Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.

Phascinating Physics

This page contains answers to questions that have to do with physics. They explore time, the speed of light, the universal forces and much more! Click on a topic to see our "Quickie" questions archive or scroll down for more in-depth answers.

Quickie Phascinating Physics


Gravity/Light/Magnetism(42 questions)
Space-Time/Relativity(12 questions)
Particle Physics(15 questions)
Chemistry(36 questions)
Other(286 questions)


In-depth questions and answers

1)Is it possible to travel through time?
2)Is there an object in the universe that can travel faster than the speed of light?
3)What are the universal forces?
4)Why are atoms "smashed" in an accelerator? What is learned by that process?
5)How can a neutrino be detected?
6)Can you blow bubbles in space?
7)How do scientists know what an atom looks like, to make a model of one?
8)If 2 cars are traveling at the speed of light and the one in the back turns on its headlights, would the car in front be able to see them?
9)Is it true that positrons run down the time and electrons run up the time?
10)Are there any places that you can become weightless other than space?
11)If the Earth is round like a ball, why aren't we standing at odd angles around it?
12)Why is it said that a person traveling in spaceships at near speed of light comes back younger than his counterpart on earth?
13)What is Schrodinger's cat paradox?
14)What is the gravity assist, swingby approach used with spacecraft?
15)What is twice as cold as zero?
16)What is gravity and how does it work?
17)How do airplanes fly?


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