One of the great benefits of the proliferation of cameras on phones and devices is that so many wonderful events of every day life are not captured and uploaded to the internet.

Here’s a great one from a high school chemistry class.

Now I’m all for hands-on learning, because it shows how science can be fun and helps demonstrate basic principles.   I’m not sure exactly what they are demonstrating here, but I’m guessing that it’s the fact that methane gas, the primary component of natural gas is both lighter than air and flammable.

What could possibly go wrong?    My first concern would be that they could inadvertently set fire to the ceiling.   Hanging ceiling tiles are supposed to be fire resistant, but that only means they will usually char slowly and self-extinguish.  They can still, under the right conditions, catch fire, and there are exampled of hanging ceilings that, for whatever reason, did not seem to meet the standards for fire resistance.   Hence, given the low elevation of the ceiling and the potential to start a fire, I would not consider this an entirely safe demonstration.

Thankfully, that did not happen.   However, something even funnier did…

I have no idea whether the teacher kept his job. My guess would be that he did, since teachers unions tend to be quite protective and he didn’t seem to have done anything overtly indefensible. (like an inappropriate relationship with a student or stealing from the school) But regardless, it’s pretty certain that he had some real egg on his face after this, and that by the time they got to the valve to shut down the sprinklers, there was a pretty huge mess to clean up and some substantial water damage.

One should remember that as far as chemistry demonstration mishaps go, many have gone far worse than this one!

Many of my skeptical and pro-science friends are extremely passionate about the issue of autism and vaccines.   The scientific data indicates, very compellingly, that vaccines do not cause autism.  So when a press release came out claiming that a new vaccine could actually reduce autism, many jumped on and posted it all over social media feeds, as if it was vindication of the positive effects of vaccines and science in combating disease and disorders.

But lest be careful, because it’s not quite what it seems.

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We recently lost Roger Ebert, who had been struggling with cancer since 2002.   Although modern medicine did manage to give him another decade, he lost his ability to speak and eat normally due to surgery on his throat and jaw.  Roger Ebert is best known as a film critic, but he was also a great editorialize, a humanist, a skeptic, a promoter of the arts and, of course, a champion for the great artistry of cinema.

Of course, as a film critic, Roger Ebert had to sit through many movies that he would not have watched by choice and did not exactly find much to like about.   One of his greatest talents was his ability to putdown movies which were sorely in need of it.   It’s an often unrecognized talent, requiring creativity, wit, masterful communications and an excellent vocabulary of insults.  Ebert was able to quickly, in just a few words, capture the sheer awfulness of two hours of garbage and communicate it to his audience in a way that was sharp and on point.  His insults not only captured the very stench of the crap he had to review, but were clever and funny in their own right.

As someone who so often reviews crap online, I find Ebert to be a high standard to aspire to for his ability to cut down those who need it.

Here are a few of my favorites:

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This is not really a story of any significance, although that is what makes it so sad.   A woman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania decided she was going to hold a protest against “chemtrails.”   I’m not sure what she hoped to acomplish.  Perhaps she just wanted to show the powers that be that the people were aware of their evil plans and didn’t like them.   Maybe she wanted to inspire others to join the movement.

Whatever the case, nobody else showed up for the protest, so it was just her in a gas mask, holding a sign.  The only other person there was the guy filming, who seems to be her significant other, based on the way she addresses him at the end.   Remarkably, she also decided it was a good idea to post it on Youtube and that doing so would look like something other than a pitiful display of isolation.

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It’s not that I want to just laugh at people, but sometimes it’s hard to avoid it.

The shooting that occurred in Newtown, CT took the lives of 27, plus the shooter himself.  Most of the victims were young children.   For a small town in a small state, the loss and grief is enormous.   In time, the event will fade from the headlines, but for the community, the tragedy will linger much longer.  It will likely be more than a year before the town even begins to return to normal and the shooting stops dominating the lives of those who live in the area.  Of course, for those who lost loved ones, things never really will return to normal.  The grief will be life-long and time will only dull, but never remove the sense of loss.

