Video Throughput: The Empire Strikes Back
Could a Hoth-like world exist? What about Cloud City? And what’s the deal with the Force anyway? Find out below.
Category: Science and Technology
Mini-Throughput: The Continued Failure of Malthusianism
Malthusian theory is fine … in a vacuum. But when you take into account human behavior and ingenuity, the theory falls apart.
Thursday Throughput: Uhura Edition
Out of this madness, Uhura appeared. A vision in red and black. Beautiful, smart as hell and not interested in nobody’s nonsense.
Mini-Throughput: Heat Wave Edition
An unprecedented heat wave inevitably comes the debate on whether it is the result of global warming. The answer is no, but yes.
Thursday Throughput: BA5 Edition
Basically, we seem to be in a cycle where COVID is throwing new things at us every six months or so as it continues to circulate through populations.
JWST Unveils the Cosmos
After a quarter of a century, we are finally getting the results of this massive project. And, already, JWST exceed our expectations.
Mini-Throughput: The Long and Winding Road to Mercury
Three-and-a-half years (or 14 Mercury years) is a long time to wait for the mission to really get going. But Mercury will be worth it.
Thursday Throughput: Cretaceous Edition – That Means Dinosaurs
What enraptures children about dinosaurs? Maybe it is, as Dave Barry said, that dinosaurs never get told to go to bed or eat their veggies.
Video Throughput: The Science of Star Wars
Any fool can point out the thing Star Wars gets wrong about science. But what did it get right? You’d be surprised how visionary George Lucas was.
Racism Under The Banner of Science
The search for genetic correlations to racism, in my view, is little different in spirit than the skull measurements of phrenologists from days past.
Thursday Throughput: Monkeypox Edition
So, here’s the story on monkeypox. It is DNA orthopoxvirus — that’s the family that includes things smallpox.
Video Throughput: The Black Hole
oday, I celebrate the unveiling of the Milky Way’s black hole by reviewing the film that Neil DeGrasse Tyson once described as the most scientifically inaccurate movie of all time.
Mini-Throughput, Black Hole Edition: There is a Monster at the end of this Galaxy
Is that they Eye of Sauron? The Ring of Power? Alex Jones’ colonoscopy? It’s actually the black hole at the center of our galaxy
Thursday Throughput: Next Gen Vaccine Edition
We want a vaccine that deals with variants in the same way that the measles vaccine does. Some don’t think that is possible with coronavirus.
Video Throughput: John Carter Revisited
Disney’s 2012 John Carter. Is it accurate? Was it accurate when the books were written? Should it have flopped?
Thursday Throughput: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Edition
Russian soldiers literally dug in within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and some are now possibly being treated for radiation sickness. So what this story here?
Mini-Throughput: Maunder Minimum Edition
Ever since the Maunder Minimum was discovered by 19th century astronomers poring through old records, we’ve wondered what caused it and if it might occur again.
Thursday Throughput: Distant Star Edition
The newly detected star is so far away that its light has taken 12.9 billion years to reach Earth, appearing to us as it did when the universe was only 7 percent of its current age, at redshift 6.2.
Video Throughput: Stargate
By viewer request, I take a whack at the 1994 movie Stargate. I talk about wormholes, linguistics, how to find your place in the universe and why I hate ancient aliens.
Mini-Throughput: The Universe Comes Into Focus Via James Webb Space Telescope
The fun part is…this isn’t James Webb Space Telescope doing science. This is just an image to check the alignment and make sure everything’s working according to plan.
