Category: Geology

Scientific consensus: how research works

Research is a slow and long process. It is far from what is pictured, with a new discovery that becomes instantly the new scientific truth. When a new discovery is first made, it takes a while before it is accepted as a scientific consensus. The reason lies in how research works. Fundamental science Research is…
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Is Africa gonna split in two?

Don’t worry, it is not going to happen anytime soon, but geologists observe the formation of oceanic crust in Ethiopia. How is it possible since Ethiopia is obviously land and not ocean? What is happening exactly? What does it mean for the country and the future? An explanation is needed, from basic plate tectonics to…
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Science Fun Facts #2

A new set of scientific fun facts. For the #1, head here: http://allyouneedisscience.net/science-fun-facts-1/ Mathematics The movement of a runner’s ponytail acts as a pendulum and follows the equation: Joseph B. Keller; “Ponytail motion”, SIAM J. Appl. Math., 70(7), 2667–2672; doi: 10.1137/090760477 Computer science It takes two neurons for an AI to learn how to ride a…
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What triggers an explosion?

Viewers of action movies or fans of the TV show Mythbusters have seen countless explosions. Fireball, detonation at a very high speed, involving explosives. Everyone can picture this destructive event. But do you really understand what is underneath this phenomenon? How an explosion occurs? Definition of an explosion Back to the basics, to what do…
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Glaciers, our largest fresh water source

In a time of global warming, scientists pull the alarm every year about the consequences. One of the consequences that worry the most is the future of glaciers and what will happen if they keep loosing ice and disappearing. When asked what a glacier is, most of us easily picture this big mass of ice…
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Science Fun Facts #1

Mathematics There are as many positive even numbers as there are positive numbers (even or odd). It is because the two sets are in bijection. N. Bourbaki, Éléments de mathématique : Théorie des ensembles, ISBN 978-3-540-34035-5 Computer science The first ever computer bug occurred in September 1947. Indeed, Admiral Grace Hopper used that word when she found…
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