Notebook
- Astronomy
Historical Astronomy and More
The NASA Astrophysics Data System offers access to a huge, searchable database of journal articles and abstracts in the fields of physics and astronomy. The collection includes many historical publications in astronomy, including observatory reports, bulletins, and annals. It also has more than 300,000 abstracts from the Physical Review series published by the American Physical […]
- Humans
From the January 20, 1934, issue
alt=”Click to view larger image”> GRAVE OF PREHISTORIC CHIEF’S DAUGHTER EXCAVATED A girl of 20, almost toothless! This is the pathetic picture of prehistoric Alaska revealed in the skeleton of an Eskimo chief’s daughter. The grave of the girl, discovered in southwestern Alaska by Dr. Frederica de Laguna of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, yielded […]
- Humans
Telegraph Days
Samuel F.B. Morse invented the electromagnetic telegraph and the Library of Congress holds an extensive collection of his papers. About 6,500 of these documents are now available online. They document Morse’s invention, his participation in the development of telegraph systems in the United States and abroad, his career as a painter, his family life, his […]
- Humans
From the January 13, 1934, issue
alt=”Click to view larger image”> PROVING THAT BABY CAN SEE “Can he see me?” This is often the first question asked by the young mother when she looks at the depths of solemn mystery in the eyes of her newborn baby. The answer has heretofore always been “No.” Until now, it has been generally thought […]
- Humans
Time Warp
Curious about the household technology that you might have seen in a typical home in 1970? In 1900? The Time-Warp Project is dedicated to preserving information about the advance of technology. The site lets visitors go decade by decade through illustrations of living rooms and other home settings, with a focus on recorded media, calculating […]
- Humans
From the January 6, 1934, issue
alt=”Click to view larger image”> DR. THORNDIKE HONORED Dr. Edward L. Thorndike, psychologist and educator of Teachers College, Columbia University, was elected president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Thorndike, whose picture is reproduced on the cover, has been associated with Teachers College since before the turn of the century and […]
- Physics
Sounds of Music
Interested in the relationship between musical instruments and the physics of sound? This Rice University Web site offers illustrated explanations of physics terms such as pitch, frequency, and standing waves. It also demonstrates tuning systems, intervals, octaves, and more. There’s a quiz at the end of each module. Go to: http://cnx.rice.edu/content/m11060/latest/
- Humans
From the December 30, 1933, issue
NEW PIPE LINE TO BRING MORE WATER TO LOS ANGELES More water for Los Angeles is the purpose of the big steel serpent that the front cover of this weeks Science News Letter strikingly pictures climbing a mountain. This project, an achievement of electric welding, is conquering canyon and straddling mountain to join Boquet Canyon […]
- Planetary Science
Journey to Mars
The rugged Mars Exploration Rover (MER) is scheduled to land on Mars on Jan. 4, 2004. A variety of Web sites offer information about the exploration of Mars and Mars rovers. Check out the official MER Web site for background information and up-to-the-minute reports. San Francisco’s Exploratorium Web site highlights various Mars-related activities. Go to: […]
- Humans
From the December 16 & 23, 1933, issues
STRENGTH OF CRATES TESTED BY TOSSING An important phase of the work of the timber mechanics department of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis., has been to perfect the designing and nailing of these boxes so that their durability is greater. Chemically treated nails and reinforcement by diagonal braces have given more rigidity […]
- Humans
From the December 16 & 23, 1933, issues
STRENGTH OF CRATES TESTED BY TOSSING An important phase of the work of the timber mechanics department of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis., has been to perfect the designing and nailing of these boxes so that their durability is greater. Chemically treated nails and reinforcement by diagonal braces have given more rigidity […]
- Earth
Seasonal Weather
The Aboriginal people of Australia had their own way of defining the seasons, based on local weather patterns. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has created a Web site that illustrates several of these seasonal weather calendars, established thousands of years ago. Unlike the European and American spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the indigenous versions often include […]
