Netsurfer Science 04.08

Astronomers recently found a supercluster of galaxies so enormous in size that its origins cannot be explained by current theories. The light that the astronomers observed, both normal light and x-rays, actually 'shone' over 6.5 billion years ago, long before the earth even existed. We are seeing it now as if we were in a huge time machine. Current theory does predict that giant galaxies clusters could have been formed in the early years of the universe by gravity pulling together enormous masses of stellar dust. However the larger the galaxy clusters, the longer they should have taken to form. Based on current predictions, 6.5 billion years was not enough time for a cluster of galaxies of that size to develop. (How amazing to hear that 6.5 billion years isn't time enough for anything!). Scientists found this new phenomenon not by direct observation but only by the way it blocked light from the galaxies behind it. Such an observation has only been possible in recent years thanks to huge leaps forward in the use of new, so-called adaptive technology for telescopes. The site reviews this latest finding and how, and why, it does not fit with current theory. Rather than being distraught that their theories are not working, the scientists can barely conceal their glee that this newest information will inspire new theories. The explanations on the site are lucid and the graphics include not only spectacular depictions of the new phenomenon but also simple and innovative graphics to explain some of the essential concepts.
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/spacesci/origins/largecluster.htm

EARTH SYSTEMS
No matter where you go, there you are

Green Earth Society.

Global warming just means more plants and greenery, more luxuriant forests and vegetation, so stop worrying and sit back and enjoy it. Ah, if only it were that simple. Still, if all the global warming the-sky-is-falling places are getting you down, this site is a wonderful, warm refuge. Some may consider this optimism taken to extremes, but the site makes some useful points. Carbon dioxide isn't an industrial poison, it's an essential component of the atmosphere without which the foundation for just about all life today - photosynthesis - would slow to a halt and oxygen levels plummet. No, this site certainly isn't even-handed about the subject but then neither are so many of the global warming Cassandra places. There's fashion and myth in global warming hysteria, but the Green Earth's riposte is almost religious in its intensity and portrayal of a green, benign, and natural environment. The truth may lie hidden between dirge-like cries of doom and mystical visions of greenery, as always tricky and complex, refusing to reduce itself to simple nostrums. Meanwhile, if you want a regular dose of upbeat optimism you can sign up for online delivery of the newsletter or read the World Climate report.
http://www.greeningearthsociety.org/

COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING
Open the pod bay doors, Hal

Collecting Light

The challenge and the thrill of astrophotography is to gather light in the dark, to capture the faint traces of stars, galaxies, globular clusters, planets and deep sky objects via film or CCD device in a way that the human eye, lacking time exposure mode, just can't. Here Bill Kramer and Ted Saker shine light on the darkness of ignorance of those of us who'd like to take pictures of objects in the night sky but just don't know how. First they splash a little light on the history of the subject and then illuminate the practical stuff. There's a long list of topics, but anything south of Photographing a Solar Eclipse generates the same little pop up window pointing out that the section isn't yet complete. What is complete is substantial, however, even covering the how-to of making your own CCD camera. The site also provides links to image galleries showing the kind of results you might expect if you work hard at it. One of these links is to Bill and Ted's Excellent Astro-Picture Page, which shows these guys can do as well as teach. And there's even more to the Sky Guide than that, but that's another story,
for another day. http://www.theskyguide.com/astrophotography/

Military Analysis Network

The Federation of American Scientists has assembled an army's worth of military information in their DOD 101 - an Introduction to the Military. The authors marshal military analysis, documents, and links to defeat anyone's ignorance about things military. This is no peacenik place, but grounded in the reality of the need for arms to deter aggression in the first place and the necessity of a highly credible, demonstrated ability to win wars. The place bristles with studies, concepts and strategies quoting official sources and military manuals. You can assault any area of military information need here involving almost any past or possible future conflict. For example, the Taiwan crisis presents an interesting parallel between the Normandy landings and the kind of operation China would have to mount to invade Taiwan successfully. There are interesting maps and sidebars with links to an arsenal of relevant studies and commentaries. It's overwhelming, immersive, and fascinating.
http://www.fas.org/man/index.html