Unfortunately, the process of recovering from the horrible tragic events of December 14 has only been made worse by the rise of conspiracy theories and the invasive and disrespectful actions of conspiracy theorists and self-pointed “investigators.”

The conspiracy theories basically claim one of three things:

1. Adam Lanza was somehow under the control of the government or that his actions were the result of government influences
2. Adam Lanza was not the murderer.  He was just a scapegoat and the deaths were actually purported by the government.   Some claim Adam Lanza was not even a real person or that he had died some time ago and the identity was assumed into the fictional character created to be the perpetrator.
3. The shooting never happened.  It was all staged.  The victims may not even be real people at all, but just characters made up for the false story.

The motives put forward for such a conspiracy are predictable: that the massacre would result in an outcry for more school security, more gun control and more law enforcement powers and that this would allow the government to take away rights from the people to a degree that would not otherwise be accepted.  Some claim that other recent shootings, such as the one in Aurora Colorado are proof that the government has begun a program of planned or staged massacres with the intention of convincing the public to submit to greater government authority, ultimately leading to all out fascism.

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There is no denying that there is some great science content on Youtube, but one of the absolute best series of videos is from “Periodic Videos,” which dubs itself “Your ultimate channel for all things chemistry.”  It lives up to this claim and then some!  The videos are produced by the University of Nottingham, which should really be commended for its effort in public outreach education via Youtube.

The videos are about chemistry in general and especially about the elements.  What makes these videos especially unique is that they go to great lengths to actually provide hands-on demonstrations with samples of the elements being featured, even in cases where the element is so rare, reactive or radioactive that it is not normally available for direct observation.  In some cases, videos were made while the element was not available and then new versions were created once the facilities or samples necessary for the demonstration could be secured.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Fluorine (version II, with actual fluorine) – An element which is so reactive that it is very rarely seen in its raw gaseous form.   It will react with damn near anything, making it very difficult to store and work with.
• Gold at the Gold Bullion Vault of the Bank of England – It’s pretty amazing that they were able to get access to film here.
• Difficult Elements – This describes some of the more difficult elements to obtain.  I was floored to hear that thorium has become extremely difficult to obtain due to regulations in the UK and elsewhere.  Thorium is naturally occurring and is commonly used in welding rods and some other products.  It is less radioactive than uranium.   I myself have had no trouble at all obtaining thorium nitrate, but apparently thorium metal is another story.  (although you could produce it from thorium nitrate with a series of reactions.)  In any case, it goes to show that regulations are often not based on sound science.
• Plutonium – Yes, they did go to see plutonium, at a laboratory at Sellafield.  Not in its elemental form, but still very fascinating.  Also learn about the IPPu club.
• Radioactive Lab – Some great scenes of many the equipment in a laboratory equipped for radioactive chemicals, including negative pressure gloveboxes and some of the safety procedures used.

I could really go on for ever with this, because these videos are so good.  I must have lost hours watching these, but then again, it’s a lot better than losing hours watching Jersey Shore.

There has been a lot of sensationalize about exactly what happened to Albert Einstein’s brain after he died.  The TV Show Dark Matters ran a show a year ago called “Stealing Einstein’s Brain,” which suggests that the brain was stolen after Einstein’s death.   That’s not entirely true.   However, it’s certainly true that the brain of Einstein has not been has not been treated with the level of care and accountability that it should have been.   The true story is, in fact, quite strange.

Here I try to present the facts without any morbid sensationalizing.

What Really Happened:

In the early 1950’s, Albert Einstein resided in Princeton, New Jersey.  By this time, an aging Einstein had lived to see himself become an icon and a living legend.  This was not something that he was always comfortable with.   Einstein contributed relatively little to science in his later years, but his accomplishments had rocketed him to a level of fame previously unknown to theoretical physicists.  He was temperamental about the press and often became tired of being interviewed and photographed.  In 1951, on Einstein’s 71st birthday, after being photographed several times by press photographers, he attempted to ruin a UPI photographer’s image by sticking out his tongue – inadvertently creating one of the 20th centuries most iconic images.

