Shirts for a Cause:

Here at From Quarks to Quasars, our team is working to spread scientific literacy in a fun, easily digestible fashion -- by showcasing some of the most recent scientific developments in a way that the average person can comprehend. Our philosophy centers around ensuring that everyone (regardless of education, location, language, economic situation, or background) has free access to said developments in technology and research. By increasing the amount of scientific material that is seen and understood by the general public, we hope to help others look at the world around them with rationalism and skepticism -- ultimately allowing them to separate science fact from science fiction using the scientific method.

With this in mind, our ultimate goal is to raise money to host scholarships and grants. This, in turn, will aid the next generation of scientists and encourage individuals to take part in scientific studies. We also hope to raise money to assist nonprofits that are working to achieve similar goals (all of our articles are free, and they always will be).

Consequently, if you are looking for a gift for yourself or for a fellow science lover, this is a great place to get cool items and contribute to a good cause. In addition to helping us with our day-to-day operational fees, your contribution will be used to help us achieve the aforementioned goals. With your help, we can help ensure that this generation has the tools they will need to succeed.

Visit us at The FQtQ Store:

http://www.sunfrogshirts.com/Geek-&-Tech/Quarks-to-Quasar-logo-white.html?2415

We have many different colors and designs; we ship outside the U.S., and we have shirts for both men and women. And as always, thanks for being awesome.

Science on,
~The FQtQ Team

What is Intelligence? What Do IQ Tests Really Measure? (Part 1)

Throughout history, Homo Sapiens (as well as our direct ancestors like Neanderthals and Australopithecus) have attempted to breakaway from nature; one of the many ties that bind us. Instead of being controlled by the whims of mother Earth and adapting to our environment, we try and make nature and our environment adapt to us. We have invented a great variety of tools in order to assist us in this capacity. Over time, humans even started to harness nature itself--raising plants and animals for food rather than gathering or hunting. There is little doubt that, for the most part, present day Homo Sapiens dominate nature.

Of course, we can debate the ways in which this practice is both beneficial and problematic, but such debates are for philosophers. Scientists are more concerned with how humans became so technologically efficient and how they ultimately came to dominate other species. Of course, many variables play a role in the Human’s rise to power, but the primary determining factor is what we call intelligence.

But there’s more to intelligence than meets the eye: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/intelligence-changing-what-you-think-you-know-part-one/

Image Credit: Andrew Councill/AFP/Getty Images

How to Help Science: BOINC and Team FQTQ

Did you know you can help cure diseases, study global warming, discover pulsars, search for extraterrestrials, run particle acceleration simulations, and help construct a 3-D map of the Milky Way without ever leaving your home?

Meet BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing), an open source middleware system for volunteer and grid computing. The intent of BOINC is to make it possible for researchers in science, math, molecular biology, climatology, and astrophysics to tap into the enormous processing power of personal computers around the world.

Learn more about this amazing crowd-computing effort (and how to get the software) here: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/how-to-help-science-boinc-and-team-fqtq/

The 50 Best Pictures of Science in Action - 2013

2013 was a great year for science. It was also a great year for science-related photography. For your viewing pleasure, FQTQ presents some of the best pictures of 2013.

Note: This article contains not only pictures, but gifs and youtube links as well. To avoid them from taking forever to load, we"ve divided them up into several pages.

http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/2013-in-pictures-page-1/

Using a Light Barrier To Repel Mosquitoes:

We all love light. It allows us to drive in the dark and read at night; it allows food to grow and helps us measure the vast distances found in the cosmos. It is a key factor in a number of different processes. Quite literally, light is life. Over the past century, scientists and researchers have used light to conduct a number of experiments and develop new technologies to assist us in day to day life. It seems that light might be used to assist us in a more unconventional way…

Learn about this amazing research at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/using-a-light-barrier-to-repel-mosquitoes/

Image:
http://www.dvice.com/archives/2011/11/infrared_laser.php

Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminids is the king of the meteor showers. It is considered by many to be the best shower in the skies, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak (depending on your location). It is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was discovered in 1982.

Learn a bit more about this event, and when to look for it, at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/geminid-meteor-shower/

Image source:
http://www.davidkinghamphotography.com/night

Science is the Word of the Year:

Words. They are more than just letters placed on a page. They are more than just sounds emanating from our mouths. Words have meaning. They have significance. They allow us to communicate with one another a better understand the world around us. Consider:

Science is my life.

and

Reality TV is my life.

