25 items | 1 visits
A collection place for interesting science-related resources
Updated on Feb 16, 14
Created on Jul 26, 09
Category: Science
URL:
Welcome to Nautilus! We are a different kind of science magazine.
Science, philosophy and culture are woven together into single narratives that you will find both familiar, and surprising.
"Credit:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Image by Reto Stöckli (land surface, shallow water, clouds). Enhancements by Robert Simmon (ocean color, compositing, 3D globes, animation). Data and technical support: MODIS Land Group; MODIS Science Data Support Team; MODIS Atmosphere Group; MODIS Ocean Group Additional data: USGS EROS Data Center (topography); USGS Terrestrial Remote Sensing Flagstaff Field Center (Antarctica); Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (city lights)."
"“Your experiences today will influence the molecular composition of your body for the next two to three months,” he tells his audience, “or, perhaps, for the rest of your life. Plan your day accordingly.”"
"The Theoretical Minimum is a series of Stanford Continuing Studies courses taught by world renowned physicist Leonard Susskind. These courses collectively teach everything required to gain a basic understanding of each area of modern physics including all of the fundamental mathematics."
"Chomsky critiqued the field of AI for adopting an approach reminiscent of behaviorism, except in more modern, computationally sophisticated form. Chomsky argued that the field's heavy use of statistical techniques to pick regularities in masses of data is unlikely to yield the explanatory insight that science ought to offer. For Chomsky, the "new AI" -- focused on using statistical learning techniques to better mine and predict data -- is unlikely to yield general principles about the nature of intelligent beings or about cognition.
This critique sparked an elaborate reply to Chomsky from Google's director of research and noted AI researcher, Peter Norvig, who defended the use of statistical models and argued that AI's new methods and definition of progress is not far off from what happens in the other sciences.
Chomsky acknowledged that the statistical approach might have practical value, just as in the example of a useful search engine, and is enabled by the advent of fast computers capable of processing massive data. But as far as a science goes, Chomsky would argue it is inadequate, or more harshly, kind of shallow. We wouldn't have taught the computer much about what the phrase "physicist Sir Isaac Newton" really means, even if we can build a search engine that returns sensible hits to users who type the phrase in. "
"Canadian filmmaker Reid Gower, who has previously delighted us with some Carl Sagan gold, has created a trilogy of magnificent mashups using the words of iconic physicist Richard Feynman, culled from various BBC, NASA, and other notable footage, to convey the power, wonder, and whimsy of science. Dubbed the Feynman Series, it’s a continuation of the brilliant Sagan Series."
From codes that everyone else thought were uncrackable to the apparent nonsense of quantum mechanics, only a heretic could brave the derision of their peers and start a scientific revolution. 'Heresy is part and parcel of science,' argues Simon Singh in this witty and insightful talk at the Cheltenham Science Festival. But while all great truths begin as heresies, not all heresies become great truths, cautions Singh – as he introduces his very own mathematical formula 'proving' the Teletubbies are evilFrom codes that everyone else thought were uncrackable to the apparent nonsense of quantum mechanics, only a heretic could brave the derision of their peers and start a scientific revolution. 'Heresy is part and parcel of science,' argues Simon Singh in this witty and insightful talk at the Cheltenham Science Festival. But while all great truths begin as heresies, not all heresies become great truths, cautions Singh – as he introduces his very own mathematical formula 'proving' the Teletubbies are evil
"Between 1981 and 1993, documentary producer Christopher Sykes shot three films and one TV series dedicated to the charismatic, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988). We have presented these documentaries here individually before (some several years ago), but never brought them together."
Richard Feynman lectures at Cornell in 1964 (video).
1. Law of Gravitation - An Example of Physical Law
2. The Relation of Mathematics and Physics
3. The Great Conservation Principles
4. Symmetry in Physical Law
5. The Distinction of Past and Future
6. Probability and Uncertainty - The Quantum Mechanical View of Nature
7. Seeking New Laws
" Enter Global Warming (YouTube – iTunes – Web Site), a 23-lecture course presented by David Archer, a professor in the Department of The Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago. The first half of the class explains climate physics and how the climate works; the second half shows how human activity and ever-increasing carbon levels disrupt the equilibrium of the environment, creating a very uncertain future for generations to come. The first, short lecture above outlines the scope of the class.
Originally presented at UChicago in Fall 2009, Archer’s course was geared to non-science majors and taught in conjunction with his textbook, Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast, which happens to be available on Amazon here. Global Warming (YouTube - iTunes - Web Site) is now listed in our collection of 400 Free Courses Online."
"The internet offers us the first major opportunity to improve this collective long-term memory, and to create a collective short-term working memory, a conversational commons for the rapid collaborative development of ideas. The process of scientific discovery – how we do science – will change more over the next 20 years than in the past 300 years. "
What scientific concept would improve everybody's cogntive toolkit. 159 folks provide their answers
"The Skeptics Society is a scientific and educational organization of scholars, scientists, historians, magicians, professors and teachers, and anyone curious about controversial ideas, extraordinary claims, revolutionary ideas, and the promotion of science. Our mission is to serve as an educational tool for those seeking clarification and viewpoints on those controversial ideas and claims. "
"Teaching science through science inquiry is the cornerstone of good teaching. Unfortunately, an inquiry-approach to teaching science is not the norm in schools as “many teachers are still striving to build a shared understanding of
what science as inquiry means, and at a more practical level, what it looks like in the classroom (Keeley, 2008).” A good starting point for understanding what science inquiry “means” is to focus on the definition provided by the
National Research Council.
The 5 features of science inquiry (emphasis is mine)
- Learner Engages in Scientifically Oriented Questions
- Learner Gives Priority to Evidence in Responding to Questions
- Learner Formulates Explanations from Evidence
- Learner Connects Explanations to Scientific Knowledge
- Learner Communicates and Justifies Explanations"
"The Rising Above the Gathering Storm group has just released their 2010 update. The original report was in 2005, and it was updated before in 2008. The reports authors now claim a direct linkage between the poor quality of US science education and economic quality.
Below are quotes from USA Today‘s coverage. I haven’t read the report yet, and I’m interested in how they make this linkage. I find the final paragraph of the USA Today piece most interesting. Two other reports show that our production of science and engineering students is high, but they can’t find jobs in STEM fields, and they go elsewhere."
"The National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council held a symposium to coincide with the release their report "Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects." Participants spoke about the recommendations and implementation of programs to include more engineering topics in primary math and science classes. The report assessed the value of developing and implementing engineering curricula for kindergarten through grade 12. It also describes what engineering concepts children are able to understand and at what age, and provides an analysis of more than a dozen engineering curriculum projects. "
Welcome to the Science Museum's History of Medicine website, the ultimate resource for educators and students. With thousands of interesting and intriguing objects you're bound to find something to excite, entertain and educate.
"If Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini were an isolated case, one could dismiss their book with a grimace (if you were a biologist), or welcome them with a cheer (if you were a creationist). But in the philosophical community, there is an increasingly vocal cadre of eminent philosophers harboring doubts about Darwin. To understand their critique, we must first put the clock back a year, to the beginning of the celebrations."
Seven minutes of simple explanations of physics content by Nobel Prize winner, quantum and nuclear physicist, Richard Feynman
25 items | 1 visits
A collection place for interesting science-related resources
Updated on Feb 16, 14
Created on Jul 26, 09
Category: Science
URL: