intellect
Insightful post about reason, abstract thinking, and science, highlighting gifted science fiction influencers.
Pioneers of Astronomy
Nicholas Copernicus once said “The massive bulk of the earth does indeed shrink to insignificance in comparison with the size of the heavens." While we may attribute our knowledge of the solar system and astronomy to modern day telescopes, space shuttles, and space probes, it is important to remember that the size of the heavens would not even be discovered without the pioneers of astronomy. From Nicholas Copernicus and Albert Einstein to astronauts and space organizations like NASA, the pioneers of astronomy have laid down an important foundation for which exploration of the stars today is firmly rooted.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
History of Halley's Comet
It was August in 1682 when the faint gleam first appeared in the night sky. From one night to the next, it grew slightly brighter and changed position among the background stars. The pioneers of astronomy peered at it through that new-fangled invention, the telescope, and watched it begin to sprout a tail. Among the majority of people, however, the instinctive reaction was fear. “A comet,” they whispered. “A comet has appeared! And plague, famine, and war will surely follow.”
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Genetically Engineering a Super Race
When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1932, he described a world state several centuries in the future where all human beings were reared from eggs in factories or incubators. Scientists could produce several classes of personality ranging from the highly intelligent, whose sole purpose was to enjoy life, to the feeble-minded who were suited only for manual labor. The novel was set in the distant future because the scientific knowledge needed to bring about this type of society was not available when Huxley wrote it.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Mysteries of the Maya
Imagine yourself the chief astronomer-priest of an ancient jungle empire. From your studies of records kept by astronomers for centuries before you, you are convinced that an eclipse of the Sun is likely to occur in three days' time. It is essential for you to inform the people of the empire of this event, so they will be prepared if the Sun begins to disappear.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
How Apollo 13 Avoided Disaster
Are you superstitious? Would you fly on ship number 13? Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Ken Mattingly didn't think the number 13 would be unlucky for them. They had trained for many months to fly the third lunar landing mission, Apollo 13. Lovell and Haise planned to spend 33 hours exploring the surface of the Moon, while Mattingly circled above them in the command module Odyssey. The story of what happened instead is a tribute to the bravery, ingenuity, and teamwork not only of the astronauts themselves, but also of the hundreds of controllers, technicians, and scientists who brought three men safely home from outer space. You can decide whether or not the number 13 was unlucky for them at the end of the story.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
How Accurate is Astrology?
Over the decades, evidence has been accumulating of striking correlations between events in the heavens and events on earth. If astrological "influence" is a fact, it ought to be susceptible to statistical study. With this starting point, a number of early studies were made (the most famous by Jung), some of which appeared to vindicate astrological claims, at least to astrological devotees. Then, in 1950, a young Sorbonne graduate in statistics, Michel Gauquelin, set out to disprove these claims, with unexpected results.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Next Generation Pioneers
In popular culture, Millennials are often characterized by a lack of productivity, cultural obsession, and a general sense of self entitlement. Generation We, as it is often referred to, fosters a culture of instant gratification and constant connectivity. Often viewed in a negative light, Millennials far outnumber their Baby Boomer predecessors and are critiqued for their way of commanding a world they feel is apparently their rightful playground. Although Millennials are overlooked and disregarded in the eyes of older generations, a small group of them are taking advantage of their unique upbringing in a period of constant change and advancement, mixed with an access to unlimited knowledge. This combination has given us the next generation pioneers and thinkers, who, at this moment, are changing the world as we know it. The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Hyperloop pod team, BadgerLoop, personifies the success and growth of next generation pioneers.
By Natasha Sydor10 years ago in Futurism
History of Flight
In 1903, man realized a primal dream—to fly. The Wright brothers's hometown paper was one of the few to note the epochal achievement. Today, we have gone above and beyond the beginnings of flight, even entering space. Today's flight technologies have a long and intriguing history of development and dedication to the dream to take to the skies.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Mystery of Quasars
Quasar! The very name evokes visions of vast power, primordial matter, the brightness of a trillion suns, mystery. In the decades since these curious objects were first identified, the mystery of quasars has broadened and deepened. Many astrophysicists think that quasars were only one type in a wide range of energetic extragalactic phenomena. A decade after their discovery, Britain's Dr. Martin J. Rees even called for a whole new classification scheme to replace the helter-skelter assortment of terms that was in use for high-powered radio sources with terms that recognize their basic similarity.
By Mark R. Chartrand III10 years ago in Futurism
Infinite Mystery of Light
The following article was originally published on The Free Advice Man's website here. Our Magnificent Star, The Sun, emits Photons that reach our fragile little planet Earth after traveling in the relative vacuum of outer-space for a time duration of roughly Eight Minutes, and at a Speed that is considered to be the Relative Speed Limit of The Universe, The Speed of Light, which is approximately 11,176,943.8 miles per minute! Which is 670,616,629 miles per hour, or 5.87849981 × 1012 miles per year! The nearest Star to our Star is actually a Binary Star System (two Stars orbiting one-another) that is located 4.37 Light-years distance from our Sun! A Light-year distance is 5.87849981 × 1012 miles! Anyway; guess what! All the plant food and animal proteins you and I and all fauna and flora consume on this planet are packages of energy, or more precisely photons emitted by the Sun transferred electromagnetic radiation energy from the Sun to plants and animals on Earth, (with a fraction of energy from other sources) and so we are essentially energized by our Star The Sun's photons! The Light that allows us to see one-another is also the Light that allows us to be one-another! We are Enlightened by Light!
By Jean-Pierre Fenyo10 years ago in Futurism
