Science Surfing
- Physics
Organized Disorder
This well-organized Web site introduces visitors to the realm of thermodynamics and the concept of entropy. Originally created by autonomous software agent “Chris Hillman” and now maintained by Penn State’s Roland Gunesch, these Web pages start with the Chinese character for entropy, then offer intriguing glimpses of disorder and randomness in information and coding theory, […]
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Where Lightning Strikes
New maps of data from space-based optical sensors reveal the uneven distribution of lightning strikes across the globe. The NASA maps show that lightning avoids the ocean, but likes Florida. It’s attracted to the Himalayas and central Africa. It almost never strikes the north or south poles. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast05dec_1.htm
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If Your Poinsettia Sneezes. . .
For a winter holiday treat, try the vividly illustrated pages from the American Phytopathological Society on the poinsettia and its history and diseases. The Web site begins with the tale of how a Mexican beauty of limited range grew into the United States’ best-selling flowering plant. Subsequent pages document the abundant spots, rots, and other […]
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Wondering About
Stimulating scientific curiosity is one aim of questions posed at the “Did You Ever Wonder. . ?” Web page, produced by the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Sample questions: How would you rebuild the surface of a cell, and how can you carve with light? Answers to the questions, colorfully illustrated and presented in language accessible to […]
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Live from Antarctica
Mixing live Webcasts with interactive presentations, San Francisco’s Exploratorium documents a journey to Antarctica. Team members interview scientists, dive and film underwater, climb a volcano, and visit a vast frigid desert. The Web site also features reference material on a variety of topics, including how fish adapt to icy waters, and views of the continent’s […]
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Sky Survey
The SkyServer provides public access to Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data. Learn more about the SDSS project, which aims to map the universe, and browse images and spectra of celestial objects. Take a look at the atlas of “famous places” in the sky. Go to: http://skyserver.sdss.org/.
- Earth
Wind Chill Update
The National Weather Service has revised its formula for calculating wind chill. These Web pages feature an explanation of the changes, a new wind chill chart relating temperature and wind speed, and a handy wind chill calculator. Go to: http://205.156.54.206/om/windchill/.
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Leonardo’s Bridge
In 1502, Leonardo da Vinci made a simple drawing of a great, 240-meter bridge that was to span an inlet at the mouth of the Bosporus River in what is now Turkey. The bridge was never built, but Leonardo’s design has been reproduced in a wooden bridge for pedestrians over a highway in Norway. Artist […]
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Dazzling Shooting Stars
The impending encounter between Earth and a cloud of particles ejected from comet Tempel-Tuttle is likely to produce a dazzling meteor shower, visible over North America in the early morning hours of Nov. 18. Bill Cooke of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center provides forecasts and viewing conditions for this year’s Leonid storm. Go to: http://see.msfc.nasa.gov/see/Leonid_Forecast_2001.html […]
- Earth
Photo Treasures
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers an amazing library of more than 16,000 spectacular images, organized into a variety of topical sets. You can browse image collections devoted to coastlines, fisheries, ships, polar regions, severe storms, undersea research, nature reserves, flight, geodesy, coral reefs, and many other subjects. Go to: http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/ .
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Anthrax and Other Bioterrors
There are reasons that terrorists have been sending anthrax–and threatening anthrax exposure–to people around the United States: Its scary (and deadly). Understanding that, the Medical Library Association has put together a Web page to help physicians, parents, teachers, and others learn more about anthrax, smallpox, botulinum toxin, plague, and other bioterrors–and the extent to which […]
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Celebrating Mole Day
Ready to party? If you’re familiar with Avogadro’s number, 6.02 x 1023, you can join the celebration of Mole Day on Oct. 23 from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. Check out the Web site of the National Mole Day Foundation for a history of this event and other tidbits from the not-so-furry realm of chemistry, […]
