Dear Santa, I’ve been a very good boy all year. I have done lots of research, written and published several papers, and got my PhD. For Christmas I would like: Dark Matter I really want to know what dark matter is. Not knowing what 80% of the universe is made of is really bugging me. … Continue reading All I want for Christmas is new physics
Category: Science
General science posts
It seems that, in the public’s perception, scientists are a secretive bunch. As a scientist, I know that is not the case. Communicating ideas and findings to others is an indispensable part of doing science and, especially when overcome by the thrill of discovery, scientists are not very good at keeping secrets. Each gravitational wave … Continue reading Scientific Sleuthing
Since the dawn of civilization, we have needed ways to define and quantify the world around us, to conduct trade, build homes, and explore further. To do this, we need to agree on the way we measure the world, we need to agree on the units. While we no longer use the size of the … Continue reading My Favourite Units
Last year’s ground breaking gravitational wave detections generated some of the widest media coverage of a scientific discovery to date. Many articles and reports described the detection as the “ultimate” test of general relativity, the “final” test of general relativity, or confirmation of Einstein’s “last” prediction. For a theory that is 100 years old, that … Continue reading Gravitational Waves are Not the Ultimate Test of General Relativity
Unless you live under a rock, the announcement in February of this year of the detection of Gravitational Waves by LIGO cannot have escaped your attention. Scientists around the world celebrated the achievement, and public curiosity about what all the scientists were yelling about was high enough that the world’s media ran the story for … Continue reading What the Detection of Gravitational Waves Means
We Australians excel at remembering and celebrating our sporting heroes, from cricketers to particularly successful race horses, but are not so good at celebrating the great people who helped build our civilization, particularly when those builders are Australian. Today, I want to celebrate the birthday of a brilliant Australian scientist, Ruby Payne-Scott. Southern Star … Continue reading Great Australians — Ruby Payne-Scott
A lesson in innovation from the Wright Brothers The Australian government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda webpage asserts: “Innovation is at the heart of a strong economy — from IT to healthcare, defence and transport—it keeps us competitive, at the cutting edge, creates jobs and maintains our high standard of living.” This recent article from … Continue reading The Wright Stuff
Australia needs a space program. As 2015 drew to a close, Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull unveiled the government’s Innovation Statement with a plan to invest $1.1 billion to drive an Australian “ideas boom”. Before this announcement, the government had already commenced its Review of the Space Activities Act 1998 stating that Australia is in a transition … Continue reading Space for Innovation