Now on the surface, these statements might seem similar. Both tell you a little bit about someone; they offer an insight into a person’s interests. However, the two assertions are wildly different, and this difference in meaning *greatly* impacts our view of the individual that uttered the respective statements.

If you were to hear the first statement, you might expect the person to be rather intellectual and to be fascinated with the wonders of nature and of the universe. They probably have a couple of copies of “The Universe in a Nutshell” in their library. If you were to ask them for an interesting fact, they might tell you that if Canis Majoris (the largest known star) were in the center of our solar system, it would extend far beyond the orbit of Saturn. If you asked them about the most important news, they might discuss the discovery of the Higgs. If you asked them where they’d like to visit, they might say Mars, and they probably have a strong opinion about whether or not Pluto should be a planet. They search the internet for things like “quarks” and “quasars” (see what I did there?).

If you were to hear the second statement, you might expect the person to be rather concerned with popular culture and to be fascinated by the lives of celebrities. They probably have a few copies of “Us Weekly” on their TV stand. If you were to ask them for an interesting fact, they might tell you that Misha Collins is the most interesting person on twitter (he totally is). If you asked them about the most important news, they might tell you that “Catching Fire” broke Thanksgiving records for ticket sales (it did). If you asked them where they’d like to visit, they might say the mall, and they probably have very strong opinions about shoes. They search the internet for things like “celebrity gossip” and “reality tv.”

Read about why this discussion matters at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/science-is-the-word-of-the-year/

Which came First: The Chicken or the Egg?

The chicken or the egg -- one of life’s greatest mysteries. At least, it was one of life’s greatest mysteries; it’s not anymore. On a basic level, this question deals with issues of causality (with cause and effect). The question is used to highlight instances where it is impossible to say which of two things existed first (which is the “cause” and which is the “effect”). In essence, the question goes: Chickens are hatched from eggs, so how can you have a chicken without first having an egg? But a chicken is needed in order to lay an egg that hatches into a chicken, so how can you have an egg without having a chicken?

Does your brain hurt yet? Because mine kind of does.

Want to know which came first? Find out at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg/

Image source:
http://what-time-is.com/blaze/finally-the-answer-sort-of-for-what-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg/

Know your scientist: Bill Nye "The Science Guy

Objective: Change the World

This was the mission that Bill Nye (the famous teacher, science educator, comedian, and author) set out on nearly 21 years ago. Since 1992, Bill Nye has been a key figure in science education, as well as a public icon for science and what it means to think critically – If you were around in the 1990s, you know Bill Nye simply as, The Science Guy.

How does one attain the title of “Science Guy”? Here’s how Bill did it.

William Sanford Nye, or ‘Bill’ Nye was born in Washington D.C., November 27, 1955. Bill’s mother, adept at science and math, worked as a code-breaker during WWII. His father, a veteran of the war, was held prisoner for four years in a war camp without electricity. Nye’s father became a sundial enthusiast, which he naturally passed onto Bill. During his teenage years, Bill was accepted to the prestigious Sidwell Friends School, which has a reputation of being the “Harvard of Washington’s private schools;” this is the school that the children of many US presidents attended.

Bill went on to university at Cornell to study mechanical engineering, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Science. Satisfying his childhood fascination with aircraft, Bill moved to Seattle and worked for Boeing, for whom he created a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor (engineering is exciting!), which is still used in the Boeing 747 today.

Ok, ok – So how does one go from working as an engineer at Boeing, to being the enthusiastic, energetic, and highly passionate “Science Guy”? in 1986, Bill’s career took a drastic turn, when he appeared on a local Seattle comedy television show called “Almost Live,” which led to his famous naming of “Science Guy.” During the show, Nye attempted to correct the host’s pronunciation of “jigowatt” (gigawatt) for which the host responded: “Who do you think you are? Bill Nye The Science Guy?”, the name stuck ever since and Bill went on to be an engineer by day, and comedian by night.

Learn more about this amazing man at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/know-your-scientist-bill-nye-the-science-guy/

Image source: http://television.mxdwn.com/news/bill-nye-to-appear-on-dancing-with-the-stars/