I’ve gotten a little behind in my reading lately, so the past couple of days I’ve been catching up on science. I’ll leave aside the excellent work here byDevilstower and Darksyde and mention a few other things you might not have seen.
Space Weather
My friend Lee Holtz, an excellent science writer and all-around scholar, has an article this week in the Wall Street Journal on why we should care about the weather in space. For those of you who don’t spend a lot of time thinking about space weather, he is talking primarily about solar flares. You care because
with little warning, these cosmic tsunamis of energy periodically have disabled commercial satellites, overloaded power grid transformers, blacked out radio communications and sent space-station astronauts scrambling for radiation shelter
and because between March 2008 and 2012 we are facing a period of unusually intense solar flare activity. As we become increasingly dependent on digital modes of communication, these geomagnetic storms have a proportionally greater ability to cause severe disruptions. Lee describes a series of solar bursts in 2003:
A barrage of 17 major solar flares -- each an interplanetary shotgun blast of charged electrons and protons -- briefly scrambled computer circuits on more than half of NASA's satellites and space probes. The charged particles disabled navigation systems, inserted spurious commands and disrupted computer memories. A few sensors were knocked completely out of commission, while others took days to recover.
The Defense Department lost control of three surveillance satellites over "high-interest areas" for 29 hours, while Japan permanently lost contact with a $640 million Earth observation satellite. The geomagnetic storms also caused power outages in Northern Europe and a blackout in Sweden. They forced 13 U.S. nuclear power plants to take control-room precautions, so that the electrical surges wouldn't affect reactor operations.
The Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder often can only provide minutes of warning. With more than 860 satellites currently in orbit, NASA researchers estimate damages from the upcoming activity could exceed $30 billion.
Extragalactic Radio
Another science-writer friend, Joe Palca, has an interesting story on NPR about a report in the current issue of Science. Astronomers from the University of West Virginia (Hi, Carnacki) report seeing an extremely bright, extremely powerful radio burst from far outside of our galaxy. It is unlike anything ever seen before, and they have no idea what caused it.
In 2001, the astronomers pointed the Parkes radio telescope in Australia at the Small Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy about 200,000 light years away, to look for pulsars. Astronomer Duncan Lorimer obtained the scan data and started examining it using a novel method. His undergraduate student, David Narkevic, found the event signature and the hunt is now on for others. According to Louisiana State University astronomer Brad Schaefer,
"This could be just a version of something we've already thought of," Schaefer said. "Or it could be something completely new that no one has any idea of what it could be, yet."
Schaefer says this is the kind of thing astronomers live for.
"It could be due to a black hole-neutron star collision," he said. "Or perhaps a neutron star-neutron star collision. Or perhaps even a black hole-black hole collision, far off in a distant galaxy. Well, a billion light years away."
The news is reminiscent of Jocelyn Bell’s discovery 40 years ago of the "bit of scruff" that eventually led to the discovery of pulsars.
It Came From Outer Space
While this final item doesn’t actually qualify as science, here is the intro to my favorite science fiction movie:
It Comes from You
Nominations for Top Comments, that is. So when you see something profound or just profoundly funny, give it the credit it deserves by sending it to:
top comments at gmail dot com
Be sure to include your dKos username, so you can get the credit you deserve, too.
And now, on to favorite comments....
From Clem Yeobright
ticket punch tells secrets of David Kuo with honorable mention to JeffW bringing up the rear ...
From sardonyx
Gooserock writes Love My Work, Not So Happy With Job, Hate My Prospects in gchaucer2's diary Can a Job Make a Difference?
slynch writes an information-dense comment on health care systems that will likely become a diary soon, in DarkSyde's front-page story This Big Fat Hog Went To Market.
From emeraldmaiden
This is a very heartfelt and very true comment from willb58 in Puck Goodfellow's Poverty, From a poor man's perspective.
From Carnacki
recentdemocrat inspires me to keep pushing my candidate to change his socially conservative ways.
From BeninSC
slynch writes a very detailed comment comparing and contrasting single payer health care and socialized medicine.
