Saturday, January 16, 2021
Top Photographs of 2020 All in One Place
Friday, January 15, 2021
Friday Poem
Environmental & Science Education, Poetry, Art and Environment
Ed Hessler
Good morning, it is Friday, January 15 2021.
Converted to hours 15 days is 360; to percent of year 4.11%. Sunrise is at 7:47am, sunset is at 4:57pm, and there are 9h 10m, 39m of sunlight.
On this day in 1929 was born Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King, Jr).
Two quotations by Dr. King on education from the Morehouse College Newspaper, The Maroon Tiger, 1947:
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and and to think critically. Intelligence plus character--that is the true goal of education.
If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, 'brethren!' Be careful, teachers!
Today's poem is by Dudley Randall.
Thursday, January 14, 2021
How the Coronavirus Spreads: Infra Red Footage
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Health, Medicine
Ed Hessler
The Washington Post series (free) on the pandemic posted has an essay on how the coronavirus spreads.
It includes a video (6m 12s)--using "a military-grade infrared camera capable of detecting exhaled breath. Numerous experts — epidemiologists, virologists and engineers — supported the notion of using exhalation as a conservative proxy to show potential transmission risk in various settings.
Even with this high tech camera, experts interviewed for the story note that "the footage underrepresents the potential risk of exposure from airborne particles. These particles may spread farther or linger longer than the visible exhalation plume, which dissipates quickly to a level of concentration the camera can no longer detect." (my emphasis).
Again: masking is a good idea even when it is inconvenient and it is for me now that winter is here and my nose tends to plug up and drip. Ugh!
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Researchers from Seven Different Nations Describe Their Pandemic Experience
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Bringing Out the Best in Gardens
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Wildlife, Nature, Society, Sustainability
Ed Hessler
Guardian reporter Phoebe Weston asked some readers to describe what they have been doing to help wildlife in their gardens in 2020. Weston writes "Gardens are important habitats for small mammals, songbirds and insects and gardening in a wildlife-friendly way can make a massive difference in counteracting biodiversity loss. As always, the response was amazing, with readers from the UK, Australia, the US and Mexico sharing their innovations. Here are the best of them."
The reader responses are short and endlessly fascinating, e.g., a free service to cut holes in fences so that hedgehogs can travel more freely, "one thing I have done is...nothing! (read on)", and pocket meadows. Each story is accompanied by a photograph.
I loved these stories.
h/t Molly
Monday, January 11, 2021
A Doctor Finds in the Covid-19 Era Judging Patients' Decisions Comes Easier Than It Should
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Death of Nobel Physics Awardee (1988) Jack Steinberger (Muon Neutrinos)
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, History of Science,Nature of Science
Ed Hessler
Jack Steinberger is a Nobel awardee of whom I'd never heard (shared the Nobel for discovering muon neutrinos with Leon Lederman and Melvin Schwartz, 1988). He died recently at age 99. He was an experimental physicist.
The obituary published in Nature (22 December 2020) provides information about his rich life, his important contributions and a little bit about neutrinos (millions of which are passing through Earth and you and me right now without us knowing it).
I was struck by his attitude toward prizes in general. "Uninterested in prizes, he often reiterated his belief that 'the pretension that some of us are better than others [is not] a good thing'. He felt he been dealt lucky cards in his life, and expressed his deep gratitude to the Chicago family who gave him opportunities as a child. In his words: 'You have only one life: whatever crops up, crops up.'” (my emphasis)
The novelist, poet, art and literary critic John Updike wrote a poem about the ghost-like properties of neutrinos which has been widely published, including this entry in Symmetry in 2011. The poem is unusual because it is about a physics phenomenon. Below the poem is a line-by-line explanation but remember quite a bit has been learned about neutrinos since. At the time he wrote it (1960) the muon neutrino had not been found.
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Google Doodle on the Death of Sudan
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Biodiversity, Nature, Extinction, Wildlife
Ed Hessler
Google Doodle puts it spotlight on Sudan, believed to be the last northern white rhino born in the wild and now dead. C/Net provides some details.
CNN has photos by Ami Vitale and a story by Kyle Almont.
And here is a YouTube Video (3m 17s).
Friday, January 8, 2021
Friday Poem(s)
Environmental & Science Education, Poetry, Art and Environment, History of Science
Good morning from St. Paul on the 8th day of 2021--192 hours of it representing 2.19% of the year.
Sunrise is at 7:50 am and sunset at 4:49 pm giving us 8h 59m 15s of sunlight (or light depending on the cloud cover.We are covered with a lid of gray, fog, mist, haze, even light snow earlier.
Quote: To contribute usefully to the advance of science, one must sometimes not disdain from understanding simple verification.--Leon Foucault (The Life and Science of Leon Foucault, William Tobin, 2003)
Today is celebrated Earth's Rotation Day.
This has become a Leon Foucault day and so this poem by Ella Wilcox Wheeler (1850 - 1919). She left us with a memorable line: Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone. Her poems? not so memorable. The Wiki entry explains.
My intent was to feature a different poem poem by David Budbill.
