Just west of Cape Mendocino there exists a submarine escarpment related to the boundary between the Pacific and Gorda plates. It descends into a canyon which exceeds the relief of the Grand Canyon (see profiles). As a consequence, the surface of the ocean off Cape Mendocino is not horizontal! Sailing north across the escarpment with […]
Don Garlick
Don Garlick is a geology professor retired from Humboldt State University. He invites any questions relating to North Coast science, and if he cannot answer it he will find an expert who can. E-mail dorsgarlick@yahoo.com.
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An Excess of X
Human females possess two X chromosomes, whereas males have one X and one small Y chromosome. This is in addition to 22 pairs of autosomal chromosomes unrelated to sex. Males prove that just one X is sufficient, so how do females cope with an excess of X chromosomes? They do so by inactivating one of […]
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Polarized
If you wish to see submerged rocks ahead, or creatures in a tide pool, you need to wear Polaroid sunglasses. Their ability to reduce glare is a consequence of some very interesting physics. I will demonstrate, for example, that when you see light reflected from a surface, that light did not simply bounce off the […]
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Fossil Collagen
Collagen is the protein that holds our bodies together. It constitutes our connective tissues. Lampreys, sharks and skates use it instead of bone. It is such a tough protein that some small fraction may have survived 68 million years in a T. rex skeleton excavated a few years ago. A team of six scientists recently […]
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Pumping Heat
If you own a refrigerator, you own a heat pump, which moves heat from one place to another. Heat pumps can efficiently heat a home by transporting heat from the environment into the home. Rocky Drill and wife Kathy Marshall have reduced their carbon footprint by installing heat pumps which can also serve as air […]
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Fossils Alive
Living fossils" are living species that resemble ancient fossils. In some cases, an organism was thought to be extinct until a modern specimen was discovered. The lobe-finned coelacanth is an example. Thousands of free copies of a lavishly illustrated book by Harun Yahya have been distributed to many schools in Europe. Their purpose is to […]
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Magnitude and Intensity
These terms are used in describing earthquakes. "Magnitude" is a measure of the energy released, so each quake has a single magnitude. "Intensity" is an indication of local shaking, which generally decreases with increasing distance from the source. For example, the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 determined from seismograph recordings compensated […]
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Symmetry
Crystal faces reveal symmetries which reflect the geometric arrangements of their constituent atoms. All inorganic solids are crystalline, except glass. The concepts of symmetry are essential also to the understanding of life’s architecture. Your right hand has no symmetry. Two hands in prayer are related by a mirror symmetry (biology’s bilateral symmetry). Rotate one of […]
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Rogue Waves
Waves are intimately connected to everything, even electrons and such, but let us begin with those that can catch you unawares on the beach or boat. Such rogue waves can be lethal. Waves originate when wind blows across water. Two processes build larger waves from initial ripples: Frictional dragging and Bernoulli lifting. I have not […]
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Designer Fruit
Preparing a bowl of fruit for lunch reminded me of the tremendous diversity existing within the Kingdom of Plants. The largest Phylum, Angiosperm (flowering plants), contains hundreds of thousands of species. Recall Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species? I hereby offer four favorite flavors of fruit. The kiwi’s story is interesting: I thought it was native to New Zealand until […]
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Sailing
The physics of sailing is outlined in the first diagram, showing the equilibrium between forces. The vector-sum of forces on sail and keel is balanced by the resistance of moving the boat through water. The speed of a typical 10-meter yacht in winds of 10 and 20 knots, as a function of its angle to […]
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Ancient Mariners
Sailing is an ancient enterprise. Humans used the wind to cross the oceans thousands of years ago. Sails, however, existed 350 million years before humans hoisted theirs. The jellyfish Velella, several centimeters long, sails warm oceans to feed upon pelagic organisms which it captures with stinging tentacles a few centimeters long. Fortunately, their nematocysts (see […]