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Ethan Siegel
A theoretical astrophysicist and science writer, host of popular podcast “Starts with a Bang!”
Ethan Siegel is a Ph.D. astrophysicist and author of "Starts with a Bang!" He is a science communicator, who professes physics and astronomy at various colleges. He has won numerous awards for science writing since 2008 for his blog, including the award for best science blog by the Institute of Physics. His two books "Treknology: The Science of Star Trek from Tricorders to Warp Drive" and "Beyond the Galaxy: How humanity looked beyond our Milky Way and discovered the entire Universe" are available for purchase at Amazon. Follow him on Twitter @startswithabang.
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This March 14th, stump your friends with these amazing facts about the world’s favorite transcendental number! “So here we have π squared, which an engineer would call ‘10.’” –Frank King […]
Every element found on Earth was made in either the Big Bang or the cores of stars… except these three. “We cannot conceive of matter being formed of nothing, since things […]
And — if you aren’t — why you should be watching. “The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous.” –Carl Sagan I’ve already told […]
One of the only members of the Virgo Cluster… that isn’t located in Virgo! “[L]ife is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the […]
Seven of the greatest and most entertaining achievements of human ingenuity. “I love that moment just before the curtain goes up…It’s a thrill that’s unequaled anywhere.” -Joel Grey It’s a […]
Cleansing your body never tasted so good… or felt so bad! “My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.” –Orson Welles I’m […]
Someday, the Sun will expand, engulfing Mercury and Venus, and then some. Will we survive? “They do not see what lies ahead, when Sun has faded and Moon is dead.”-J.R.R. Tolkien […]
You’ll frequently hear people say “the science is settled.” Scientifically speaking, can it ever be? “All the problems of the world could be settled easily if men were only willing to […]
From Earth and beyond, these time lapses show our one-of-a-kind motion through the Universe. “Building one space station for everyone was and is insane: we should have built a dozen.” […]
It was the most promising idea for where new physics might lie. Now that the LHC data is in, is it dead? “The revolution is not an apple that falls when […]
A galaxy very different from our own may hold the key to seeing what our far future looks like. “We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum […]
Phrases that only came out of one man’s mouth because of his kids. “Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.” –Aldous Huxley […]
“If I see a spider in my house, I put it in a cup, and then I take it outside. I save it. What is wrong with me?” –Jacqueline Emerson […]
Alan Alda recently challenged scientists to explain this simple question to 11-year-olds in less than 300 words. Could you do it? “You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work […]
It’s one of the most beautiful (and terrifying) sights in the world. But what causes it? “If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of […]
You know that the square root of -1 is “i”, an imaginary number. But did you know any of these? “There is not enough love and goodness in the world to […]
How a “New Star” appearing in 1572 paved the way for us to truly begin understanding our Universe. “I conclude, therefore, that this star is not some kind of comet […]
A uniquely-darkened spiral galaxy is one of the most unusual sights in the night sky. But what gives it its one-of-a-kind appearance? “Some day I hope to meet you. When […]
As the population of cities continues to grow, real estate runs out fast. But one innovative solution may be the wave of the future: building down! “It is not the beauty […]
Ever wonder why they stand on one leg? Surprisingly, physics holds the answer! “Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? […]