Saturday, July 14, 2012

Jurassic Park

I loved dinosaurs when I was a kid.  Still do, but the interest has definitely waned.  Throughout the '90s, the Jurassic Park franchise was pretty popular, spawning 3 films total from 1993 to 2001.  Seems like the fourth movie has been in "development hell", but maybe it'll see the light of day soon.



I think the concept of resurrecting dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures using preserved DNA is plausible.  However, it would take generations in order to breed a "pure blood" dinosaur, because there would have to be a surrogate mother (unless better technology comes out that circumvents that).  But obviously, the point of the films is the "what if" and the consequences.  Again, danger of knowledge is present.  Just because we have the power to bring back the dinosaurs, is it worth it?  The films seemed to express a yes and no (although admittedly, it's been a while since I've seen the films, so I could be wrong).  The weatlh of knowledge acquired from these prehistoric creatures, their lifestyles, and the methods to bring them back is a huge step in technological and biological advancement.  But you better have huge fortified and electricified fences... or else, the Tyannosaurus and othe carnivores will just break out and enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet.  I think the films also demonstrated that business and money (ie using the dinosaurs as attractions in the titular theme park, Jurassic Park) drove the characters and the theme park itself to tragedy and in some cases, extinction (excuse the pun).  With great power comes great responsiblity, and if money comes into play, it could and usually will become a disaster...

OR, we could go searching for prehistoric creatures rumored to be alive today!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Higgs Boson

The media likes to hype up things.  Amazing scientific findings notwithstanding.  The "god" particle is a horrible term, as the Higgs Boson, if it truly exists, is just a part of the puzzle that proves how the standard model in physics is correct.  It is NOT some particle that solely proves our existence or by itself, created us!  With this discovery, scientists will come closer, no matter how little, to finding out the origins of the universe, and ultimately, how we came about.

Here's a great summary video of the discovery.  That channel also has other great discussions and explanations of popular physics and math topics.


Please, people, let's spread more facts, and less gossip!  We have more than enough of that nowadays...