How nonequilibrium thermodynamics speaks to the mystery of life
In his 1944 book What is Life?, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger argued that organisms stay alive precisely by staving off…
Writings
Solving a math problem to create art
Optimization is the mathematical quest for the best way to do something, from finding the shortest distance between two places…
The Internet of Things wants to link all facets of our world
A 94Fifty looks like an ordinary basketball. You can inflate, dribble, pass, shoot, swoosh and slam-dunk it. But there’s more…
When your stuff spies on you
In October 2016, hackers hit a company called Dyn. Hackers are people who write computer programs that can break into…
The return of supersolids!
We learn it from a young age: solids hold their shapes; liquids flow. Physical states of matter are mutually exclusive.…
Making a match
In the summer of 2012, Carole Baker’s oncologist told her she was eligible to join a clinical trial just getting…
Mussels photo galleries
Please be sure to view the full-screen version of the gallery using the button on the upper left-hand side. Please be sure…
The Endgame of Ruby Knuckles
This story was first published in Arcadia magazine in 2011. That Sunday morning, I was not full of the Holy…
Star Trek technology becomes more science than fiction
Fifty years ago, the first episode of Star Trek aired. It started as a quirky science-fiction television show that lasted…
The Riddle of Bacteria and Cancer
The human body teems with bacteria. These micro-organisms live on the skin, in mucus membranes, on the eyes and in…