Preferring to be modest about his achievements and never becoming entirely comfortable with his level of fame, Albert Einstein did not wish that any monuments be built in his honor.  Knowing that his grave site would surely become a place of pilgrimage, he asked not to be buried but to be cremated and have his ashes scattered.

Also, in the early 1950’s, Yeshiva University was planning the creation of a new school of medicine.  The school was to focus on the most advanced areas of medical science and provide world class training to students of any ethnic background.  It was decided to name the school in honor of Albert Einstein, a humanitarian, scientist and ethnic jew.  Einstein initially declined the honor, pointing out that he was a physicist and knew nothing of medicine.  Dr. Harry Zimmerman was appointed to be the first director of the school.  He approached Einstein and persuaded him to allow the school to be founded in his name.   This, of course, became the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Zimmerman became well acquainted with Albert Einstein as a result of the founding of the college.  Zimmerman’s background was in neuropathology, a field which was making enormous strides in the 1950’s.   Aware of Einstein’s intention to be cremated, Dr. Zimmerman asked whether he would allow for his brain to be examined after his death.  Zimmerman cited the great interest in Einstein’s mind and abilities and the need to avoid losing an opertunity to examine a potentially unique human subject.   Einstein, who was always a supporter of scientific endeavor, agreed to this, but stipulated that it only be for the purposes of scientific study.

After Einstein’s death, his permission to have his brain removed and examined would be clouded in controversy.  Einstein had not given formal permission in his will, but a number of witnesses would testify that he had approved the use of his body for scientific purposes.  Shortly after his death, when his family was notified of the intention to remove and study his brain, his son, Hans Einstein, granted permission as long as it was only for valid research, published in scientific journals and in no way sensationalized.  Other members of Einstein’s family later denied any permission was ever given.

The best evidence available would seem to indicate that Einstein was indeed agreeable to the use of his brain for scientific purposes, but he certainly would not have agreed to the extent of what would actually happen to his mortal remains.

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This blog is obviously primarily about science, science reporting, skepticism and related topics.  However, being a resident of the southeastern portion of Connecticut, it would be impossible to continue on without mentioning the tragic shooting that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown.   Connecticut is a small state to begin with, and Newtown, as it happens is only about twenty minutes drive from my home.  I’ve been to and passed through Newtown many times and I know several people who live in the town.

I did not know any of the victims, but in the past few days I have come to discover just how close I am to this tragedy.  The manager of my congressional campaign has worked for the state as a child advocate.   During a divorce and custody dispute, he was appointed to represent the interests of a young girl.  As is often the case, he became well acquainted with her and her family.  She was one of the victims who was killed on Friday.   My former nextdoor neighbors, who are also good friends of my parents, have a granddaughter in kindergarden at the school where the shooting occurred.  As it turns out, she was absent the day it happened, but no doubt the trauma of losing friends will be difficult for her and the family to deal with.  I have other acquaintances who have children who attend the school or who have lost friends or neighbors.  At my place of work, which, amongst other things, sells flowers, a number of orders were placed for sympathy arrangements for the families of the dead.

While there have been other shootings and tragic events, and indeed, human tragedies happen every day, nothing of this scope has hit quite so close to home and affected so many in my life before.

Of course, there is really no way to respond to such an event that will ever do much to change things.  None the less, some of the responses in the wake of the tragic events have been extremely disheartening.

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You may remember not long ago the news was humming of news that the NASA rover Curiosity had found something on important on mars.  It was reported that the discovery, which scientists were pretty confident of, was not being announced, because it was so absolutely astonishing and earth-shattering that they had to be 100% sure it was real and not an error.

The whole thing seemed strange:  if you were going to announce something major, why not just announce it?   If it was uncertain, why not announce that you saw signs of something but were not 100% sure?   Perhaps it could be attributed to the tendency of the press to gloss over the disclaimer of uncertainty, but given that fact, why announce anything at if it had not been verified?   Making an announcement of something, without saying what it was, seemed to defeat the purpose of waiting to release the information.

