Lawrence Winkler is a physician, traveler, and natural philosopher. His molecules have morphed from medicine to manuscript. He lives with Robyn on Vancouver Island and in New Zealand, tending their gardens and vineyards, and dreams.
Saturday, 14 September 2019
Friday, 13 September 2019
Huge Decline in Songbirds Linked to Common Insecticide
Neonics—pesticides introduced to plants at the seed stage—act like an appetite suppressant for birds, making them lose weight within hours.
How Spider Silk is One of the Most Versatile Materials on Earth
Spiders spin webs out of silk, but they also use their threads as slingshots, submarines, and hang-gliders.
The Way Words Mean
Words stand for things in the world, and they stand apart from it. Perhaps meaning is more sunken into words than we realise?
Thursday, 12 September 2019
Splitting the Universe
Hugh Everett blew up quantum mechanics with his Many-Worlds theory in the 1950s. Physics is only just catching up.
An Exoplanet Like No Other Yet Found
K2-18b probably can’t host life as we know it, but it orbits in a cosmic sweet spot where water vapor in the atmosphere could turn into liquid. Maybe I need to rewrite Void Vast Infinite...
Space Elevator Dangled Off the Moon
Space elevators would dramatically reduce the cost of reaching space but have never been technologically feasible. Until now.
