Four Centuries of Optical Zoom

Today marks  another landmark scientific anniversary – the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first telescope.  It was on this day in 1609 that Galileo presented his prototype 8x-magnification telescope to the assembled Senate of Venice.  It was not the first telescope—that forgotten honor belongs  to Dutch astronomer Hans Lipperhey who built a simple telescope just one year earlier, in 1608—but it was the one that captured the attention of the Venetian merchants (who were most interested in its practical applications for shipping and navigation) and lit the candle of modern astronomy.  Galileo’s telescope allowed him to make precise observations that confirmed Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis and dispatched the notion of an Earth-centered universe.  Galileo’s published defense of this view in 1632 led directly to a papal trial in 1633, in which he was declared “vehemently suspect of heresy” and, after recanting his scientific views under threat of torture, his imprisonment sentence was commuted to house arrest.  Galileo remained in home near Florence (he was allowed one trip to seek medical advice near the end of his life) and was closely watched by church authorities until his death in 1642.  For a laugh, you can read the Catholic Church’s position on the Galileo controversy.

I, for one, am overwhelmed with humility by the science that Galileo’s telescope revolutionized.  It has brought us the likes of Carl Sagan, Maria Mitchell, Giovanni Cassini, and Stephen Hawking.  It brought us NASA and the space program, which will launch the space shuttle Discovery (STS-128) tomorrow at 1:10 AM EDT on a mission to the International Space Station.  There are no words that can, for the casual observer, capture the immensity of the expanding universe that telescopes have uncovered.  There is, at least, an image that comes close.  I am referring to the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, which is a composite image of a tiny region of space in the constellation Fornax, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope between 2003-2004.  It looks back over approximately 13 billion years, showing in just a tiny speck of sky that appears dark to the human eye the multitude of galaxies that existed only 400-800 million years after the Big Bang.  Every spot, blur, smudge, and speck on the image is an entire galaxy containing millions or billions of stars.  I will say no more about it, for if you’ve never seen it, this image deserves quiet reflection.  You can click on this small image to view the entire high-resolution version (18.1 MB).  In honor of Galileo, and without further blabbering from this blogger:

Hubble Ultra Deep Field

Perseid Party, or Death From The Skies!

IMPORTANT: Even if you can’t go with me tomorrow, please read this article about the Perseid Meteor Shower, and try to find the most promising way to see them near where you are.  And if you happen to read this before 5AM ET/2AM PT this morning (I’m looking at you, California kids!), try to go out and take a look now!

So – who wants to join me to see the best meteor shower of the year – the Perseids?!  It was too cloudy tonight to see very much, and even when some clear spots in the sky opened up, our very brightly lit urban environment overpowered all but the brightest stars.  I’m taking C in my car, so I’ll have room for up to three others.  I’ll drive some place dark, outside the city (suggestions welcome), and lay back to watch the show for at least 1 or 2 hours.  Bringing a folding cot, sleeping bag, hammock, or blanket is recommended for prolonged viewing comfort.  Binoculars, cameras, tripods, and telescopes are also great ideas if you have any of these available to you.  Food and drink never hurt anyone, either (hah)!  I will cancel this mini-trip if the weather doesn’t co-operate…  as it turns out, unfortunately, I can’t see the sky with my naked eyes through total cloud cover.

Hooray for death from the skies!

Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla!

Unexpected hiatus, it seems – over 2 months without an update! I’m not letting this blog die, though. At the moment I am very busy but I wanted to post quickly to say Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla! Without you, I wouldn’t have my car, my computer, my phone, my job, or Survival Machine.

Here’s one of Tesla’s patent drawings:

Alternating Motor patent diagram by Nikola Tesla

Ouranos ex machina

Dear Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences,

Verily, I beseech ye to establish a Nobel Prize for Magnificence, and award the first one to Steve Eves.

Humbly,
simian

Seriously, wow.

“It is time for us to lead once again”

I regret having just set a personal record for the longest period of time between posts.  But let’s forget about that right now, because today there are a couple BIG events to talk about.

