Science Surfing
- Physics
Shedding Light on the Infrared
For students and teachers, this NASA-sponsored Web site offers illuminating insights into infrared light. It explains the fundamentals of infrared astronomy, using animations, images, classroom lessons and activities, games, and more. Take a look at infrared views of familiar objects, from Yellowstone’s “Old Faithful” geyser to a pot-bellied pig. Go to: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/
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Loss of Smell
To many people, the ability to sense all sorts of odors is a normal occurrence and something that they take for granted. Some people, however, do suffer from a loss or disturbance of a sense of smell–a condition known as anosmia. Created by Helen Gatcum and Tim Jacob of Cambridge University, these Web pages provide […]
- Humans
Einstein’s Notes
Caltech and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have made available in an online archive thousands of handwritten notes scrawled by Albert Einstein. The digitized documents, some accompanied by translations, include a wide variety of items, such as a diary Einstein kept during a year-long stay in the United States in 1930 and 1931 and a […]
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Moral Sense
How do humans throughout the world decide what is right and wrong? Harvard researchers have designed a test, which consists of a series of moral dilemmas, to probe the psychological mechanisms underlying ethical judgments. The online test takes only about 10 minutes, and responses are completely confidential. Go to: http://moral.wjh.harvard.edu/index.html
- Humans
Flight Notes
Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first powered, sustained, and controlled flight in a heavier-than-air flying machine on Dec. 17, 1903. Now, the Library of Congress has prepared a display of items from its extensive collection of the Wright Brothers’ papers. The online exhibit includes photographs, a timeline, numerous documents, and much more. Go to: […]
- Planetary Science
Earthly Field Trip to Mars
Interested in seeing Martian landscapes and features up close on Earth? This Web site offers kids a “field trip” to formations in the state of Washington that resemble those found on the Red Planet. Take a look at floodplains, volcanoes, basalt columns, lakebeds, canyons, sand dunes, and more. Go to: http://www.kidscosmos.org/field-trip-to-mars.html
- Planetary Science
More Mars—Better than Ever
On Aug. 27, Mars and Earth were closer to each other than at any other time in the last 50,000 years. Even as Earth and Mars slowly draw apart, the Red Planet remains a dazzling sight in the night sky. There’s still time to take in the view. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/08sep_goaway.htm?list110076
- Earth
Product Health and Safety
What’s under your kitchen sink, in your garage, in your bathroom, and on the shelves in your laundry room? Do these household products pose a potential health risk to you and your family? The National Library of Medicine’s new Household Products Database offers users information on the potential health effects of about 2,000 ingredients contained […]
- Earth
Live from the Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California offers Webcam views of its kelp forest, penguins, and sea otters, along with underwater glimpses of its open ocean exhibit and images of the ocean waters along Cannery Row, just off the aquarium’s decks. The cameras are on from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., PST, so they capture the […]
- Humans
Remembering Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling won the 1962 Nobel prize in chemistry for his research into the nature of chemical bonding and later won the Nobel peace prize and promoted the health benefits of vitamin C. This National Library of Medicine Web site highlights Pauling’s achievements and offers access to parts of a large collection of his personal […]
- Planetary Science
Mars Encounter
On Aug. 27, Mars and Earth will be closer to each other than at any other time in the last 50,000 years. Amateur astronomers with small backyard telescopes can already view features such as dust clouds, the southern polar ice cap (because the southern cap is tipped toward Earth), and volcanic terrain. This NASA Web […]
- Humans
Alexandria’s Library
The Library of Alexandria was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Egypt has now rebuilt the library as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, housed in a new complex in Alexandria. The Web site includes a history of the ancient library, a photo tour of the new facility, links to archaeological investigations of Alexandria, and other […]