Needless to say, speculation ran wild.  What could it be?   Large amounts of liquid water?   Organic compounds?  Life?

Well, it turns out it wasn’t anything at all.   It was just some very ridiculous levels of misinterpretation by reporters.

Via Slate

Remember last week when we told you about how NASA’s Curiosity rover had reportedly sent back some very interesting data from Mars in the form of a soil sample that could be, in the apparent words of one of the mission’s leaders, “one for the history books”? Yeah, well, now NASA is saying that all the hype is actually just a giant misunderstanding between the scientist and the NPR reporter who interviewed him—a mistake that was then multiplied many times over by each news outlet (again, including us) who picked up the story.

Here, let’s have Mashable, which did the legwork to follow up on the original NPR report, explain (emphasis ours):

The quote heard around the world came shortly after [scientist John] Grotzinger explained that NASA had just received the initial data from Curiosity’s first soil experiment using a new Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument, which is capable of identifying organic compounds.

Naturally, the public assumed that this meant Curiosity had discovered a complex organic molecule. But while NASA does have the latest soil samples, the mission team tells Mashable that researchers haven’t determined that particular groundbreaking discovery. …

What Grotzinger was actually trying to convey is that Curiosity’s data over her entire two-year mission will further our knowledge of Mars more than ever before, making it a historical mission.

So to recap, Grotzinger was apparently trying to express just how excited he was about the entire mission, not about any one specific discovery; it is the sum of all of Curiosity’s past and future discoveries that he thinks will be historic. His particular choice of words—”This data is gonna be one for the history books”—however, along with the suggestion that his team was currently double- and triple-checking data it had received (something that is standard procedure) gave NPR the mistaken impression that there was something specific that NASA was eager to celebrate as a major discovery.

The original NPR report made it pretty clear that the reporter doing the interview, veteran science correspondent Joe Palca, thought Grotzinger was hyping a specific result:

Grotzinger says they recently put a soil sample in SAM, and the analysis shows something remarkable. “This data is gonna be one for the history books. It’s looking really good,” he says.

Grotzinger can see the pained look on my face as I wait, hoping he’ll tell me what the heck he’s found, but he’s not providing any more information.

While it’s a little odd that NASA’s communication team didn’t manage to quickly quash the rumor after the original report aired, Veronica McGregor, NASA’s news and social media manager for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told The Slatest late Tuesday night that they did their best to set the story straight.

So it seems that this was a case of the NASA spokesperson basically saying that the data from this mission would be something for the history books, not that any one given reading was so earth-shattering it would itself be one for the history books.

I have to admit I was suspicious of this from the start and got a strange feeling from it, and that’s why I didn’t say much about it.

I really wish the media had actually made an effort to confirm things like this more, but I also wish NASA had made more effort to clarify the situation. Apparently there were tweets to that effect from NASA and the Curiosity team, but clearly just tweeting it is not enough.

Many people around the world seek a spiritual life that will be fulfilling and guide them through life.  Religion has filled this need for centuries, but today religion often conflicts with what we see around us.  As best we can tell, none of the traditional religions seem to be factually true and the beliefs are often in conflict with the world we see.

A few churches have attempted to base their theology on reason, but only one can claim to be factually true. That is why I am not a promoter of the one true religion. This the Church of Aircraft.

I cannot claim to be the first to come up with the idea of worshiping aircraft, as others have before, many in remote parts of the world. Indeed, aircraft worship seems to have developed independently on several Pacific islands and may be practiced by tribes in other parts of the world as well.

Now I hope to be the one to bring the good news of the aircraft mainstream!  I hope you will join me in worshiping at the Church of the Aircraft, where we value evidence and truth in a way that no other religion does.

What makes this religion better than others?   We claim only one thing: that our belief system is more objectively and factually correct than any other religion.

Please judge our claims for yourself.  They are listed as they correspond to others, with ours being on the right and the claims of other mainstream religions on the left.  When you are done, ask your self which one you find to be more believable and true.

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