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Here is the next in my series of confounding science questions. AUTHOR’S APOLOGY: For some reason, the superscript feature is not working in this essay, or at least not on all platforms. If you are seeing “E=mc2“, with the numeral 2 in line with the letters, please recognize that it’s supposed to be a superscript, designating an exponent. And if you have suggestions for fixing the problem, do

Here is the next entry in my series on science questions. It’s icy cold, it’s dark and distant, it’s PLUTO, a planet (sort of) with powers far beyond those of any gas giant or terrestrial pipsqueak, including Earth. For Pluto is not merely a planet or dwarf planet, but a body that is INTERESTING, and dare we say, CONTROVERSIAL! Neptune may be colored a pleasant blue, and Jupiter may have its big red

Here is the latest installment in my series on science questions. I may think of myself as Science Boy (my secret identity, I have the letters “SB” and a test tube emblazoned on my cape.) But I have dabbled in fiction writing, and I can recognize a good story when I see it. Question 6: What can scientists learn from Noah’s Ark? Noah’s Ark is an extraordinarily well-constructed story. If we hel

Here is the second entry in this series. Let’s get this out of the way: Albert Einstein was the pre-eminent genius physicist of the twentieth century, a man famous and exalted—and deservedly so—for his contributions to science.[1] But yes, he did come down on the wrong side of certain controversies of his time. The question below refers not to some minor or incomprehensible detail in theories of relativity, qua

Here in 2025, the fate of the good ship U.S.S. United States has yet to be written, but the bad news is that we’ve struck the orange-tinted iceberg and have been taking on water on all decks. We are called to stand our ground and raise our voices in protest, but I also have heard it argued that we must continue doing what we can continue to do. In my case, that’s teach some science lessons. So here goes t

Our evening on the town—Boston, specifically—was a big success. At the restaurant, we dined outdoors in the amazingly gorgeous springtime weather. We enjoyed not only the delicious dinner but people-watching the happy pedestrians with whom we shared the sidewalk, facing the Public Gardens. Then came the show at the sumptuous Schubert Theater, where I accessed the electronic tickets on my cell phone without a hitch. B

After all these years, I finally laid eyes on Yawgoo Valley. End prose. Begin pretentious analysis of the writing. I like that opening sentence. It’s full of promise, mildly intriguing, and inspires a host of useful questions in the mind of the reader. Where is Yawgoo Valley, and what is it like? What special meaning does it hold for the narrator? Why did the narrator take so long to visit? And now what happens

The large wooden sign that greets visitors to Magic Mountain includes the motto “Where skiing still has its soul.” I am a veteran skier and I have paid attention, so I know what this motto means. It means ancient, slow chairlifts. But nevermind that. I had a lovely day at Magic Mountain, located in central Vermont, a drive of at least 2 hours from pretty much everywhere else, including my house. I enjoyed

In my publishing job today, a client asked me to confirm the number of fingers and toes on the average frog. And the research shows that the numbers are four and five. Meaning, four finger- or toe-like digits on the front feet, and five such digits on the back feet. That’s 18 total. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., a horde of Visigoths is dismantling the Federal government of the United States. What should we cal