At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary tree. Appearances can be deceiving, however. There is much about this tree that is far from ordinary.
Why This May Be the Most Important Tree in History
Making Nuclear Reactors Safe From Butt-Pinching
Harnessing the power of the atom provides humanity with virtually unlimited power. It also poses devastating consequences if things go poorly. The nuclear disasters at Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island happened […]
Pleasing Pendulum Poetic Limerick
Thanks to Lesser Mutterings for pointing us to this wonderful science-based limerick. The primary equation that describes how a pendulum works is: T is the period of time it takes for a […]
How To See Impossible Colors
This is an article about colors, written by a person who is colorblind. Impossible, you say? So did this writer. In the course of protesting this assignment, however, it was pointed out […]
How Fast is a Finger Snap?
Snapping one’s fingers is a universally-understood way of communicating how easily and quickly something can be accomplished. If you want to be a bit more precise, you might want to know just […]
Learn What Prompted The Most Intelligent Photo Ever Taken
When John F. Kennedy welcomed a gathering of Nobel Prize winners at the White House in 1962, he said, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, […]
Does the Way Music is Tuned Explain Why the World is a Mess?
Welcome, Dear Reader. How are you doing? Are you having a good day? Did you have a nice time during the holidays? Gee, that’s wonderful. You obviously did not spend those hours […]
Back When Children Played With Uranium
With the approach of Christmas, you might be wondering what to buy for the young budding scientist on your shopping list. An Albert Einstein bobble head? Monster scientist Lego kit? Periodic Table […]
Relativity and Fine Fashion Sense
Unquestionably, Albert Einstein had one of the greatest minds of all time. Even the most casual student of science associates the great man with relativity, unlocking the secrets of the atom, and […]
Sweden’s Scale Model of the Solar System Spans the Whole Country
As young students, we all got our first introduction to the solar system through pictures that showed the planets orbiting the sun. Those pictures frequently showed equal distance between the planets and […]
Space Cadets: TV’s Most Expensive Hoax
The age of space tourism is upon us. At this writing, the world (and Trekkies, in particular) is reveling in William Shatner’s recent journey into space, becoming the oldest person to do […]
Is a Cat a Liquid or a Solid?
Cats are paradoxes. They are adorable and cuddly, yet they can abruptly become fierce and unapproachable. Perhaps their dual nature is what compelled Erwin Schrödinger in his famous thought experiment, in which […]
How Much Does the Internet Weigh?
At first glance, asking about the weight of the internet may seem to be as nonsensical as inquiring about the flavor of one of Mozart’s compositions. It isn’t as if the internet […]
Why You Don’t Remember the Amazing Contributions of H.A. Largelamb
What do you know about the fantastic accomplishments of H.A. Largelamb? Don’t be so quick to say you never heard of him. Although you might not immediately recognize his name, you almost […]
How Did Lightning Nearly Trigger World War III?
Alarms sounded in military installations all around the world, reporting the unthinkable. A nuclear detonation had just been detected in Bell Island, Newfoundland. Satellites designed to notify military and government leaders of […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 