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Pandemic: It's Future
--Late January — 400,000 deaths. It stands at 300,000 in mid-December but deaths are mounting by the thousands per day. This is going to be a period of great dissonance as more people are vaccinated and deaths keep increasing. This "shows how deep of a hole the country is in, and it will take months for enough people to get immunized to noticeably reduce the number" of new cases.
--July 23 — The Olympics begin in Japan. A global divide on the number of people who have been vaccinated could exist. "Counties (could) still be competing for vials, not just medals." There are many questions about the games themselves in terms of ensuring safety but the bigger issue is vaccine availability for the world.
--November and December — The holidays. "But if all goes to plan, the holidays--at least in the U.S.--should be a time to celebrate making it through, and perhaps to consider all that was lost. Still, we won't be free of the ghost of Covid past. The effects...will be felt for years to come." There is much to be learned, e.g., long-term vaccination protection, effects, frequency of booster shots and whether there will be virus mutations that allow "it to evade the protection afforded by the vaccines."
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
A Video Tribute to Health Care Workers: Covid-19 Pandemic
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Health, Medicine, Society
Ed Hessler
CBS reporter on most things medical, Dr. Jonathan LaPook, paid tribute Sunday (27th January) to health care workers.
"Back in April, (Dr. LaPook) spent two weeks helping out on the COVID wards at NYU Langone Health, where I'm a professor of medicine, and saw a microcosm of the professionalism playing out across the globe: physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, psychologists, those in food and housekeeping services, and so many others all risking their lives to take care of patients with COVID-19."
This short video (3m 24s) tribute may be found here. There are some touching comments throughout--the reality of a medical pandemic by those who stand and work as close to it compared to the rest of us who worry about them, wish them well and thank them for this commitment.
LaPook's message to us regarding the very best thing we can do for them "is not to become our patient." This is how we can help take some responsibility for the health of all of us. He says,
We're doing everything in our power – and we expect you to do the same:
Wear a mask.
Maintain physical distance.
Wash your hands.
Avoid crowds.
Remember that outdoors is safer than indoors.
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Three Teachers Talk About the Pandemic and Teaching
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Teaching, Childhood, Education
Ed Hessler
Three teachers from the United States talk about teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. The range of teaching options is from remote learning to managing socially-distanced classes, elementary to high school. These are all experienced teachers.
Here is the BBC video (3m 09s) which features them and how they manage a learning environment. The changes have been drastic and the work not only difficult but to use that overused word, challenging.
Monday, January 4, 2021
Stronger More Powerful Masks
The "process (is) called textile functionalization, or the practice of imbuing fabrics and fibers with special properties, including the ability to kill viruses and bacteria.'" That is a superpower, one that we mere mortals would love to have.
Many of us own an item of clothing or two with anti-microbial properties, e.g., socks. I've always wondered what happens when they are washed. Well, the properties are washed down the drain the very first time.
The Abbas team has developed a"much more durable product with superpowers built to last" (both the inner layer, on the face side and the outer layer, on the public side are coated. And the virus-killing capabilities have been confirmed independently." Abbas told Harris that "these fabrics" can be washed "over 100 times and they still work the same.” According to a Claros explainer (see above for link) "no particles are found in the water and the antimicrobial effectiveness is maintained." The particles are grown on the fabric rather than added to it.
Abbas has also done work for meat packing plants "to apply antiviral textile coating to the hard surfaces... including countertops and plastic dividers that separate workers."
The full story--a short one--is found in the December 2020 issue of Inquiry as a Legacy feature (Fall 2020). The Claros Technologies link above includes a film and a description of the science behind the mask.
Sunday, January 3, 2021
Cherynobyl Again
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Pollution
Ed Hessler
In 1986 there was a nuclear reactor disaster at Chernobyl which is located in the north of Ukraine. This disaster is rated as the worst in history.
This longer-than-usual BBC video (17m) reports on a new source of radiation at this former power plant: forest fires, a record number of them. "The firefighters sent in to tackle the blazes in the radioactive forests agreed to speak to BBC anonymously, scared of losing their jobs." It was chaotic as you will see.
Saturday, January 2, 2021
A Creation of Lightening
Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Earth Science, Earth Systems
Ed Hessler
Wrap your tongue around this term: exogenic fulgurites. And then ask, at least if you are like me, what they are and why do they matter.
Read all about them and see a photograph in Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD). Great explanation and some links as always.
Man, there is a lot to see, find, wonder about and more in the natural world.
Friday, January 1, 2021
Friday Poem
Environmental & Science Education, Poetry, Art and Environment
Ed Hessler
Happy New Year 2021 on its very first day from St. Paul!
We will have 8h 51m 10s of daylight with sunrise at 7:50 am and sunset at 4:42 pm. This is 5m 09s longer than on the shortest day, December 21, 2020. This flicker will grow longer and stronger each day.
At the end of the day 0.27% of 2021 will be gone with 99.7% remaining. Some perspective on 0.27% is found in other measuring units: 86,400 seconds 1440 minutes, 40 minutes, 24 hours,1 day, 100.00% of a 24 hour day.
It is New Year Day for which see here. It includes a lovely vintage greeting, U2 singing New Years Day and stuff about the tradition, food (of course), and resolutions. The entry reminds us that "it is the end of over the top of eating that began at Halloween."
Today's quote: What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet. —Anne Frank
Today's poem is by W. S. Merwin.