After reading the entry about how seventh graders visualized scientists before and after having met them, I was wondering how I would have fared when posed such a question in my seventh grade. My answer wasn’t fostering the much-needed scientific spirit in me so I tried the question with my six-year-old kid.
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Dinosaur Scientist
June 18, 2010 · 5 Comments
→ 5 CommentsCategories: Muse · Science
Tagged: dinosaur, dinosaurs, education, kid scientist, kids, scientist
Inner Life of Mesoorganisms
May 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment
The title of both this note and the paper it discusses is inspired by a 1970s classic paper by Nobel Laureate Edward Purcell on Life at low Reynolds number. With simple physics, that paper gave insights about micro-organisms (bacteria, sperms etc.) and their locomotion (swimming). We shall discuss it later. This note is about sort of follow-up recent research. We discuss about meso-organisms, cells of plants, with size close to a millimeter – a few orders of scale up from micro-organisms (size in microns) and few orders of size below macro-beasts like us.
Biophysics usually studies biological (bio-chemical) processes by applying physical laws at a micro level – single molecule. Plants such as aquatic Chara (size in centimeters) – known to be around for about 500 million years it seems – have stems in millimeters containing cells (of 0.1 mm dia, few mm length) that are very big for micron sized molecules of biophysics. The plant is shown on the left in the picture below (source).
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Biology · Biothermofluids · Fluid Sciences · Research Notes
Tagged: Research, Biology, biophysics
NanoArt doesnt promote Nanoscience
May 19, 2010 · 5 Comments
It seems NanoArt is how science meets art. Further it is ‘a new Renaissance and the most innovative way to promote an understanding of nanotechnology.’
So what is NanoArt? Here is a sample.
The above piece is called “In Pieces” by the NanoArtist Cris Orfescu and it is one of his favorites. It is created by freezing a droplet of suspended graphite nanoparticles in Liquid Nitrogen at 196 degrees Celsius below zero. Scanning Electron Microscope is used to take the picture, which was further painted and manipulated digitally using a computer. The final image was printed on canvas with special inks to last for a long time.
So far so fine.
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→ 5 CommentsCategories: Micro Muse · Physics · Science · Technology
Tagged: nanoscience, nanotechnology, art, nanoart, nanotech, sculptures, miniatures
Our Radio and TV shows have already sold us to Aliens
May 17, 2010 · 3 Comments
Our reception to Worldly affairs inside this city-forest is more through diffusion by land, even in this Internet Information Transfer age. So, we got to discuss only the other day about Stephen Hawking’s recent warning about aliens, the likelihood of a meeting with them could result in the certainty of us getting wiped out. Instead of SETI, SETI@home we better STFU.
I am not going to discuss here whether Hawking is right or wrong or how much of it is right. Many around the web and in the blogosphere have done it. Read here, here, here, here and here for a start. But read Brin if you need to pick one.
A lively discussion about aliens eventually gets us to Drake Equation, SETI, METI, Fermi Paradox, radio silence, and even Eerie Silence, a new book by Paul Davies. There now is even a SETI@home where our idle PCs computing power can be used in sifting radio signals for locating one that matters, if it exists.
But I refrain to elaborate these lofty ideals and actions. What I am going to mention is something trivial. A mere technicality.
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→ 3 CommentsCategories: Astronomy · Information · Micro Muse · Space · Technology
Tagged: aliens, seti, radio astronomy, radio telescope, radio transmission, radio silence, stephen hawking, paul davies, david brin
A Forgotten Carnatic Song Rendition
May 14, 2010 · 1 Comment
The series of reviews I wrote for Madras Music Season December 2009 took a heavy toll on my leisure, I almost gave up blogging, er, such elaborate writing. The casualty is the number of interesting concerts and elements of Carnatic music I listened to during the season and should have recorded here or at Musings for our listening and reading pleasure.
One such Dec 2009 concert was by Vedavalli at Raaga Sudha Hall.
Yes, one can magnify certain slips due to her age but one can do that always. As ever, she acquitted herself well in most of the facets of the music. Elegance and intelligence always implicitly entwine with classicism and creativity in Vedavalli’s music.
Here is a video snippet of Vedavalli’s thOdi rAgam Alapanai.
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→ 1 CommentCategories: Carnatic Music
Tagged: music, music reviews, december season, south indian classical music, 2009 dec music season, 2009 madras music season, 2009 chennai music festival, vedavalli, 2009 madras music reviews, sadvidhamaargini, sadvidhamargini, raagam, rare raagam
