Bob Siederer
28 October 2024
Hello again Science fans!
This is the last week of daylight savings time for us here in California. Early next Sunday morning we revert to standard time and, while it will get light earlier in the morning, the evenings will seem to come earlier. This is, of course, an artificial construct, but one that seems to generate a lot of controversy both here, and abroad.
Speaking of abroad, most of the rest of the world that observes daylight time switched to standard time last night, so for one week we’re an hour “closer” to most European countries.
As the seasons change, you might wonder why a temperature of, say, 60 degrees feels different in the spring than in the fall. There’s some actual science behind this phenomenon.
Climate
Just about this time a year ago, the United Nations report on the climate painted a dismal picture of their member nations achievements on combating climate change. So here we are, a year later, and one would hope some progress has been made. This year’s report says that isn’t the case, unfortunately.
One way to measure what is happening with the climate is to monitor glaciers. Mount Baker, the third highest peak in Oregon, and one of the Cascade volcanoes, has been monitored by NASA using satellites for years, and the loss of glaciers is unprecedented.
Two major volcanoes around the world have erupted. In Mexico, Popocatepetl is spewing ash at least 30,000 feet into the air and darkening skies over the Gulf of Mexico. Airline flights have been disrupted. Popocatepetl is about 40 km southeast of Mexico City. Ash from the eruption has been spotted over Florida.
Meanwhile, Marapi in Indonesia, erupted. Marapi does not give off seismic warnings, unlike many other volcanoes. Nearby villages and towns were covered in thick coats of ash, but the ash cloud only reached 6,560 feet, unlike Popocatepetl.
Many volcanoes have glaciers on them. As the glaciers melt, downward pressure on the volcano caused by the ice is reduced, resulting in more frequent eruptions. Of course, volcanic ash can have significant effect on climate.
Nature
When I was young, I wanted a cuckoo clock. I wanted one of the big, fancy ones that has more than just a cuckoo bird popping out to announce the time. I wanted one with additional movements of carved characters. I never got a fancy one, but did have a simple one. The first night, I woke up every half hour, at one minute before the cuckoo was about to appear. It seems that something moved in the clock, making a noise, 1 minute before cuckoo time, and that woke me up. After the first night, the clock didn’t wake me, and the rhythmic tick tock provided some background noise that I think actually aided my sleep.
Cuckoos have a place in our culture, and few birds effect is as widespread as the cuckoo.
Space
Physicists have observed a triple black hole construct for the first time. While many observed black holes have a secondary object that spirals around it, this one has a star that is very close to the hole and being eaten by it. Another star seems to be orbiting the black hole once every 70,000 years or so.
The variety of systems in space that are so different from our solar system is mind-blowing!
Obituary
There are many things in modern day life that we take for granted, but that were really only solved or discovered a short time ago. One such discovery came from Bruce Ames, a biochemist who discovered a simple test for detecting potential carcinogens. As a result, the so-called Ames test detects many chemicals in common use that we realized cause cancer. Developed in 1970, the test is still used today. Bruce passed away on October 5 in Berkeley leaving behind a legacy of discovery that changed how chemicals are used in our world, making it safer for all of us.
Picks
Bay Area Bats – 10/28/2024 05:00 PM, UC Berkeley
Wonderfest: Color Me Curious: The Mathematics of Coloring – 10/29/2024 07:00 PM, Novato
Project 2025: The Religious Right’s Attempt to Dump Democracy – Livestream – 11/02/2024 03:00 PM, Online
Have a great week in Science, and a Happy Halloween. Don’t forget to vote for Science!
Bob
Upcoming Events:
Click to see the next two weeks of events in your browser.