Swine flu: Having very recently mutated to allow human/human transmission, it has already spread around the globe, leading to fears of a global pandemic.  To be fair, I think the mainstream news media have been doing more to fan the flames of fear (while sanctimoniously denying any intent to do so) than the flu itself.  As of this evening early Tuesday morning, only 40 50 cases had been reported inside the United States, and not a single fatality. CDC laboratory tests thus far indicates that the infection responds well to antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), which are being stockpiled in a number of states.  Maryland has already opened a swine flu command center right in my home city of Baltimore, in anticipation of likely infections occurring in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.  CDC lab tests have also indicated that the other two FDA-approved antiviral drugs for flu, amantadine (Symmetrel) and rimantadine (Flumadine), are ineffective against the swine flu.  Both oseltamivir and zanamivir are neuraminidase inhibitors, which work by blocking the action of the viral neuraminidase protein.  This is the protein on the surface of influenza viruses that allows it to be released from the host cell in the process known as “budding.”  Amantadine and rimantadine are both M2 protein inhibitors, drugs whose mechanism of action involves blocking the ion channel that removes a virion’s coating and releases its genetic content into the cytoplasm of the host cell.  It is worth noting that poultry farmers in China used amantadine to guard againt the H5N1 avian flu in chickens, an ill-advised practice (H. sapiens as an agent of natural selection!) that has led to the abundance of influenza strains resistant to amantadine.

It’s too early yet to tell whether the swine-flu fatalities in Mexico will be seen here in the United States or elsewhere around the world, but we probably won’t have to wait very long to find out.  As the eccentric chaotician Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic Park, “life finds a way” – we had better work hard to ensure that it’s human life that finds a way this time.  If you’re wondering what you can do, look at this guide on the US Department of Health and Human Services’ PandemicFlu.gov website.  And, of course, you can follow the CDC’s swine flu updates on Twitter.

In that vein, I lastly want to commend President Barack Obama, who, speaking today before the National Academy of Sciences, made a remarkable (and badly needed) commitment to the advancement of American science. After describing how the current swine flu emergency should remind us of the necessity of science, and among many breaks for applause, Obama said:

I believe it is not in our character, the American character, to follow.  It’s our character to lead.  And it is time for us to lead once again.  So I’m here today to set this goal:  We will devote more than 3 percent of our GDP to research and development.  We will not just meet, but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race, through policies that invest in basic and applied research, create new incentives for private innovation, promote breakthroughs in energy and medicine, and improve education in math and science.

That’s why I campaigned for this guy. Let’s all make sure we hold him to this promise.

Daylight Awesome Time

Daylight Savings Time is one of my favorite annual events. It’s sunny and spring-like on this late-winter day, and I’ll have an extra hour to enjoy it when I finish working today. Maybe I’ll try to go to Wyman Park to launch a model rocket, or ride my bike for a while. What a great day! I think this evening might be a good one for nighttime sky observation, too, as the air is so clear. Also, not starting up at sub-freezing temperatures has allowed my Prius to get some killer gas milage in the past few days. And lastly, my utility bill should be WAY lower next month. I’m done with Winter. Not going to miss it, either. I’ll post something of substance later this week; for now, it’s time to enjoy the daylight!

Reading List

I’ve decided I need to kick my reading into high gear, after realizing it’s been quite some time since I actually finished any new books.  So for inspiration, I compiled a brief sample list of books that I want to either read or re-read.  The ones followed by an asterisk I have already read at least partially.  This list is in no particular order – seriously.  I’d gladly welcome any comments, reviews, or recommendations.  Thanks to C for suggesting Stiff and to mobius for suggesting Godel, Escher, Bach.  If I actually complete this list, I’ll finally buy myself a telescope.  That sounds like a good bargain, right?

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter

The Evolution Of Compassion by Robert Axelrod*

Stiff by Mary Roach

The Lives To Come by Philip Kitcher*

The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond

An Anthropologist On Mars by Oliver Sacks*

In The Shadow Of Man by Jane Goodall

The Double Helix: A Personal Account Of The Discovery Of The Structure Of DNA by James Watson*

Monster Nation by David Wellington*

The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In The Dark by Carl Sagan*

