Our Earth is constantly bombarded with high energy particles and cosmic rays. These charged particles interact with the atoms in atmospheric gases, producing a cascade of secondary particles. And you can use those for dating rocks! Continue reading Dating Rocks – Methods of Historical Surface Exposure Analysis
Zero Point Energy and The Vacuum of Space
According to whom you ask, Zero Point Energy can do everything… or nothing at all. But what is it? Something that pervades all of space, albeit on a microscale? The kinetic energy a molecule does retain, even when cooled down to absolute zero? And could it offer us a source of unlimited energy? Continue reading Zero Point Energy and The Vacuum of Space
Neural Oscillations – Are You Having a Brain Wave?
The brain is a bio-chemical organ that emanates electromagnetic waves. That little, we do know. And brainwaves are linked to cognitive states from awareness and consciousness, to dream states. But what are their particularities? And are brain waves modulated by external frequencies? Continue reading Neural Oscillations – Are You Having a Brain Wave?
Building the Energy Future with Thorium in the Gobi Desert, China
Wuwei City, Gansu, China. On the edge of the Gobi desert, the production of safe, inexpensive nuclear energy is soon to be underway. The technology will not use uranium, and it will not require water for its cooling process. Continue reading Building the Energy Future with Thorium in the Gobi Desert, China
Eliminating the Impossible – The Complex Electro-Chemistry Behind the Hessdalen Lights
A Norwegian valley. Strange lights observed by many witnesses. It has been called “Norway’s Roswell”. But what makes the remote valley of Hessdalen so different from other locations?
Identifying the Unidentified – The Hessdalen Light Phenomenon, Norway
The Hessdalen Valley of Norway. Just 15 kilometres across. Low population density. But why is there a blue box perched high up on the hillside, with cameras covering the valley? What’s going on in this secluded valley?! Continue reading Identifying the Unidentified – The Hessdalen Light Phenomenon, Norway
The Brief Flight of the Russian Woodpecker Over The Horizon – And More About Phased Array Radars…
North east of Ukraine, close to the Russian border, is the site of the Duga radar, also known during the 70s and 80s as the Woodpecker – one of the most extraordinary engineering structures ever built.
Volcanic Unrest and How To Survive It
Over the next century, large magnitude volcano eruptions are many times more likely to happen than all risk of large asteroid or comet impacts combined. The World is not prepared.
Family Trees, Forests and The Intelligent Green Network Under Our Feet
It’s difficult to escape from a World where everything is connected. To spend time in Nature, to find quiet and rest from our unbalanced existences inside our man-made concrete jungles. To seek wisdom in the forest. But we don’t understand Nature. We think: If only those trees could talk! Continue reading Family Trees, Forests and The Intelligent Green Network Under Our Feet
Engineering A Star – Nuclear Fusion, Tokamaks and Stellarators
A Stellar Reactor
Greifswald, Northeastern Germany, 2016. Physicists at the Max Planck Institute have been racing to find a way of producing sustainable, clean energy with a stable nuclear fusion reactor. The challenge? Re-creating the Sun’s powerhouse on a much, much smaller scale. Continue reading Engineering A Star – Nuclear Fusion, Tokamaks and Stellarators
Our Burning Planet – Beyond Net Zero, Will We Adapt Or Die?
As World leaders meet for COP26 in Glasgow, the Earth has already reached 1.2 °C warming above pre-1880s industrial levels. Continue reading Our Burning Planet – Beyond Net Zero, Will We Adapt Or Die?
