Popular science coverage of theoretical physics frequently fantasizes over the fraction 1/137. PBS Space Time mused about it for 20 minutes. NewScientist hyperbolically called it “the answer to life, the universe, and everything.” Numerologists, including religious ones, have been inspired by the number. To be fair, science popularizers and numerologists alike are taking their cues from eccentric physicists. Various 20th century quantum theoreticians made bold guesses, claims, and rambling metaphysical speculations about 1/137. Among them…
Thermal imaging cameras are relatively expensive when you consider the leading brands, such as Flir. As the most trusted manufacturer of thermal cameras, their handheld devices sell for around £500 and up. There are cheaper options available as an add on to Apple or Android phones, which sell for around £300. This can be out of many ghost hunters price range, perhaps leading them to consider some unbranded and cheaper alternatives, the type available on…
A strange series of color flashes that turned the night sky reddish in Bethel, Ohio, has gotten international attention, as people scramble for a good explanation. So far, nobody seems to have one, even after a week of debate. A doorbell video, posted on Facebook by Tim Walker, shows a series of rapid flashes that changed in color and size over 20 seconds, from white to a red that filled the horizon. It was recorded…
For years – or perhaps even for centuries – the Men in Black have been elusive, fear-inducing figures who hover with disturbing regularity upon the enigmatic fringes of the UFO subject. They nurture and weave their very own unique brand of terror and intimidation. Like true specters from the outer edge, the MIB appear from the murky darkness, and roam the countryside provoking paranoia and fear in their notorious wake, before returning to that same…
The universe is expanding. This is a well-established fact and one that scientists have known for nearly a century. It was first proposed by Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann in 1922 and again independently in 1927 by Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaître. Confirming observational evidence was first published in 1929 by American astronomer Edwin Hubble. While the expansion of the cosmos is accepted nearly universally among the scientific community, two very precise estimates of the rate at…