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Calculus for the Curious
Some weeks ago I got involved in a discussion on Twitter about, which books to recommend on the history of calculus. Somebody chimed in that Steven Strogatz’s new book would tell you all that you n…
New
The latest blog posts to take off on Hacker News. 323 posts.
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Some people who take psychedelics continue hallucinating indefinitely
[Related to: Relaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics And The Anarchic Brain, HPPD And The Specter Of Permanent Side Effects] I. Hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder is a condition where people wh…
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Quantum supremacy: the gloves are off
Links:Google paper in NatureNew York Times articleIBM paper and blog post responding to Google’s announcementBoaz Barak’s new post: “Boaz’s inferior classical inferiority FA…
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Impact Speed and a Pedestrian's Risk of Severe Injury or Death
This study examines how vehicle speed influences the probability that a pedestrian struck by a vehicle will sustain severe injuries or die.
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IBM casts doubt on Google's claims of quantum supremacy
We argue that an ideal simulation of the same task can be performed on a classical system in 2.5 days and with far greater fidelity.
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Quantum Supremacy Using a Programmable Superconducting Processor
Posted by John Martinis, Chief Scientist Quantum Hardware and Sergio Boixo, Chief Scientist Quantum Computing Theory, Google AI Quantum Physicist...
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Geometry, Algebra, and Intuition (2017)
I have a confession to make: I have always found symbolic algebra more intuitive than geometric pictures. I think you’re supposed to feel the opposite way, and I greatly admire people who think and communicate in pictures, but for me, it’s usually a struggle.
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Our Dazzling Night Sky When the Milky Way Collides with Andromeda in 4B Years
This is what our night sky is going to look like in 3.9 billion years: Wow! So what’s going on here? Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers at
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Antarctic ice cliffs may not contribute to sea-level rise as much as predicted
Antarctic ice cliffs may not contribute to sea-level rise as much as once thought: An MIT study finds even the tallest ice cliffs are unlikely to collapse catastrophically and trigger a runaway ice sheet retreat.
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ET Don't Phone Home
I recently became aware of this article where a Google exec says - he’s serious - that ‘Nest owners should probably warn their guests that their conversations are being recorded’. That’s assuming the owners themselves are even aware of what these devices are doing, and the likely truth is that they do not. Like needy…
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Are Aerospike Engines Better Than Traditional Rocket Engines?
Today we’re going to look at the history of aerospike engines, go over how nozzles work including things like overexpansion, underexpansion and even expansion ratios, we’ll look at the pros and cons of the aerospike, the physical limitations and problems, then we’ll compare the aerospike to some other traditional…
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Earth and Sun
Interactive article about Earth and Sun.
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I Survived the “Destroying Angel” (2006)
This memoir of a near-fatal mushroom poisoning was written by our most fortunate guest, Richard Eshelman. Happy Thanksgiving, all.
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Trying to improve buffet lines using simulations
I have suspected for years that the classic buffet line system is a deeply flawed method, so I decide to simulate different methods to find out better ways
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Dark matter nightmare: What if we are just using the wrong equations?
Science News, Physics, Science, Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
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Engineers put Leonardo da Vinci’s bridge design to the test
MIT engineers have analyzed a bridge design proposed by Leonardo da Vinci, and found that it would indeed have stood solidly, had it ever been built.
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Starving cancer by cutting off its favorite foods
Scientists have discovered molecules that inhibit tumor growth by starving cancer cells of their favorite foods: the sugar glucose and the amino acid, glutamine.
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How much does air pollution cost the U.S.?
Damages from air pollution have fallen dramatically in the U.S. in recent years, shows new research. But how different sectors of the economy have contributed to that decline is highly uneven.
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The Nobel Prize in Physics 2019
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2019 was awarded "for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos" with one half to James Peebles "for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology", the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz "for the discovery of an…
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Yellowstone National Park’s Sound and Video Libraries
Yellowstone National Park maintains a collection of sounds and videos taken in the park that are in the public domain and free for anyone to use. The collection
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Cross-Laminated Timber
Cross Laminated Timber (or CLT for short) is a structural building material that can replace concrete and steel in new building construction. I wrote about CLT back in April and mentioned that the Gotham Gal and I are in the process of making two CLT buildings right now. The paper version of the New York […]
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Quantum computers: amazing progress, but probably false supremacy claims
A 2017 cartoon from this post. After the embargo update (Oct 25): Now that I have some answers from the people involved let me make a quick update: 1) I still find the paper unconvincing, specific…
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Under-Investigated Fields
Nominations for fields that are not being researched as much as they should be
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Unsteady income in young adulthood linked to thinking problems in middle age
MINNEAPOLIS – Young adults who experience annual income drops of 25 percent or more may be more at risk of having thinking problems and reduced brain health in middle age, according to a study published in the October 2, 2019, online issue of Neurology ® , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology …
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No evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy
In the largest study of its kind, results challenge the notion of autism as reflecting an “extreme male brain.”