I had the treat this week of attending a lecture by Brian Greene on the CU campus—another packed-to-the-gills science lecture, this one in a two-thousand-seat auditorium. Greene’s book The Elegant Universe and PBS documentary of the same name a few … Read More…
I started a new volunteer job today led by my favorite naturalist in town, Dave Sutherland. I’ll be helping to maintain a native plant garden next to the Ranger Cottage in Chautauqua Park. During our orientation this morning, before we … Read More…
No, not that cousin. I mean the real fungus, the kind that grows where light is scarce and moisture abundant. We usually think of mushrooms as populating the soil, but I remember a spidery fluorescent orange one that grew in … Read More…
This week’s posts have been about astrophysics–what scientists are finding out about cosmology and how the universe is put together. You may wonder: What is physics doing in a nature and spirituality blog? My answer: Focusing on THIS world–or this … Read More…
Yesterday I talked about astrophysicists’ love for being perplexed. These days, a hot topic of wonder and perplexity is the accelerating speed of the universe. I remember when I first heard the surprising news. It was a decade or so … Read More…
I’m a fan of physics and cosmology, partly because theoretical physicists speak a language that often sounds as fanciful as that of mystics. … Read More…
It cleanses toxic chemicals from the air. It will decompose me, you, and everybody else. It turns cowpies to cowpeas and “crap to carrots” (thanks to Upamanyu Chatterjee for this fine phrase). It inactivates pathogens. It purifies water. It feeds … Read More…