The concept of “infinity” has bothered and challenged philosophers for thousands of years, but the first really modern attempt at understanding it was made by the mathematician-astronomer-philosopher Galileo Galilei in his final book Two New Sciences (1638). The “Father of Modern Science” attributes our problems with infinity to the limitations of our brains, anticipating Emmanuel […]
science
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Breathless
On June 8, 2009, Stéphane Mifsud set a new “static apnea” world record: 11 minutes 35 seconds. The 37-year-old Frenchman beat the previous record by a full 1 minute and 23 seconds, setting a very high bar for future competitors. Static apnea is what most of us would call “holding our breath,” the sort of […]
Posted inNews
Eureka! (It’s TEDx Eureka)
The Journal’s Field Notes columnist Barry Evans was among the deep thinkers dropping knowledge at TEDx Eureka, which, as Evans pointed out somewhat ironically, took place in Arcata in December. Humboldt’s first such event featured talks on a wide range of topics, everything from recycling and roller derby to the American Revolution and the environmental […]
Posted inNews
Scat Dogs Spot Owls
No, they’re not canine masters of jazzy nonsense, crooning in the moonlight. They’re the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology detection dogs Shrek and Max, who’ve been trained to sniff out northern spotted owl pellets (the undigested stuff they hack up after a meal) at the bases of trees (and thusly find the owls). […]
Posted inNews
Bright Bird
If you happened to be hanging around the game pen up at Humboldt State University a couple autumns ago, you might have chanced upon a miserable huddle of characters puking their brains out like over-partied freshman. These guys were small and bright blue with pointy, soot-colored heads. And they’d just had some baaaad eggs. The […]
Posted inNews
Follow the Sea Dragon
UPDATE: You can record marine debris you suspect is from the Japan tsunami with the mobile device Marine Debris Tracker. Use your discretion, NOAA requests — don’t report everything in sight, only stuff that seems very probably from the event. While we here on land, including on Humboldt’s coastline, await with dread and curiosity the […]
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When Winter Met Summer
“Kissing fish” by Joel Lueders We always knew there was something peculiar about our Eel River steelhead — those two “standoffish fish clans,” as writer Sid Perkins refers to the Eel’s winter run and summer run steelhead in a story this week in Science Magazine‘s online edition. They don’t mingle, they hang out in different […]
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Low Was the Tide
Barry Evans, the Journal‘s eloquent “Field Notes” scribe, sent in these pictures of the Eureka waterfront. It was substantially lower this morning; at minus 2, the tide was at one of its lowest levels of the year. (Open each image in a new tab to view at full resolution.)
Posted inNews
Hey, You. Barred Owl.
All this fright and scatter about how the barred owl’s taking over our Pacific Northwest woods, and nobody bothered to ask the barred owl directly about it? As in, “hey barred owl, how many of there are you, really, and have you really come to finish off what the “Spotted Owl–It’s What’s For Dinner” folks […]
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Field Notes Takes the Plunge
Our intrepid Field Notes science writer Barry Evans took the “Perilous” Plunge on Saturday and survived to file this report: “Was it cold?” I’ve been asked, oh, about 20 times. Honestly, I’ve no idea — I was in and out, and what with all the music and general merriment at the F Street dock around […]
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Smart Meter … or Electromagnetic Death Pod?
Will PG&E’s SmartMeters make you sick? Critics of the devices — which are currently being installed throughout the state — say they’re hazardous because they emit electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) and radio frequencies (RF) in sufficient quantities, they claim, to cause nausea, headaches, dizziness … even brain tumors. Last week, citing such fears, the Marin County Board of Supervisors […]
Posted inNews
National Geographic: ‘How Marijuana Works’
[Note: This is the first of two science-related posts today. Yay for science.] Below is a clip from an upcoming two-night TV special from National Geographic called “Drugged,” which will examine the bio-chemical effects of marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy. Nat Geo says: “Drugged: High on Marijuana” uses visual effects and CGI to take the viewer on […]