On the power of cathedral-building in science.
Researchers know the planet’s ice is melting; now, they are uncovering what that will mean for all of us.
Caltech Magazine (November 8, 2024): The FAll 2024 issue features ‘Chemical Codebreakers’ – Isotopes help scientists open window to the past….
Journeys to the Past: Isotope geochemistry is helping scientists reveal secrets about the molecular histories of Earth, the cosmos, the human body, and more.
An Intriguing Red Planet Rock: The Mars Perseverance rover has found a “compelling” rock that could indicate the planet hosted microbial life billions of years ago.
The 2024 Distinguished Alumni: Meet this year’s awardees: David Brin (BS ’73), Louise Chow (PhD ’73), Bill Coughran (BS, MS ’75), and Timothy M. Swager (PhD ’88).
The Evolution of Trolling: A new theoretical framework explains why social media discourse can be so toxic.
Inside Look: Joe Parker: Step into the office of this evolutionary biologist, whose research nest is filled with real—and illustrated— insects.
Ripples from the Heart: Mory Gharib (PhD ’83) has leveraged his aerospace expertise to tease out some of the heart’s greatest secrets and use them to develop life-saving medical devices.
The Lab in the Sky Says Goodbye: A NASA DC-8 airplane that carried Caltech students around the globe for science has been retired.
Plans for Perseverance to explore past crater rim may be in jeopardy
A false “equity versus excellence” debate over mathematics curricula has long disrupted education in the United States
A gene for mate preference has been shared between hybridizing butterfly species
Clustering organic cropland can reduce pesticide use on nearby conventional farms
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (October 29, 2023): This week’s issue features “A Haunting on the Hill,” by Shirley Jackson; ‘I Feel a Human Deterioration’ – making sense of the violence and loss in Israel; Is It Time to Pull Up Stakes and Head for Mars? – Probably not, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith argue in “A City on Mars”….
Apparitions, black hares and time warps festoon the pages of Elizabeth Hand’s “A Haunting on the Hill,” set in the same moldering mansion as Shirley Jackson’s classic horror novel.
The Israeli writer Etgar Keret has spent the last few weeks trying to make sense of the violence and loss around him. So far, he can’t.
Probably not, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith argue in “A City on Mars.”
By W. M. Akers
A CITY ON MARS: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
Face it, folks. Earth is finished. It’s overheated, overcrowded, overregulated. It’s the ultimate fixer-upper, a dump we inherited from our parents that we’d be cruel to pass on to our children. It’s time to pull up stakes. It’s time for Mars.
Or maybe not.
Lighting out for the solar system is an appealing fantasy, but “A City on Mars,” an exceptional new piece of popular science by the “Soonish” authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, suggests we shouldn’t be so quick to give up on Earth. Forceful, engaging and funny, it is an essential reality check for anyone who has ever looked for home in the night sky.
In theory, it’s possible to live well while using energy at a rate of just 2000 watts – a quarter of the average for people in the US. Our environment reporter took on the challenge. Here’s what he discovered
Living on Mars will take enormous work, but urban planner Justin Hollander is already on the case in this guide to settling the Red Planet
Psychologists are forging a new understanding of paranoia, which is helping to explain why more of us are prone to the condition in today’s uncertain world
Study of famed meteorite by quantum microscope hints at planet’s prolonged habitability
Transparency in glassfrogs has potential implications for human blood clotting
The business side of drug development comes to the fore in a tale of two blockbuster blood cancer therapeutics
Genetically diverse mice and cross-species comparison uncover links to longevity
Emerging subvariants are more immune evasive than ever
After doubts grew, blockbuster Nature paper is withdrawn over objections of study team
Tenure delays and pandemic impact statements could backfire, some fear
Leader of Russia’s largest chipmaker elected president after incumbent’s sudden withdrawal
Judges reject claims that defendants defrauded agencies by not disclosing China ties
2021 was the busiest year yet for NASA in low-Earth orbit, we also made progress preparing for a flight test around the Moon, and had a very active year exploring space, studying Earth, testing technologies for next generation aircraft, and much more. Here’s a look back at those and other things we did this year at NASA. Download Link: https://go.nasa.gov/3yM3so2
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