, astronomers
Infinitely larger: How Edwin Hubble proved our galaxy is not alone Read More »
Recently, a group of scientists at the Carnegie Institution for Science created an AI model that can detect traces of extraterrestrial life. By analyzing the chemical composition and structure of past and present life preserved in sediments in different planetary samples — from Mars meteorites to the earliest specimens of life on Earth — the
A search for the extraterrestrial: Artificial intelligence detects life Read More »