Science Journalism

The field of nanotechnology was originally launched from a lecture given by the late Richard P. Feynman at the California Institute of Technology in 1960. Here is a link to the appropriate transcribed talk in formal publication from CalTech-  http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/1976/1/1960Bottom.pdf The gist of the talk was an interdisciplinary approach to building molecular machines in ways other than (but not exclusive to) organic or inorganic syntheses. Feynman correctly reasoned that 1960s technology could build those types of machines.  At that time, his talk was viewed as the ‘ingenious’ Feynman lecture—a brilliant idea that was theoretically possible but impractical in terms of cost.  Not meaning to disparage the Nobel laureate by any means, he is mostly remembered for his brilliant contributions to Quantum Electrodynamics, his book of lectures for University physics students, and his brilliant analysis of the Shuttle Challenger disaster. His genius is often imita...

   Dear Lord,   The present era of loss needs much compassion from those who can muster the will and foresight to apply their skills. Given the disproportionate amount of death in the world, it strikes me as odd that our world has as yet to honor those who are compassionate towards inordinate suffering. Instead of an Academy Award ceremony for thespians, we need to find within ourselves to award ‘Good Samaritans.’  My strong belief, we need a new kind of hero. It is no coincidence nor small wonder, that in times of sorrow, our forefathers gathered around campfires to give pearls of wisdom in the form of stories to assuage our fears. By filling our desires for warmth, protection, and love, we learned to love as well. We need those kinds of heroes to inspire a love of our neighbor, our friends, and our enemies, too.   We spend much of our adult lives attempting to instill good values to our children and grandchildren. Give us all the needed compassion that bro...

The world may be entering a new phase in the battle with COVID. We - you and me, should not be completely shocked by what has transpired since the last president (#45) left office. In my rather angry tone, the world will be lucky if the USA escapes another war. The former president (#45) gave much of the world a blackened, bloodied eye. His base should view the current COVID crisis as time to repent and strike a new path. (I am dead serious...) I would count all of us fortunate if we do avoid any major conflagrations overseas.  I was watching the news this Sunday morning, and the largest democracy in the world is in chaos. It is not the USA -- it is India. India adopted democracy much later than the USA--- nearly 125 years later than the USA. The COVID crisis, in India, should concern all of us. Reports from their hospitals sound nearly apocalyptic.  India's democracy was gained from the struggles of Mahatama Ghandi, Nehru, and their followers with the UK [in the 20th century]...

COMMENTARY & BOOK REVIEW: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence -- Reckoning and Judgement by Brian Cantwell Smith MIT Press 157pages  2019 I bought the book at the brick-and-mortar Barnes and Noble, in Fresno California. [The bookstore appeared well-stocked but the store was far emptier than  expected.] Introduction-- My Understanding of Artificial Intelligence When someone hears terms "artificial intelligence" in local parlance, it is often in a derogatory manner. Artificial intelligence (AI) owes its bad reputation to poorly executed tv and movie scripts where talking computers of a prior era could think for themselves. They could do everything but perform mathematical addition, correctly. These so-called, self-aware computers violated a major axiom of artificial intelligence: the computers acted like people and less like machines. Machines can not be self-aware and will not be human-like.  However, the exceptions to poorly executed mainstream human-like machines...

Antibiotics were discovered in the twentieth century just prior to the start of WWII. Fortunately, the discovery of penicillin allowed Allied forces to leapfrog successfully from battle to battle without suffering significant losses. Post-WWII medicine ultimately rose to pinnacles of success by nearly eliminating bacterial infections. The reasons for their eventual diminishing potency is due to a multi-faceted resistance that follow the laws of evolution. One of the truly misunderstood aspects of anti-biotic resistance is the role of human-mediated evolution. Evolution for all of its misunderstandings will never change-- it is up to the individual to change their behavior to avert complete disasters that await us from total anti-biotic resistance. So, the first lesson? What is evolution... Evolution What does it mean? Evolution isn't just a theory--it is fact. The misnomer of facts as theories is sloppy thinking. Firstly, how do we change perceptions of facts versus theories?  Roug...

The earth's stewardship is the foundation that our progeny will judge us. Our stewardship will determine how the climate affects large swaths of the earth's population. The earth's climate, in recent years, has undergone changes that many experts could not have foreseen.  However, certain experts have recognized the implied issues behind a climate change for number of decades. At the birth of the environmental movement, think tanks like the The Club of Rome analyzed energy consumption and trends. Their pronouncements were published in a book, The Limits to Growth. The dire consequences predicted circa 1976 were delayed.  However, ecological challenges were exacerbated by the rampant disregard of ec stem changes iOne The arctic will have shipping lanes for all of the year--the winters in the Northern Hemisphere of the Americas subject the people of the USA to 'a polar vortex.' The extraordinary amount of extra ice and cold have brutalized parts of the USA. What is un...

 Once again the medicinal chemists make headway in treating COVID. Pfizer is said to have an oral treatment drug in Phase I clinical trials. The lead molecule was initially found in 2003. [Lead molecules are those drug candidates that showed promise in the laboratory setting.] Pfizer was said to have discovered it for the SARS outbreak almost twenty years ago. The present candidate molecule is said to attach (form an irreversible bond) to COVID enzymes responsible for reproduction in the host. It effectively shuts down the virus. Indirectly quoting from Chemical and Engineering News, scientists expect the COVID virus to stick around. How long? It is unknown. When a sizable number of the population refuses to ‘mask up,’ we could face an extended amount of time fighting the virus.  According to the article from Chemical and Engineering News, Charlotte Allerton from Pfizer’s medicine  design,   ‘“For the foreseeable future, we will expect to see continued outbreaks from...