Don Garlick

Nothing threatens our future more than the existence of nuclear weapons, as documented by a free DVD you can order from the Web site Nuclear Tipping Point (www.nucleartippingpoint.org). And don’t be lulled by our agreement with Russia to reduce mutual stockpiles to 1,550 warheads. Can you even name 1,550 U.S. cities? Two Japanese cities have […]

My efforts at the Journal are coming to an end after 50 issues. If you are interested in continuing this science column, please e-mail the editor, Hank Sims, at hanksims@northcoastjournal.com. Among many questions I am leaving for others are the nature of corals dredged off Shelter Cove (see photo) and the origin of balls of […]

Begin with one bacterium capable of dividing each hour. After 10 hours there will be 1,024 bacteria (2^10). That’s an example of geometric, or exponential, growth. If the colony is confined to a small jar of food, and half that food is converted into those 1,024 bacteria in 10 hours, you can imagine their leader […]

Sap drips from the leaves of my indoor banana plant. Osmosis is the process that raises that sap against gravity. Osmosis causes our kidneys to retain more water in our blood after a salty meal. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is the preferred method for producing fresh water from ocean water. The U.S. is second only to […]

Meter-sized spherical rocks decorate Bowling Ball Beach three miles south of Point Arena in Mendocino County. They have gathered there into rows on a corrugated wave-cut platform eroded into inclined sedimentary sandstones. These hard spheres are not boulders abraded by rivers or surf, but are erosion-resistant calcite-cemented spheres eroded directly from those inclined softer sandstones. […]

Herpetology, the study of amphibians and reptiles, sheds much light on the nature of evolution. Consider the range of body plans and lifestyles among salamanders (amphibians with tails). They commonly hatch from eggs in water or moist places, though a few species give birth to live young. Some are confined to water and use external […]

Silicon, PhotoVoltaics and Light Emitting Diodes are of growing importance. Here’s how they work, using the analogy of a playground slide (or RAMP). Throw kids up onto it so they slide down, pile up at the bottom, and circuit around for a repeat. In photovoltaic cells, solar photons do the throwing and the kids are […]

I remember watching a chick emerge from an egg. It was miraculous. I have also seen a mosquito dragging itself from its pupa, standing on water for a moment to inflate its wings, and then flying away in search of blood. It was equally awesome. I mention the mosquito to quell the enthusiasm of those […]