A very gracious thank you from seeker illustrates how everyone can make a contribution to the political debate in this country. Also read the parent thread to this comment, which begins here (the first two comments are out of recommendability at the time of their collection, sadly, and the last two will be, any moment, if they are not, already).
From me
boilerman10 gives a very succinct and accurate description of Freedom Watch in testvet6778's Freedom Watch: the new PNAC?
Lefty Coaster gives the Juan Cole treatment to Friedmanese. Perfect!
Plan9 explains to Hunter that his Magical September is a natural result of five years of magical thinking.
Top Mojo excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, and C&J comments:
1 - This so makes my point......dkmich.....66
2 - I'd missed the FAS upload.....Plutonium Page.....61
3 - The only suffering I'm feeling now........kraant.....59
4 - Live people incinerated........kraant.....59
5 - Great diary, persiflage......TomP.....56
6 - Does that include the propaganda mouthpieces?.....Dallasdoc.....55
7 - Reminder:.....KingOneEye.....55
8 - It's important to say it again and again.....Albatross.....47
9 - Part of nonviolence.....grannyhelen.....46
10 - It's one thing when Boeing makes a profit . . ......nyceve.....46
11 - Actualy the sick thing is........kraant.....40
12 - He already has.....greenboy.....40
13 - Let's be honest.....Dont Just Stand There.....40
14 - Not to mention that "Endgame".....srkp23.....40
15 - Interesting comparison.....Plutonium Page.....40
16 - Meanwhile 55% believe "Christian Nation" myth.........Troutfishing.....40
17 - Wouldn't it be interesting.....Residentcynic.....36
18 - makes sense? Sense??.....kamarvt.....36
19 - You left out Oliver North's involvement.....theyrereal.....36
20 - The further things move along this primary season.....HarveyMilk.....36
21 - Most dangerous blogger?.....trashablanca.....36
22 - Amen, whenwego,.....Chacounne.....35
23 - Nah......MBNYC.....34
24 - Thanks. I'm doing well. I didn't want.....nannyboz.....33
25 - The participation.....blue in NC.....33
26 - Acquaint yourself.....MBNYC.....33
27 - At 19 I picked Robert Kennedy. I admired.....MontanaMaven.....33
28 - they have put new barb wire up on many.....testvet6778.....33
29 - It requires POLITCAL WILL to implement UHC.....pioneer111.....32
30 - "Winning" Implies the Contest Has Begun.....DHinMI.....32
Top Mojo with No Exclusions:
1 - I'll take a margarita.....Residentcynic.....210
2 - tips.....Nuisance Industry.....209
3 - Tips.....Subversive.....154
4 - Tips, Flames n/t.....Vyan.....126
5 - Tips for New Hanover Regional Community Hospital.....Persiflage.....120
6 - tips flames and comments.....testvet6778.....118
7 - Tips?.....DemDog.....111
8 - Tip Jar.....flubber.....99
9 - I let loose some anger the last couple of days......rserven.....84
10 - Second in a series.....Devilstower.....76
11 - Tip Jar......Newsie8200.....71
12 - Tips!.....be inspired.....68
13 - This so makes my point......dkmich.....66
14 - BC as an attack dog against other Democrats.....chicago minx.....65
15 - Tip Jar.....PsiFighter37.....63
16 - I'd missed the FAS upload.....Plutonium Page.....61
17 - Live people incinerated........kraant.....59
18 - The only suffering I'm feeling now........kraant.....59
19 - Great diary, persiflage......TomP.....56
20 - Does that include the propaganda mouthpieces?.....Dallasdoc.....55
21 - Reminder:.....KingOneEye.....55
22 - I truly hope this diary finds favor with readers.....teacherken.....52
23 - If.....DarkSyde.....50
24 - ......buhdydharma.....49
25 - It's important to say it again and again.....Albatross.....47
26 - Part of nonviolence.....grannyhelen.....46
27 - Tips.....J Ash Bowie.....46
28 - It's one thing when Boeing makes a profit . . ......nyceve.....46
29 - No Tips........kraant.....45
30 - Seriously,.....pastordan.....43