The Shimmer of Life

A rendering of NASA's Deep Impact Probe shortly after its collision with Temple 1.

In 2005, NASA sent a Deep Impact Probe to a comet known as Temple 1 in order to find what was under the surface by slamming a large amount of copper into it.  After a successful mission, the probe survived the collision and was fortunately able to be used for a bigger mission known as EPOXI, an acronym for its dual purpose:  Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI), and the Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterization (EPOCh).

The focus of EPOXI now is to examine Earth from various distances through space.  Gathering information about our home planet, where we know there is water and an abundance of life, can aid scientists in determining precisely what a habitable planet looks like.  This, in turn, makes the search for other habitable planets in the universe a more plausible task.

Happy Holidays

From all of us (read: two of us) here at LS, here’s to the best.

30 Day Workout Challenge Complete

Image Credit: fido.gov

Yes, after 30 straight days of intense workouts, the challenge has come to an end.  The final week, crossing right over into perhaps my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, was the toughest week by far, but thanks to carefully planning my previous workouts and being dedicated to doing them, I was prepared to take on the challenge.

My strength increased drastically in only a months time.  I went from being able to do around 40 pushups with good form to now 80-90.  My mile times were improved as well, and I can now run 3 miles at around 7 1/2 – 8 minutes per mile.  This challenge helped push me and test my dedication and stamina.  It has also motivated me to continue working out, though not everyday, but at least a few times a week, focusing on strength training.  Though I am stronger, I’m still a little skinny guy.

ThanksgivingSci: Can Turkey Make You Sleepy?

Image Credit: kidshealth.org

We hear it every year.  Turkey will make you sleepy.  Everyone gets tired after a big meal, but on Thanksgiving, the notion that the turkey will make you even more sleepy is more of a psychological thing than a physical thing.

The chemical behind the myth is tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the brain regulate sleep.  Turkey does, in fact, contain purified tryptophan.  But what no one tells you about this myth is that virtually all other meats contain tryptophan.  Several dairy products contain the chemical as well.  Gram for gram, cheese has more tryptophan than turkey, but no one seems to get drowsy after eating a piece of cheese.

30 Day Workout Challenge Week 3 Recap

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After three weeks, I’m in the final stretch of this 30 day challenge.  Over the course of this challenge, both my stamina and strength have increased, and I feel much healthier and energized overall.  In this final week, I will be making one big change to the schedule as compared to previous weeks.

There will be little or no cardio this week.  It will be pure strength training.  Why?  It’s the area that needs the least work.  I increased my distance last week to 2 miles, but due to my increase and stamina and good pace, I was able to increase it to 2.3, 2.5. or almost 3 miles at times, still getting around a 7 1/2 – 8 minute average for each mile.  Afterwords, I didn’t find myself to be all that tired physically, and I had a lot of fun doing it.  So this week, I’ll be amping up the strength training.

TabooSci: Heightened Intellectual Experiences

Image Credit: studentdepression.org

Carl Sagan, under the pseudonym “Mr. X,” became widely well known for his advocacy of cannabis use, claiming it had helped him on a wide range of intellectual levels, as well as pleasurable levels.  Some looked at Sagan with dismay and disappointment, while others, particularly cannabis users no less, embraced his writings on the subject, and many others who had never previous delved into recreational “experimentation” were “inspired” to take part.

From a scientific perspective, does cannabis use result in a heightened intellectual experience, and if so, how?  Is it the only method to reach such a heightened sense of reality?

The Science of Abortion

Image Credit: misguidedeskimo.blogspot

Abortion is a political issue that seems as if it will never be solved.  One side is convinced it is murder.  The other, imperative it’s kept legal to ensure reproductive rights of women aren’t infringed.  These are the two arguments flaunted by either side, generally with an heir of arrogance and distaste (or downright hate) for the opposing side.  Seldom are the real questions ever talked about.  And, as it seems, when they are, the arguments behind them are fundamentally flawed.

Image Credit: 4.bp.blogspot.com

Rarely is there a refutation to the claim, “Abortion is murder!” in most debates on the issue.  It seems as if both sides have accepted the stalemate and merely vocalize a rationalization for their position, as opposed to a rationalization and refutation of the opposing side.  In this post, I’ll be examining the real questions.  Is abortion murder?  What criteria does one use to determine this?  Can the debate be settled?

Let’s begin by examining the major flaws of either side of the argument.

30 Day Workout Challenge Week 2 Recap

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I’m officially halfway through this thirty day challenge and I can say it hasn’t been all that difficult making it this far, motivationally speaking.  Physically, however, is a different story.  Over the past two weeks I’ve been pushing my body to some pretty big extremes for someone who merely spontaneously began working out.  However, it seems to have done some good.

Let us begin with a recap of my progress this week, then I’ll show my maxes and talk about the upcoming changes to the workout for this week.

 

News Alert: Water Found on the Moon!

Image Credit: NASA/LCROSS

It’s official.  The NASA LCROSS mission has concluded that there is indeed water on the moon!  The team of researchers who worked on the mission released their findings today, November 14, 2009:

The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water.

Secrets the moon has been holding, for perhaps billions of years, are now being revealed to the delight of scientists and space enthusiasts alike.

NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus cater near the moon’s south pole.

This exciting news will forever change our understanding of the moon and the planets elsewhere in our solar system.

Kirk Cameron and Charles Darwin

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Seeing the names side-by-side is at first shocking, and then one realizes a controversy is sure to follow.  A recent article in The Huffington Post tells of how Cameron wishes to spread awareness about the “undeniable connection” between Adolf Hitler’s holocaust and Charles Darwin’s work on Evolution.  He and others supporting his radical cause plan to distribute 50,000 copies or more of an altered version of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species to students in universities all across the United States on November 21, which is Darwin Day – the 150th anniversary of the first publication of his work.

What type of alteration will be made?  A wonderfully written introduction to the book, which Cameron describes as a passage that will “…highlight Darwin’s racism and his disdain for women.”  The introduction will also make a gigantic leap in scientific theory by exposing that all along Darwin’s work has been an elaborate hoax  and it’s actually Creationism that holds the key to knowledge!  Exciting, is it not?

Cameron also makes it clear that he will be presenting this wonderful information as a “balanced view of Creationism.”  I certainly can’t wait to get my hands on this, as Cameron describes, “very special” edition of On the Origin of Species.