2022: The Year in Science
Just to put it all in one place, so we can appreciate how much happened this year, here are the ten biggest science stories of the year.
Category: Science and Technology
Video Throughput: Alien Twin Spin
This week, you get a twin spin: I look at science in the movie Alien and its sequel Aliens. Is the xenomorph possible? Do reactors really explode like that?
The Future’s So Bright?
Nuclear fusion, if successful and widespread, would solve the ‘climate crisis’ Gen Z is so worried about
Thursday Throughput: Laser Implosion Edition
The running joke is fusion power is always twenty years away. I would say that we are now to the point where fusion power is ten years away.
Alexa, Find A New Name and Mission
Raise a glass to our friends Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Bixby, and… uhh.. Google Assistant.
Throughput Video: Andrew and Mike Talk SciFi Captains
In today’s episode, I call in some help in ranking starship captains, generals and other sci-fi leaders. What makes a great leader? What makes a poor one? What are the most compelling portrayals in sci-fi?
Video Throughput: Artemis, Launches, and Legos?
In this video, you get a look at my live reaction to the successful launch of Artemis 1. While waiting through the launch delay, I talk about the Lego kits
Throughput: The COVID Lab Leak Theory Resurfaces
While this COVID lab leak theory fire has burned for a while, the last week saw two deluges of rocket fuel poured on it.
Video Throughput: The Madness of Multiverses
In this video, I look at multiverses, which have become the big thing in movies and TV shows. Is there any science meat on that bone? Let’s take a look:
Thursday Throughput: Big Whomping Space Explosion Edition
The picture below was produced by my colleague Andy Beardmore from Swift data. It shows the X-rays scattering off dust grains in our own galaxy.
The Joys of Collective Failure
In fairness, not all collective failures are like the stock photos above, however.Sometimes there are systems involved that encourage collective failure.
Speed Gripping
The devil is in the details for something like this, though at baseline I prefer something like this to speeding cameras.
Friday Throughput: Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact
In this video, from science fiction to real time history of what DART did, why it matters, what the future of space defense might look like
Embrace The Case
Apple and others will tell you that their phones don’t need cases. Do not believe them.
Thursday Throughput: COVID Over Edition
So is Biden right? Is COVID over? Well, y’all know me. You know that the answer to that is inevitably going be … kinda.
DART Closes In
If this asteroid were headed for Earth, DART would have to hit it about 500 years in advance for such a velocity correction to make it miss.
Video Throughput: 21 Spaceships And The Rule Of Cool
In this video, I rank 21 spaceships by not only scientific accuracy but how closely they adhere to the Rule of Cool.
Thursday Throughput: Artemis Delayed Edition
The program, started by President Bush as Constellation, cancelled by President Obama and then resurrected by President Trump as Artemis, has been somewhat contentious.
Mini-Throughput: Ice Sheets and Data Points
One day or one month or one year does not reverse a decades-long trend.
Thursday Throughput: Yes, the Big Bang Happened
The TL;DR version here is that Lerner still cannot adequately explain the primary evidence in favor of the Big Bang, is misquoting both the JWST results and the scientists involved and has yet to present an alternative cosmology that works