Butter Doesn't Come in Curls from the Cow

When we want butter, we go to the grocery store. We know that long ago, people had to make it for themselves by hand but we assume that while it took a lot of muscle power it was probably a pretty simple affair. Wrong! This short but well designed site describes the quite complicated process of making butter. First, you had to choose between a vertical plunger churn and a rotating paddle churn. The biggest challenge was temperature: the cream had to be kept cold but not too cold so it turned sour but not too sour. And this was before refrigeration. There were special butter molds with false bottoms to give you room to push the butter out. The site includes a modern version of making butter at home using refrigerators and electric mixers, but it seems boring after reading the details of the old fashioned way. The site is part of a wonderful collection of how-to-dos from an earlier times site called, of course, The Old Timer's Page, and created by the Walton Feed Company.
Butter churning http://waltonfeed.com/old/butter.html#story#story
Old Timers: http://waltonfeed.com/old/index.html

Theoretical Computer Science

The Chicago Journal of Theoretical Computer Science is a professional, peer-reviewed journal published exclusively on the Web. To submit articles authors use LaTeX, which is pretty much the de facto standard for scientific writing and available free, and nothing whatsoever to do with paint or synthetic material of any kind. Evidently there's been some computer reorganization at the U of Chicago and a little chaos remains, as not all of the links are operative, but we're sure it's only temporary. The articles are long and detailed and number 34 in all going back to 1995. They are available in various formats, including .pdf for download. The publisher, MIT Press, depends on subscriptions to cover the costs but relies on the honor system and encourages browsing by curious bystanders. Web publishing allows such features as refereed forward references to improvements and subsequent related work and online discussion (but see the chaos warning).
http://www.cs.uchicago.edu/research/publications/cjtcs/

Netsurfer Recommendations

Items our staff likes and you might too. Click on the cover or title to order the item at a hefty discount from Amazon.com and Beyond.com and send a few pennies our way as well.

One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw
Witold Rybczynski
Scribner; ISBN: 068486729X

There's no shortage of science sites out there on the Internet. There are those that are chock full of information, and we don't want to dismiss them. But, the sites that we search out, in which we luxuriate, that we yearn to recommend are the ones that love their subject, that feel its mission, that engage us to the point that we feel personal connection with fungus or nebula or platypus. Sometimes, at the intersection of luck and patience, we find those sites for you. Here's such a book. Architectural specialist Rybczynski, author of such fascinating books as The Most Beautiful House in the World, Looking Around: A Journey Through Architecture, and Home: A Short History of an Idea, was invited by The New York Times to write about the best tool of the millennium. He cast about for inspiration, without success, until a comment from his wife sent him on an intriguing search. He was mildly surprised to discover that one of those commonplace items that we take for granted is, in fact, a fairly recent invention - at least in its present incarnation. Screws and screwdrivers, which seem to us so low-tech, stand at the pinnacle of precision tooling and scientific conceptualization. Rybczinski could have related a dry history - or, worse, a dismissive one. Instead, he invests the search with his contagious curiosity. This is not a treatise; it's a story of discovery told in the style of a raconteur with a keen eye and ear for the value of digression and arcane detail. In some ways, it's reminiscent of James Burke's equally fascinating Con nections and other works, although Rybczynski isn't so relentless in his search for ideas to come to fruition; he pauses to consider child labor or the reasons why craftsmen in some cultures kneel to work while those in other cultures stand. It's an engaging tale and a surprising discovery that reminds us just how close the digital age is to the first days of the industrial revolution.

ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away

The American Meteor Society

Take out your telescopes, and maybe bring a football helmet. Founded in 1911, the American Meteor Society aims to encourage and promote research activities of both amateur and professional astronomers who are directly interested in meteoric astronomy, The society's website is where you can follow the work the researchers perform, learn about both visual and radio methods of observation and, of course, view images of meteorite showers and meteoric fireballs. There are also practical guides for viewing annual meteor showers, a section on meteor spectroscopy, and links to other Web resources on meteors, meteorites, asteroids, and comets. These guys are serious, so don't expect a bunch of fancy graphics; the site is all business, but if the subject interests you, then it's a great place to start.
http://amsmeteors.org/index.html

Rocket and Space Technology

This is an excellent and no-nonsense primer for anyone yearning to learn the basics of rocket technology and space travel. Site owner Robert Braeunig - interestingly enough, not a rocket scientist but rather a civil engineer - thankfully assumes an intelligent and skeptical readership for his plain English, in-depth explanations. If the physics (and formulae) of orbital mechanics or practical ballistics aren't your cup of tea, then you can skip to the sections on world space centers, spacecraft and launch vehicles, or to the lists of every planetary, lunar, and manned space mission. The texts link to photographs and images, and are illustrated with line drawings, maps, and charts. Sample problems test your knowledge and resolve. Additional helpful items include a glossary, other space links and space webrings, and pages on the supposed NASA lunar hoax. If the difference between liquid and solid-fueled rockets still confuses you, or if you can't remember the name of the fourth American in space, then this is the place to learn about it.
http://users.commkey.net/Braeunig/space/

MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY
42

Chaos Without the Math

Chaos conjures up visions of anarchy, disorder, and even ugliness. But, chaos theory is almost exactly the opposite: chaos, or complexity theory, is grounded in a deep appreciation of the beautiful, even spiritual, complex order of nature. Chaos applies, technically, to the findings that many systems, in the natural world and among humans, are so complex that predicting their direction is simply impossible. In critical ways, each system, in effect, chooses a different future. Just as the uncertainty principles subsumed the certainty and determinism of Newtonian mechanics at the atomic level, complexity theory does the same at the macro level. Just as quantum mechanics has Schrödinger's cat, complexity theory has the butterfly effect: even the motion of a butterfly�s wings can alter the weather anywhere in the world. Rather than leading to more confusion, complexity theory, by mirroring more accurately the true state of natural processes, allows scientists to more accurately understand nature. There are also links to information about fractals, which many people associate with chaos theory.
http://www.wfu.edu/~petrejh4/chaosind.htm

Crime Scene and Evidence Photography

Bloodstains, footprints, domestic violence, vehicle fires, fingerprints, digital and video photography, aerial, black and white, infrared, ultraviolet, fluorescence: these are not the terms of glamor photography. However, there's something inherently intriguing if not glamorous about the careful, methodical way photography is used in forensic and legal work. It's also important to understand how significant photography is at the crime scene or for recording evidence. This place is rich reading room on the subject, full of well written and illustrated articles on numerous aspects of the field and with links to other, related places. The broad range of specific topics speaks clearly of the subject matter and the thoroughness of the approach.
http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/csi-photo.html

ARCHEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY
What is past is prologue

African Writing Systems

This site provides information and analysis of the numerous and amazingly complex writing systems developed in Africa and covers a spectrum of written languages from Ethiopian and Egyptian systems to rock art. For the author, Ayele Bekerie, the spiritual concerns of a particular civilization are essential for understanding their language. Although in our ethnocentric past, the West doubted that African systems were even civilized, many of their writing systems make Western writing look dull by comparison. Ethiopian writing systems used representations of a multiple spectrum of sounds from monoliteral to tri-literals. The Egyptian writing system used symbols not just one after another but in a quadrangular format. The intricacy of these systems reflected the high level of organization and sophistication of African cultures, a point made somewhat defensively, but forcefully, by this site.
http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Amharic.html

Pollen, Spores and Other Remains

Frankly, this is not an easy place to learn about palynology although it can be done, if you persevere, as we did. True the topic isn't one that crops up every day in ordinary conversation, not around the Netsurfer water cooler, at any rate - although you never really know what will, it's true, which is why so many of us hang out there, we guess. Palynology? The study of the microscopic remains of certain plants and animals, stuff like pollen, spores, but also including parts of cell walls, amoebae, and body parts such as teeth and jaws from annelid worms. Doesn't sound all that romantic, does it? Yet, it's useful and has subspecialties in archeological, quaternary, and stratigraphic aspects of the topic. The site is attractive and has plenty of information, but much of it's aimed at those already in the know or studying the subject, and the organization definitely belongs to the hodge podge school of Web design. Even though the site is thus more of a territory marker than a useful signpost, we found it interesting.
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/

MEDICINE, BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY
It's alive! It's alive!

Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base

Just what is the truth about the medical properties of Marijuana? Is it an effective remedy for intractable pain? Would its use medically lead to more widespread social use? There are definitive answers and six major recommendations (ever known a report to come out with minor recommendations?) in this 267-page report by the Institute of Medicine commissioned by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The document can be read in Open Book or .html format. You can skim the executive summary or dive into the details, as you wish. Overall, the tone is struck right away: scientifically there is little debate and little controversy. The scientific evidence is clear, but beliefs and social opinions are another matter entirely, as is so often the case when science enters the public realm. The bottom line is that for some people the use of marijuana is justified medically. Since medical decisions ought to be based on science and evidence, this is an important report that anyone concerned with this hot button issue should read.
http://bob.nap.edu/books/0309071550/html/

Dermatophyte Home Page

If you're easily grossed out by the idea of something literally growing on you then perhaps you should keep on scrolling. Dermatophytes are fungi that can cause infections of the skin, hair, and nails and are transmitted by either direct contact with an infected host (animal or human) or by contact with infected exfoliated skin or hair in combs, clothing, caps, locker room floors - let your imagination run wild. Here's your chance to learn all you've ever wanted to know about these tiny critters, including habitat and geographical distribution, and, of course, to view about 70 species through multiple laboratory photographs. Those with especially weak stomachs may want to skip the clinical history section, which has photographs and descriptions of the symptoms caused by dermatophytes on humans (which are hyperlinked to the relevant organism photos) and the treatments thereof. On the other hand, netsurfers really interested in this branch of mycology can also find out about specimen collection and examination, and culture growing, while the reference section contains further on- and offline sources and a glossary.
http://bugs.uah.ualberta.ca/webbug/mycology/dermhome.htm

ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, ECONOMICS, AND GEOGRAPHY
All that we see or seem

Gay Parents Study

This report, by Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz, bravely insists that families headed by gay parents are not the same as heterosexual partnerships. The authors are critical of their colleagues, whose studies they review in the article, trying too hard to fudge the data so their findings do not support the right-wing attack on gay child-raising. 'Though the authors are clearly on the side of tolerance, they reject the idea that gay parents will have no effect on their children. They insist, though, that differences are not necessarily bad. In fact, the children in these studies, not having parents conforming to male and female roles, seem freer to step out of those roles, and both are more likely to be empathetic to other people with nontraditional lifestyles. They also found that these children are more likely to have homoerotic experiences. Stacey and Biblarz acknowledge that this information can be misused, but they also argue that if we believe that people should be free to choose either heterosexual or gay lifestyles, then this finding should not be a concern. Many of the differences they found are less the result of gay parenting and more often the result of being raised in a family structure disapproved of by most of society. As we might expect, the right-wing claims a victory for its side and libertarians are angry that the article was ever written. Few, if any, noticed the most profound of Stacey and Biblarz' conclusions: that many of the differences they found will simply disappear over time as we stop talking about gay and straight families and speak simply of families.
http://www.asanet.org/pubs/stacey.pdf

