Scientists kill many animals in the course of medical and biological research, and most of us are content that they do so. We are also content that it’s not ourselves that do the killing.
Photo by Prince Patel on Unsplash
Detail from “Cabbage Leaf,” by Edward Weston, 1931.
Transforming things seen into things known
Edward Weston, who died in 1958, was one of the greats of American photography, arguably the greatest.
Artist's conception of a terraformed Mars • Image by Daein Ballard (CC BY-SA 3.0)
A little place near beach on Mars? Well, why not?
The spirit of adventure. The challenge of the unknown. Scientific curiosity. A common project to unite humankind. A high-tech alternative for scientists and engineers who have hitherto made their living producing the instruments of war. Entertainment. The inspiration of young people. A hedge on our survival in case the human race becomes extinct on Earth through self-annihilation or cosmic catastrophe.
A mass grave of prisoners at Nordhausen, victims of the Nazi rocket program, 1945
In the cause of expediency, evil goes unseen
In July 1943, rocket scientist Wernher von Braun travelled to Hitler’s military headquarters in East Prussia to brief his Führer on the A4 Wunderwaffe, or wonder weapon.
Photo by Hadis Safari on Unsplash
Beastly idea: beauty’s only gene deep
Beauty, having replaced her father in the palace of the Beast, sat down to table. The board was spread with dainty morsels of every kind and delicious drinks.
Wooly aphid • Photo by Melissa McMasters (CC BY 2.0)
All I want for Christmas is a wooly aphid
Dear Santa, I know it’s late. By now your elves are probably loading up the sleigh. But just in case you haven’t yet gotten around to Zip Code 02356, here’s my request.
Detail from Goya's “The Disasters of War”
The evil that men do
If I remember rightly, I was about 12 years old when I first came across Francisco Goya’s collection of etchings called The Disasters of War.
Excerpt from the Codex Hammer (Public Domain)
Did Gates steal Leonardo’s software?
News Note: Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft, the world’s largest supplier of computer software, made the winning $30.8 million bid for a Leonardo da Vinci manuscript called the Codex Hammer. Gates has been described by Forbes magazine as the richest man in America.
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
Throw the bums out and let the people run science
“Good morning, guys and gals, this is your favorite talk show host, Chet Raymo, with another round of chat with the real people of America. My guest this morning is Ernest Crank, the president of Sensible Americans for a People’s Science. Good morning, Ernest.”
The Hubble Space Telescope • STS-125/NASA
Hubble serves up another paradox
By now, everyone has heard about the Hubble Space Telescope’s new measure of the age of the universe.