Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Filed under: science

Neil deGrasse Tyson Quotes

Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes (showing 1-12 of 12)

"Recognize that the very molecules that make up your body, the atoms that construct the molecules, are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of high mass stars that exploded their chemically rich guts into the galaxy, enriching pristine gas clouds with the chemistry of life. So that we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically. That’s kinda cool! That makes me smile and I actually feel quite large at the end of that. It’s not that we are better than the universe, we are part of the universe. We are in the universe and the universe is in us."
Neil deGrasse Tyson

I like Neil deGrasse Tyson. He makes impenetrable subjects such as astrophysics accessible. What Neil describes above is more than "cool" it is incredibly elegant, beautiful even.

Emma's Red Harvester Ants Arrived

Last summer, Emma enjoyed a mini ant farm that Abby found somewhere.  This summer we got a bigger version and sent away for some "big" Red Harvester ants.  She's mesmerized by there tunneling and behavior.  Hey, maybe she'll be a scientist!?

(download)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jduprey/5838219680/in/set-72157626847876455/

 

Boats and Turtles...

Emma asked a great question this week, "Why do boats float?"  I said "Great question!"  Then I started to ramble about buoyancy and realized I had no coherent explanation myself.  So I googled it, then she and I performed experiments.  In a nutshell, the way I explained it to her is:

  1. Things put in water displace the water.  (Good examples were of her in the bath tub.)
  2. For something to float, it must displace the same amount of water, in weight, as itself.

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