The Red Queen: Sex And The Evolution Of Human Nature by Matt Ridley

Bad Astronomy by Philip Plait

Don’t mess with Pan troglodytes

I’ve been spending much of this evening brushing up on Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee.  Yesterday, a woman in Stamford, Connecticut was terribly mauled by Travis, her friend’s 14 year old, 200 pound pet chimpanzee.  I feel terrible for the victims – including Travis, who was shot to death by police as he attacked an officer in his patrol car.  The human victim, Charla Nash, remains in critical condition in a Stamford hospital; she suffered a number of broken bones and a badly decorticated face.  Chimpanzees, while generally playful and good-natured, are still wild animals and therefore unpredictable.  From press reports so far, it sounds as if the chimpanzee may have been infected with Lyme disease, which could have been the cause of Travis’ unusual anxiety and aggression.  I don’t want to speculate about his living condition or treatment as I am not familiar with them, but I will say that handling great apes—especially Pan troglodytes—requires an excess of expertise and caution.  They typically possess four to five times the upper body strength of an adult human and can demonstrate possessive or territorial behavior.  In this incident, the human victim had recently made a significant change to her hair style which is being reported as a potential reason that Travis may not have recognized her (they were previously familiar) and identified her instead as an intruder.  I’m a bit skeptical of that theory, given that chimpanzees show remarkable ability to recognize and differentiate both human and chimpanzee faces.

I hope that Ms. Nash recovers remarkably, and that Travis’ death serves as a warning to those who own or may consider adopting pet chimpanzees.  They are best left to professionals running well-equipped sanctuaries.  Consider donating to a sanctuary if you want to help.  (Chimpanzees raised in captivity are almost never accepted by wild troops, and therefore cannot be released into the wild).

Edit: Apparently, the face-shredding is a common feature of chimp attacks.  I’d forgotten that I wrote about this in one of my very first posts on Survival Machine.

Happy Darwin Day!

Today is the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, the British naturalist whose publication in 1859 of On the Origin of Species laid the foundation for virtually all subsequent discoveries in biology.  He did for the Western world’s understanding of life what Galileo did for our understanding of the heavens, and what Newton did for our understanding of physical forces.  Each year on February 12, those who appreciate the magnitude of Darwin’s contribution to human knowledge celebrate Darwin Day in his honor.  You are probably aware also that today is Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday as well.  Yes, Darwin and Lincoln were born on the exact same day in 1809.  And Abraham Lincoln founded the United States National Academy of Science! There seems to be no shortage of scientific significance today.

This year is not only Darwin’s bicentennial, but also the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species.  It’s also the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of a telescope, and the 400th anniversary of the publication of Kepler’s Astronomia Nova (which described his first two Laws of Planetary Motion). Wow! These coinciding anniversaries are among a number of reasons that a grassroots coalition called COPUS has established 2009 as a national Year of Science (YoS).  YoS 2009 is a national, yearlong celebration and campaign aimed at getting scientists out of the laboratory from time to time and into the public spotlight to share their research and raise public awareness and enthusiasm for science.  Both amateur and  professional scientists and science educators can get involved, and I intend to do my part by writing more actively this year and by beginning to apply to graduate schools.  Here’s hoping that the latter turns into a lifelong, professional involvement on my part…

Today, you can do your part by refreshing your knowledge of evolution by natural selection in this brief synopsis at DarwinDay.net.  If that’s all elementary to you, then challenge yourself by reading some evolutionary news at Science Daily.  And lastly, I’ll be celebrating a belated Darwin Day with friends when I fly back to Baltimore tomorrow night, most likely at Joe² restaurant & bar on North Avenue and Howard Street.  Leave a comment if you want to join me.  Let’s raise a glass to evolution!

Edit:  Also, check out this essay by Susan Jacoby in today’s Washington Post. It’s an excellent commentary on Darwin’s lasting impact.

Okefenokee dokey

The internet bandwidth at my hotel here in Georgia is having its own little recession.  So, I don’t really have the patience to research and write a good entry tonight.  I’m in Waycross for work through Friday, and I hope to catch a glimpse of some gators at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge while I’m here!

I’m looking into ways of boosting readership, since a limited audience is the main reason I don’t write prolifically.  On the other hand, I’m less likely to post pointless drivel than I would someplace like Livejournal.  I’m looking at crossposting plugins, and I will probably find a way to publish my new posts via email to willing friends and colleagues.

Hopefully they’ll have the broadband fixed tomorrow and I’ll be able to get something of substance up here.  I’m considering a few good stories as topics.  In the meantime, I hope you’re preparing for the most important Darwin Day in your lifetime – this Thursday, February 12, is Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday! Check out the Happy Birthday, Mr. Darwin! page at the Year Of Science 2009 website for lots of perspective on Darwin’s impact as viewed from his bicentennial.  To find Darwin Day events near you, check out DarwinDay.net!