Letters Remain

Category: science

  • List of Common Misconceptions

    The list of common misconceptions includes this clarification: The word “theory” in “the theory of evolution” does not imply doubt in mainstream science about the validity of this theory; the words “theory” and “hypothesis” are not the same in a scientific context (see Evolution as theory and fact). A scientific theory is a set of…

  • Quantum Physics Made (Relatively) Easy

    Quantum Physics Made Relatively Easy: In 1999, legendary theoretical physicist Hans Bethe delivered three lectures on quantum theory to his neighbors at the Kendal of Ithaca retirement community (near Cornell University). Given by Professor Bethe at age 93, the lectures are presented here as QuickTime videos synchronized with slides of his talking points and archival…

  • List(s) of Unsolved Problems

    List(s) of unsolved problems in topics ranging from cognitive science to computer science; philosophy to physics. Got some time this coming weekend? Why not decipher an ancient writing systems or answer the P = NP problem and earn yourself $1,000,000.

  • Why We Scream

    The Telegraph looks at Why We Scream: We all have a core set of five facial muscles that control our ability to produce standard expressions which convey anger, happiness, surprise, fear, sadness and disgust. But there are up to 19 muscles present in the face, and many people do not possess all of them. The…

  • The Correlation Between IQ and Atheism

    Times Higher Education reports that there is a strong correlation between a high IQ and a lack of religious belief, according to Richard Lynn, the controversial psychologist. In the past Lynn has performed research into what he believes is the existence of race and sex differences in intelligence, and has called for the “phasing out”…

  • How (and Why) to Nap

    How to Nap is an informative graphic from The Boston Globe detailing how we should nap effectively during the day. Power naps enhance memory consolidation is an accessible article on why we should nap, drawing on research from Harvard Medical School’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory. via Neurophilosophy

  • 6 False Beliefs About the Brain

    ScienceBlogs’ Neurophilosophy details 6 iconoclastic discoveries about the brain and gives a brief description of the research showing the truth behind these false dogmas: The adult human brain is not plastic The adult human brain cannot regenerate Neurons are the functional elements of the nervous system Neurotransmitters are released from the nerve terminal Neurons are…

  • Bananas: An Atheist’s Nightmare, and the Scourge of United Fruit

    The Banana: An Atheist’s Nightmare is a video I’ve seen linked in numerous places. I think this video nicely sums up Intelligent Design’s ignorance arguments. God exists because bananas fit well in the human hand and peel easily. First: Hahahahaha! Second: Peels easily? Are we ignoring the fact that – if anything – the banana…

  • The Purity Scale of Science (xkcd)

    This is for those of you who aren’t subscribers to my favourite comic, xkcd – a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language. Today’s episode deals with different branches of science and their purity; that is, can they be distilled down to a ‘more pure’ science. Maths is classed as the purest of sciences –…

  • The Omega Point

    The Singularity again, but this time a Gravitational (or Spacetime) Singularity. Specifically the one at the end of existence of the universe. The Omega Point is the moment during the theoretical Big Crunch when – just before the final, all-ending gravitational singularity – “the computational capacity of the universe is capable of increasing at a…