In this week’s reading the topics of gravitational waves, ligo and lansat were discussed. To answer the first question on what gravitational waves are. They are space time waves that propagate out from two celestial bodies that are rapidly orbiting one another. These waves compress and stretch the space time around them as they travelContinue reading “Waves of spacetime”
Author Archives: bradyhatton
Government Funded Laser Beams
In this reading we looked at the military industrial complex and its relationship with scientific research . The first question on how the academic-military-industrial complex produced the age of “big science” is answered by the following. Academic research in an effort to keep the military ahead of other countries was given research grants byContinue reading “Government Funded Laser Beams”
Snip snip
In this weeks reading we looked at a technology called CRISPR. CRISPR is a gene editing tool that can be used to modify specific portions of DNA. This technology presents both exhilarating and terrifying possibilities. It is exhilarating because this means that all genetic diseases can be cut out of DNA. It also means theContinue reading “Snip snip”
The bad idea of eugenics
In the readings it talked about eugenics. This was basically the idea that flaws in people had a genetic root and could be removed from the population as a whole. It also said that humans could be bread to more perfect versions of themselves. In eugenics the flaws were sometimes personality related and had nothingContinue reading “The bad idea of eugenics”
There will be consequences
In recent years climate change has become more pronounced as the warming has led to higher temperature and shifting weather patterns. Geoengineering has come to the forefront because the effort to curb climate change though emission restriction has failed. This led to scientists looking for a plan b for global warming. This ended in theContinue reading “There will be consequences”
Climate Confusers
In this week’s reading the topic of climate science throughout history was covered. The first question that we answered was whether or not climate science was in its infancy which it is not. In the reading of Swartz and Reidy’s we learn that scientists have known that CO2 was very good at trapping heat sinceContinue reading “Climate Confusers”
Buying Science
In this week’s reading of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, we looked at the scientific revolution. Specifically we looked at how it brings about an imagined order different from all previous traditions of knowledge and Why modern science became wedded to imperialism and capitalism. We also got a look at a more modern example inContinue reading “Buying Science”
The Unifying Force
In this week’s reading of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari the topic of the unification of humankind is presented. This takes the form of three pillars that lead to the unification of humankind money, empires, and religions. First money’s contribution to unifying humankind can be explained by this quote “ in the first century Ad,Continue reading “The Unifying Force”
Maybe it’s Biology Maybe it’s Myth
In the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari the topic of the cognitive revolution is discussed. This allowed for greater cooperation through language and gossip at first. This allowed groups of up to 150 to form and work together. The next advancement Harari talks about is the “imagined order” these are the collective myths andContinue reading “Maybe it’s Biology Maybe it’s Myth”
The Trap of Technology
The answer to why governments or religions fear air pumps and electrical machines is that technological advancements will often exacerbate any cracks in those two institutions. In reading from The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson there is a very clear example of this. This is where the technologies needed to extract coal from aroundContinue reading “The Trap of Technology”