Mormon Pioneers

One of the greatest epics of the old west was the 1300-mile journey of the Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1846. The Pioneer Story website from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tells the tale of these brave and hardy folks, including the two companies of settlers from Britain who, because they couldn't afford draft animals, pulled handcarts - oversized wheelbarrows that could carry 500 lbs. of provisions - across the continent. A series of interactive maps show the route and important stations on the way west and you can read the pioneers' stories in their own words from letters and journal entries. Handcarts Against Fearful Odds - an article from Wild West magazine - focuses on the trials and sufferings of the Willie and Martin handcart companies who attempted the trek in winter and lost a quarter of their compliments to the elements, and of the rescue parties sent out to save them. Modern-day images of the routes they took are available on the Mormon Handcart Site, which offers photographs of the trail and visitor's information on the Mormons' route in Wyoming. This is a story of almost super-human effort and suffering, but one that led to the founding of one of the American west's most successful community.
Pioneer Story: http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/pioneerstory.htm
Fearful Odds: http://www.thehistorynet.com/WildWest/articles/1997/0697_text.htm
Mormon Handcart: http://www.handcart.com/willie/willie.html

That Old Black Magic Before Billy Eckstine

This is a site for only the stout of heart. Compared to the 600 years (1100-1700 AD) of misogyny, mass murder and torture of women in Europe, the Salem Witch Trials in America seems just a glitch. Just being a woman made you a likely witch. Women were regarded as oversexed and debauched; the words witch and whore were almost interchangeable. Women in menopause were exceptionally dangerous because they lacked the menstrual periods that served as a monthly blood letting of their evil humors. The site makes its point, dramatically so, and it is an important history to know, but there are some major drawbacks to the site. Sometimes the detailed descriptions of torture seem lurid and even voyeuristic. There's little historical context. For instance, while women were certainly treated as almost automatically suspect, the men, thanks to the idea of original sin, were inescapably corrupt as well. Why were women so reviled? Toward the end of the site, the authors cite dozens of modern stories of witch repression. In contrast to the solid documentation of the earlier material, these incidents are based mostly on sensationalist newspaper articles. If women today are still as oppressed, as they were hundreds of years ago, then what happened to all of the victories of feminists in the last 100 years?
http://shanmonster.bla-bla.com/witch/index.html

Knots with Meaning

Before Palm Pilots, Daytimers, or even paper and quill, how did people keep track of their appointments or when an important event was to happen? When the Pueblo Indians wanted to coordinate each village's attacks to free New Mexico, they had learned from the Incas exactly how to do it: they used intricately knotted strings called quipus. Each pueblo received a special string and removed one knot each day. When the knots ran out, they attacked. But, what if you were keeping track of more than one event - and how did you know which knot meant which event? The site explains how these knotted ropes, quipus, were used for just that purpose. Numbers were kept by placing knots on different parts of the string for tens or hundreds, and so on. Different colored strings and types of knots were used for different types of timekeeping. The voice of this site is annoying - you often feel talked down to - but the subject is fascinating. ART AND SCIENCE
http://www.math.leidenuniv.nl/~lipi/quipu/quipu.html

Stained Glass Everyday, Everywhere

The art of stained glass windows flourished in the early Middle Ages but the state of the art offered only a limited number of colors to use. Later, in the l300�s, more colors and more reliable methods of leading came on the scene. This site is a guide to these works and includes both sample windows and explanations of each design. The site focuses on just one German city, Esslingen, which seems to have had an unusual penchant for this art form. We usually associate stained glass windows with churches and Christian themes but other more secular themes emerge as well, including everyday life in the village, or various animals such as an eagle, lion or peacock. The site offers beautiful images, well thought out diagrams, as well as the historical context for when these windows were created.
http://my.bawue.de/~wmwerner/essling/english/glas01.html

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CREDITS

Publisher: Arthur Bebak Editor: Judith David Contributing Editor: Production Manager: Bill Woodcock Netsurfer Communications, Inc. President: Arthur Bebak Vice President: S.M. Lieu	Writers and Netsurfers: Jason Alderman Jonathan Baum Davide di Lazzaro Craig Kott Michael Luke Bruce Rappaport Elizabeth Rollins Roy J. Winkler
NETSURFER SCIENCE © 2001 Netsurfer Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. NETSURFER SCIENCE is a trademark of Netsurfer Communications, Inc.