Within The Blood
Human blood is quite remarkable. It transports oxygen, hormones and nutrients. It tracks down and kills pathogens, carries away waste products, helps regulate body temperature, and it irrigates all our internal organs. And the blood is packed with information. Continue reading Within The Blood
10,000 Years Later…
A clock is ticking inside a mountain in Western Texas. It is a monumental clock. Hundreds of feet tall, its mechanism is designed to tick for 10,000 years. It’s a real clock. The first of several millennial clocks being built around the World, to endure for centuries. Tick…
Looking Into The Abyss – The JOIDES Resolution Progress Update
A 42-year-old converted oil exploration ship, JOIDES Resolution is one of the few drilling vessels available to earth scientists for the geological study of the seabed at ocean depths below 8,000 metres. Its ultimate aim is to become better acquainted with what goes on beneath the Earth’s crust. Continue reading Looking Into The Abyss – The JOIDES Resolution Progress Update
Rock of Ages – Why Banded Iron Formations Are Far From Boring…
This 2.5-tonne lump of rock is a banded iron formation. It marks a turning point in the history of life on our beautiful planet. A crucial chemical transition. When oxygen started becoming abundant. And life took its next step towards complexity… Continue reading Rock of Ages – Why Banded Iron Formations Are Far From Boring…
Saving Hope… – Cetacean Strandings and Satellites
It’s unclear why so many great whales beach en masse around the World. And it’s really difficult to estimate their number, especially when the cetacean strandings occur along remote shores. But there is hope. Scientists are now developing techniques to monitor marine populations from space. Continue reading Saving Hope… – Cetacean Strandings and Satellites
Nine – The Elusive Planet in Our Solar System
A hypothetical Ninth planet has been lurking on the outskirts of our Solar System. But Planet Nine may not be a planet at all… Continue reading Nine – The Elusive Planet in Our Solar System
Digital Forensics and The Case of the Dead Dodo
The very latest technology in scanning and 3D printing is now providing vital clues and evidence in murder. And as it happened, scientists can now ascertain that World famous flightless extinct bird… the Dodo… died… AFTER BEING SHOT… in the back of the head… Continue reading Digital Forensics and The Case of the Dead Dodo
Trudeau’s Canada: From Climate Champion to Environmental Pariah?
Canada. A land of unspoiled wilderness and natural beauty, led by the poster boy of progressive politics Justin Trudeau who has cast himself as an environmental champion. Canada as the World sees it… Continue reading Trudeau’s Canada: From Climate Champion to Environmental Pariah?
Sash, Chillers and Power Hungry Accelerators – The Embarrassing Truth about Modern Science Laboratories
Come in. Step into the pristine environment of a modern science laboratory. With all its cutting-edge equipment neatly arranged and organised work spaces clearly delineated, you might just be forgiven for thinking it is a model of sustainability but… Look a bit closer! You might be surprised…
A Bouquet of Pesticides – The Dark Side of Flowers
Pesticides have a dramatic impact on the health of ecosystems, posing real risks to pollinating insects, such as bees. But did you know that your favourite bouquet may be posing a risk to your own well-being? Continue reading A Bouquet of Pesticides – The Dark Side of Flowers
The Universe Expands Far Faster Than Anticipated…
The Universe is accelerating
For a while now, astrophysicists have known that our Universe is expanding, and accelerating. And much like the surface of a rubber balloon getting inflated, space is getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger… Continue reading The Universe Expands Far Faster Than Anticipated…
Large Asteroid Impacts Earth…
… And Hardly Anyone Notices!
Five years after the Chelyabinsk asteroid impact, a three-in-a-century event happens again over the Bering Sea. And almost no-one notices. I say “no-one”… but the Earth is a planet under constant scrutiny. Continue reading Large Asteroid Impacts Earth…
The Strange Operetta of the Singing Mouse
When Mice Serenade the Forest…
Until now, you might have been forgiven for thinking that singing mice were merely the product of Disney’s prolific imagination. Not anymore! Although it wasn’t classically trained by a modern P.T. Barnum, the singing mouse is a reality. Continue reading The Strange Operetta of the Singing Mouse
Artemisia and The Dirty Business of Malaria Pharmaceuticals
What If You Could Cure Malaria?
The fields of Senegal are at the centre of a controversial battle against deadly malaria. With mosquitoes increasingly resistant to insecticides, and the parasite’s developing resistance to conventional remedies, the humanitarian emergency becomes ever more pressing worldwide. A plant genus could be the answer: Artemisia. But that goes against the wishes of the WHO…
Continue reading Artemisia and The Dirty Business of Malaria Pharmaceuticals
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