Mini-Throughput: JWST Ready to Pierce the Veil
JWST will glimpse the first stars emerging from the primordial ooze, watch the first galaxies crash into each other and unveil the building blocks of our modern universe.
Author: Michael Siegel
Thursday Throughput: Tonga Volcano Edition
The planet upon which we tread is a lot calmer than it used to be. But it is still capable of unleashing unimaginable fury upon us.
No, Virginia, Natural Immunity is Not Six Times As Good As Vaccine Immunity
If you are honest, natural immunity means your chances of catching COVID are 104%, 100% for the first time, an additional 4% for the second
Video Throughput: Don’t Look Up Review By A Scientist
I’m going over the science of Don’t Look Up, and much of what I talk about is also relevant to Deep Impact and Armageddon
Nick Kristof and The Moosylvania of Politics
The situation with Kristof’s residency reminds me a bit of the fictional island of “Mooslyvania” on the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
Thursday Throughput: Fetal Gene Edition
Parents need to be informed up front that most fetal gene testing positives are false and a negative screen doesn’t necessarily mean anything
Throughput: The Year in Science
We are in a golden age of science. The vast majority of scientists who have ever lived are alive and working today. Here’s hoping they kick 2022’s butt as hard as they kicked 2021’s.
Tomorrow Finally Comes For James Webb
This morning, JWST finally got its moment to shine. The spacecraft had a successful launch and deployment. It is now drawing its own power from the solar panels.
Thursday Throughput: Peter McCullough, Omicron, and Space Telescopes
Omicron will go through the population very fast. By the end of February, everyone will either be vaccinated or have had omicron.
Video Throughput: The Science of Forbidden Planet
In today’s video throughput, I review one of the most influential movies in science fiction: the 1956 classic Forbidden Planet.
Thursday Throughput: Binary Planet Edition
One of the point I made in my recent Dune video was that the fervid imaginations of sci-fi visionaries like Herbert seem to only scratch the surface of what’s out there. The more information we get, the wilder the planets get
Mini-Throughput: Omicron Edition
The TL;DR version on Omicron is: we don’t know yet and anyone making definitive claims should be viewed with suspicion. The long version is…
A COVID Statistic That is Beyond Meaningless
There have not, in fact, been more COVID-19 deaths under Joe Biden than under Donald Trump. Eventually, we will pass that grim milestone
Turkeys of the Year and Golden Drumsticks for 2021
This year has been a veritable feast of turkeys. A games of clowns. A clash of klutzes. A storm of stupid. A dance with dunces.
Video Throughput: An Astronomer Reacts to Dune
I take off my critic hat and put on my scientist hat to see how the science of Dune holds up. And…it’s not too bad.
Thursday Throughput: The Dark Matter Is Still Missing Edition
The case for dark matter’s existence has grown stronger with each passing year. But we have yet to detect one single particle.
Video Throughput: Astronomy Unsolved Mysteries
This week, I talk about the mystery of Astronomy and Fast Radio Bursts
The Curse Lifts, At Least For A Moment
I’ve seen great Braves teams that died in the first round. And I’ve now seen a Howl’s Moving Castle of a team crush their way to glory
The Lincoln Project Takes a Trip to the Theater
For an outfit like the Lincoln Project to pull a stunt like this, evoking the memories of that day for a political prank, is appalling
Thursday Throughput: Tensor Calculus Edition
The intricacies of tensor calculus equations for General Relativity. If you check out equation, you’ll find…no, wait…don’t go away! This is cool.
