Topic: Albert Einstein

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Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day

March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.

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Decoder Wire How much did IRS spend filming 'Star Trek' spoof? (+video)

An IRS conference in 2010, for which the agency produced a spoof 'Star Trek' video, has become the latest flashpoint in the debate over government waste. The video was only one questionable expense.
How Einstein's theory of special relativity helped find a new planet (+video)

To find the planet, astronomers used Einstein's theory as it pertains to the intensity of a beam of light. The method could add more exoplanets to a growing list, no 'wobble' or 'transit' required.
Energy Voices Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive: a tale of two electric cars

Tesla Motors will do well to distance itself from Fisker Automotive as much and as quickly as possible, as they really do have a different tale to tell, Stuebi writes.
'God Particle': Six big consequences of the Higgs boson discovery

'God Particle': Physicists announced Thursday that they have confirmed the existence of the so-called God Particle – a term disliked by physicists and theologians alike. Here are six of the biggest consequences of this discovery.
Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day

March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.
The Monitor's View For Obama's second term, a call to arms control

From gun control to nuclear-weapons cuts to drone warfare, Obama's second term may be highlighted by a need to define new concepts of security for instruments of aggression.
Stuart Freeborn, the man behind Yoda's makeup, was a pioneer in Hollywood

Stuart Freeborn was 'a makeup legend,' said 'Star Wars' creator George Lucas. Stuart Freeborn worked on films such as 'Dr. Strangelove' and 'Planet of the Apes' as well as the 'Star Wars' films.
Astronomers report largest structure in universe. Will it upend theories?

Recent work suggests that the upper limit to the largest gatherings of galaxies is about 1.2 billion to 1.5 billion light-years across. The structure that the team reports is nearly four times this theoretical limit.
Building Stories

Chris Ware's unusual graphic novel is a triumph of imagination and originality.
'Orchestra of Exiles' shines a light on little-known history

The documentary about violinist Bronislaw Huberman, who saved Jewish musicians during the Holocaust by recruiting them for his orchestra, has too many reenactments but some great footage of conductor Arturo Toscanini.
Humongous, 60-million-light-year-long strand of dark matter mapped in 3-D

Since dark matter cannot be seen directly, these filaments are difficult to observe.
At edge of black hole, a star Albert Einstein would have loved

Scientists have found a star orbiting very close to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. It could help scientists give Einstein's brilliance one of its sternest tests yet.
Distant galaxy helped tidy up early universe, scientists say

Using data from space telescopes, scientists say they have located a galaxy formed more than 13 billion years ago when the universe was young and still permeated with a fog of hydrogen gas.
Dark energy: Can $40m camera help solve its mystery? (+video)

The Dark Energy Camera, on a telescope high in the Chilean desert, is expected to capture 300 million galaxies, 100,000 galaxy clusters, and some 4,000 supernovae over the next five years.
Editor's Blog You can call me "A.I."

Artificial intelligence may soon reach the point where it can answer questions that make it seem indistinguishable from human intelligence. But machines and humans are a long way from answering the most basic question of all: Where did intelligence itself come from?
Gravity's Engines

With 'Gravity's Engines,' Caleb Scharf establishes himself as one of the finest space storytellers.
Global Viewpoint Will America kill the curiosity that sent the rover to Mars?

The landing of the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity on Mars marks a historic triumph for NASA, space exploration, and American innovation. But the endangered state of curiosity-driven basic research endangers America’s capacity for future innovations.
Amid Higgs boson celebrations, Indians see a snub (+video)

As the world celebrates the discovery of what is thought to be the elusive Higgs boson, many Indians are saying that more attention needs to be given to the Indian scientist Satyendranath Bose, for whom the boson is named.
The Reformed Broker Wealth and the aggression factor: What makes a successful mogul?

Wealth and aggression have been anecdotally linked before in discussions about what makes a successful businessman. But a new article in New York Magazine attempts to bring a more scientific approach to the debate.
Giant filament of dark matter connects galaxy clusters, say astronomers (+video)

For the first time, astronomers say they spotted a string of dark matter via gravitational lensing.
Gideon Sundback: At first, the world shunned the zipper

Tuesday's Google doodle in honor of Gideon Sundback celebrates his simple yet revolutionary zipper. Too bad his contemporaries didn't see it that way. At first, people shunned the zipper.
Why the age of quantum computing is nearer than you think

New research published out of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics is one of the best examples of quantum computing beginning to flirt with practical technology.
US tax time: A later deadline and other tax facts

Thanks to a holiday in Washington, D.C., the federal tax-filing deadline this year is April 17, two days later than usual. The extra time provides an opportunity to peruse some random tax-related facts.
Head of 'faster-than-light' neutrinos team resigns

Italy's National Institute of Nuclear Physics said Friday that Antonio Ereditato had stepped down from the leadership of the OPERA experiment, whose measurements on the speed of neutrinos were widely questioned when they were announced in September.
Massive, rocket-powered, robotic craft begins delivery mission to space station

The 13-ton cargo freighter is loaded with about 7.2 tons of supplies, including food, water, clothing, experiments and fuel for the space station, according to NASA.