Imagine that you could speak words and a planet would appear. Then you speak more words and the sun and moon pop in. Then, a few more words and all the birds, dinosaurs, fishes, horses, dogs, lions, and every other creature appear. Now, imagine you could stretch out your hands and create all the shining stars in the universe. Yes, … The rest of the story…
I’ve seen some quotes, from professors to poets, who put today’s solar eclipse in its proper perspective. In one way or another they say what’ll happen is you’ll be “standing the shadow of the moon.” Sure, some interesting things can happen in the shadow of the moon. Temperatures drop. And crickets start chirping. And people in the “path of totality” … The rest of the story…
What gives you goosebumps when you just think about it? Or is there anything that does that? I’ll tell you something that gives me goosebumps like that. And I dreamed about it recently. And I don’t tend to remember dreams very often. But this one was a blast. But, before I tell you what it was, I’ll share what a … The rest of the story…
Once upon a time, jellyfish, and trillions of other marine life creatures, were buried alive in layers of sediment. And it happened so fast their bodies didn’t even have time to decompose and smell bad. And thousands of years later (yes, thousands) you can dig ’em up and see what they looked like in almost perfect details. It’s so amazing … The rest of the story…
Once upon a time, and “for billions of years, single-celled creatures had the planet to themselves, floating through the oceans in solitary bliss. Some microorganisms attempted multicellular arrangements, forming small sheets or filaments of cells. But these ventures hit dead ends. The single cell ruled the earth.” (cue the record scratch sound effect!) The single cell ruled the earth?! Are … The rest of the story…
So. There’s this little protoplanet named “Vesta.” And, as it churns out, little Vesta might have some clues as to how life on Earth might have formed? Yeah, scientists discovered some areas of impact on the “minor planet” that seem to show “collisions with carbon rich asteroids.” And of course, they emphasize that carbon is the essential building block to … The rest of the story…
Climate changes. It’s always done that. And it always will. Well, until that final climate climax when the whole Earth is consumed in a ball of fire. But not to worry. That probably won’t happen for at least another 1007 years. Give or take. Oh yeah, just so you know, you won’t have any control over that climate climax. Nope. … The rest of the story…
I mentioned this speck of dust over ten years ago. And I joked about the mutants who formed, completely on their own, once some molten goo cooled down enough. Well, I won’t just keep talking about what I talked about back then. I’ll just share it with you. Imagine, if you will (and you must), a tiny speck of dust. … The rest of the story…
Back when I used to perform, nightly, in an island-themed restaurant, one crowd favorite was a song by Jimmy Buffett. The lyrics talked about volcanoes erupting and what would happen when they do. Words like, “Ground she’s movin’ under me. Tidal waves out on the sea. Sulphur smoke up in the sky. Pretty soon we learn to fly.” And then … The rest of the story…
I remember Ted Kennedy’s shaky voice, during a eulogy for his brother Robert, as he quoted George Bernard Shaw who said, “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.” I’m not sure Ted OR Robert were capable of anything more than why and why not questions. I hope … The rest of the story…
There have been countless times when all it took to open a gate of rhyming reason in my head was a picture of one single object. And that happened a lot, last year, after I stumbled upon a seemingly endless flow of stunning pictures in a social media feed. And more often than not the pictures connect my neurotransmitters and … The rest of the story…
I shared some stuff a few years ago that bears repeating. Because even though government schools dumb down all who attend, teach in, and run those institutions, humans still have complex capabilities other creatures don’t have. My wife and I share a common ancestor. My dog and I do not. Some evolutionary scientists embrace a theory they call “convergent evolution”. … The rest of the story…