#OTD in 1933.
Hungarian-American physicist Leo Szilard conceived of the idea of the nuclear chain reaction while waiting for a traffic light in Bloomsbury, London. He patented the idea in 1936.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Szilard
science
Scottish chemist and physicist James Dewar was born #OTD in 1842.
He is best known for his invention of the vacuum flask, which he used in conjunction with research into the liquefaction of gases. He also studied atomic and molecular spectroscopy, working in these fields for more than 25 years. Dewar was nominated for the Nobel Prize 8 times — 5 times in Physics and 3 times in Chemistry — but he never succeeded in winning it.
Edited 355d ago
Two-way mathematical 'dictionary' could connect quantum physics with number theory
by Institute of Science and Technology Austria via @physorg_com
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-mathematical-dictionary-quantum-physics-theory.html
The most extreme rogue wave occurred in November 2020, lifting a single buoy off of Canada's British Columbia coast some 58 feet high. Since then, dozens more rogue waves have been recorded (some even in lakes). @ScienceAlert has more on this aquatic phenomenon that was once considered a myth. And if buoys could talk, the one that went for a wild ride would tell you how very real rogue waves are: https://flip.it/AILAJv
#Science #Ocean #PacificOcean #Waves #RogueWaves
📣 It's been a while since we've federated a batch of publishers — so to make up for it, here are 250, and they're big ones.
Today, we're bringing names like @abc, @RollingStone, @forbes, @BleacherReport, @NationalGeographic and @newyorktimes to the fediverse. They join the 174 profiles we've already federated, which include everyone from @19thnews to @Vox
Here's a blogpost with more details on this latest batch of publications that cover news, business, cooking, home design, politics, sports, science and more. Follow their Magazine feeds if you're only interested in one topic, or their whole profiles if you want the lot. The spreadsheet below lists out all federated accounts.
https://about.flipboard.com/fediverse/flipboard-federates-250-publishers/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iUFTo6rPvhqzCReLaM1c6-xUKRuBVqlZVStZl9Al-EU
#Flipboard #Federation #SpreadMastodon #ActivityPub #Media #Publishers #Journalism #News #Politics #Sports #Entertainment #Food #Lifestyle #Science
English physicist and chemist Michael Faraday was born #OTD in 1791.
Faraday discovered that a changing magnetic field could induce an electric current in a wire, laying the foundation for the concept of the electromagnetic field. He formulated the fundamental laws of electrolysis; he was the inventor of the Faraday cage and he discovered the Faraday effect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday
Books about or by Michael Faraday at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Michael+Faraday&submit_search=Search
Edited 353d ago
You've been throwing a frisbee all wrong, new study finds.
From @sciencefocus: "Researchers at Berry College, Georgia, investigated professional and amateur disc golf players (yes… that’s a real sport) to explore the effect different thumb positions had on disc throwing."
The World’s Oldest Glaciers Are Buried Under South African Gold
2.9-billion-year-old evidence could be proof of a lost ice age—the first “Snowball Earth.”
by Gemma Tarlach via @atlasobscura
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/oldest-glaciers-lost-ice-age
#OTD in 1905.
Albert Einstein publishes the third of his Annus Mirabilis papers, introducing the special theory of relativity, which used the universal constant speed of light c to derive the Lorentz transformations.
There are some controversies on the question of the extent to which Mileva Marić contributed to the insights of Einstein's annus mirabilis publications
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annus_mirabilis_papers#
On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66944
![Einstein, Albert (30 June 1905). "Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper" [On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies] (PDF). Annalen der Physik (in German). 17 (10): 891–921.](/proxy/post_attachment/390325/9da374cdab.png "Einstein, Albert (30 June 1905). \"Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper\" [On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies] (PDF). Annalen der Physik (in German). 17 (10): 891–921.")
#OTD in 1846.
Astronomers Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams and Johann Gottfried Galle collaborate on the discovery of Neptune.
There is evidence that Neptune was seen and recorded by Galileo Galilei in 1613, Jérôme Lalande in 1795, and John Herschel in 1830, but none are known to have recognized it as a planet at the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_of_Neptune
Neptune at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=neptune&submit_search=Search
Meet the Forgotten Woman Who Revolutionized Microbiology With a Simple Kitchen Staple
Fanny Angelina Hesse introduced agar to the life sciences in 1881. A trove of unpublished family papers sheds new light on her many accomplishments.
By Corrado Nai via @smithsonianmag
I’ve heard it said that if you don’t vote with whichever party then you are a coward. I think that’s exactly backwards, and even reflects poorly all the person making that argument. It doesn’t take much courage to go with the group.
Instead I go the other way: no matter which party you might prefer in general, it takes courage to say they nominated a moron, and fortunately the other party also nominated a loser, so no matter what the US is going to slog through these next few years.
In my opinion the courageous position is to say no, you nominated a moron, and I’m not going to give you my vote. We’re going to be okay I guess, whether you win or not, but I’m not going to let you assume that you have my vote if you insist on nominating a moron. You should have nominated someone better. You should have nominated someone worthy of my vote. Do better next time.
That’s the state of #USPolitics . As South Park said, big douche versus turd sandwich. So screw both #Democrats and #Republicans. Neither of you managed to nominate someone worth voting for, so I’m voting for my dog.
To give either party our votes is to sign on to their nomination of garbage people. Let’s not. Let’s say that they need to actually nominate worthwhile administrators.
But more practically, let’s focus on #Congress. No matter who wins this election, they’re going to suck, but we can still express ourselves through our representation in Congress, and that’s honestly how it should be anyway.
Check out your representatives. See how they have actually been voting, and vote them out if they have been letting you down. That’s really where our focus should be anyway.
Not on which jerk ends up in the Oval Office.
(But thank God #Biden is on his way out, as he has been terrible for #science in the US, which has not gotten nearly enough attention from the press.)
Will the toughest problem in maths ever be solved?
For many, not just mathematicians, the Riemann hypothesis is the very definition of a supremely difficult problem that might be forever beyond our intellect. Most mathematicians had given up on it, being pessimistic about making any headway. But recently, the first progress – although not a solution – in more than 50 years has been made.
By David Whitehouse via @spectator
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/will-the-toughest-problem-in-maths-ever-be-solved/
Edited 359d ago
#OTD in 1822.
French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, in a "note" read to the Academy of Sciences, reports a direct refraction experiment verifying David Brewster's hypothesis that photoelasticity (as it is now known) is stress-induced birefringence.
What Is Botanical Illustration? Learn About the History of This Scientific Art Form
By Emma Taggart and My Modern Met Team via @mymodernmet
#OTD in 1889.
The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a metre.
The history of the metre starts with the Scientific Revolution that is considered to have begun with Nicolaus Copernicus's publication of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium in 1543. The Mètre des Archives & its copies were replaced from 1889 at the initiative of the International Geodetic Association by 30 platinum-iridium bars kept across the globe.
British astronomer and meteorologist Isis Pogson was born #OTD in 1852.
Pogson worked as an assistant to her father, Norman Pogson, who was an eminent astronomer known for his work on variable stars and the discovery of several asteroids. Over time, she gained recognition for her own work, despite her initial role as an unpaid assistant. She became highly knowledgeable in astronomical calculations, observations, and meteorology.
Russian chemist Vera Yevstafievna Popova was born #OTD in 1867.
Popova became known for her work in organic chemistry, a field that was rapidly developing in the late 19th century. She contributed to research on the synthesis of chemical compounds, particularly focusing on organic substances. One of her most significant areas of study was the preparation of peroxides. It was her work on these compounds that led to her untimely death.
Who really won when Bergson and Einstein debated time?
Henri Bergson and Albert Einstein fundamentally disagreed about the nature of time and how it can be measured. Who was right?
By Evan Thompson via @aeonmag
https://aeon.co/essays/who-really-won-when-bergson-and-einstein-debated-time
#EPA Scientists Said They Were Pressured to Downplay Harms From #Chemicals. A Watchdog Found They Were Retaliated Against.
Three reports issued by the agency’s inspector general detailed personal attacks suffered by the scientists — including being called “stupid,” “piranhas” and “pot-stirrers” — and called on the EPA to take “appropriate corrective action” in response.
#News #Science #Retaliation #Government #Environment #Safety #Whistleblower #Trump #Project2025
Tesla’s Pigeon
An inventor, a bird, and a plan to connect all the minds in the world.
By Amanda Gefter via @NautilusMag
Nikola Tesla's Obsession with Pigeons, Electricity, and a Plan to Wirelessly Connect the World
American bacteriological chemist, food scientist and refrigeration engineer Mary Engle Pennington was born #OTD in 1872.
She was a pioneer in the preservation, handling, storage and transportation of perishable foods and the first female lab chief at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She was awarded 5 patents, received the Notable Service Medal from President Herbert Hoover and the Garvin-Olin Medal from the American Chemical Society.
What do planet formation and badminton have in common?
From @ArsTechnica: "Dust grains in protoplanetary disks align via the same aerodynamics as the sport."
See the full paper here: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/stae2248/7783265?login=false
For more space news, follow @space-ScienceAlert
#OTD in 1846.
William T. G. Morton administers ether anesthesia during a surgical operation, by the use of inhaled ether.
A month after this demonstration, a patent was issued for "letheon", although it was widely known by then that the inhalant was ether. The promotion of his questionable claim to have been the discoverer of anesthesia became an obsession for the rest of his life.
Lise Meitner died #OTD in 1968.
She is known for her part in the discovery of nuclear fission. Among physicists she had been known for many years as one of the early pioneers in the study of radioactivity. Einstein nicknamed her ‘the German Madame Curie’.
Edited 317d ago