Communicate Science

Plough Sunglasses

Tim Jones — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 01:13:26 +0000

March now, last post July 2014. Goodness, I have been sleeping. Anyhow, with Symbyartic rallying for a sciart Tsumani, now seems as good a time as any to awaken the blog and scour the archives for sciencey stuff with an arty twist. Here’s a previously unpublished one from me. My better half is a silversmith, … Continue reading Plough Sunglasses →

The post Plough Sunglasses first appeared on Communicate Science.

Virtual Recreation of Newton’s Two Prism Experiment

Tim Jones — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 16:17:06 +0000

I began by testing if the physically based render program Luxrender can make a believable simulation of white light passing through a prism. Unbiased render engines like Luxrender send out many virtual photons and calculate their paths according to physical laws, and as the ray-tracing algorithm includes colour dispersion, it should work. Experimentum Crucis Adding … Continue reading Virtual Recreation of Newton’s Two Prism Experiment →

The post Virtual Recreation of Newton’s Two Prism Experiment first appeared on Communicate Science.

A Bird that Teaches Itself to Sing: The White-crowned Sparrow

Tim Jones — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 12:58:21 +0000

I’ve just finished Richard Dawkins’s self-narrated audiobook of An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist, where, introducing a task given to him by his research supervisor Niko Tinbergen, related to nature versus nurture aspects of animal behaviour, he makes special mention of the White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli). As it happens, earlier this … Continue reading A Bird that Teaches Itself to Sing: The White-crowned Sparrow →

The post A Bird that Teaches Itself to Sing: The White-crowned Sparrow first appeared on Communicate Science.

All lapis, all, sons!

Tim Jones — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 16:28:39 +0000

This is my chunk of Lapis Lazuli: mainly lazurite ((Na,Ca)8(AlSiO4)6(S,SO4,Cl)1-2) with some shiny pyrite (iron sulphide) streaks. This piece is about 3 inches high. It’s a semi-precious stone which when ground up becomes ultramarine, the intense blue pigment you see in old religious paintings. Modern ultramarine is most often synthetic. Strangely perhaps, my resonance with … Continue reading All lapis, all, sons! →

The post All lapis, all, sons! first appeared on Communicate Science.

Science Uncovered at the Natural History Museum London

Tim Jones — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 14:45:08 +0000

A few pictures from last night’s event at the Natural History Museum in London: Science Uncovered 2013, a once a year special as part of the Europe-wide European Researchers’ Night. I think this format is fantastic. Ideal for Londoners spilling out of work on a Friday evening, with food and drink available and the … Continue reading Science Uncovered at the Natural History Museum London →

The post Science Uncovered at the Natural History Museum London first appeared on Communicate Science.

Dragon Catchball – Computer Generated (CG/CGI)

Tim Jones — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 23:31:39 +0000

Just a bit of fun really; but I’ve been mugging up on the basics of CGI. Things sure have moved on from the days of Muybridge and flip books ! Here’s my first attempt: Movie made in DAZ Studio 4.6 with Animate2 plug-in.

The post Dragon Catchball – Computer Generated (CG/CGI) first appeared on Communicate Science.

The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) – Maybe. Polar Exploration and the Mysterious Novaya Zemlya Effect

Tim Jones — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 20:12:48 +0000

A Polar Phenomenon In May 1915, Ernest Shackleton and the crew of Endurance entered their fourth month trapped in the frozen Antarctic’s Weddell Sea. The ship’s navigator added to the gloom forecasting a sunless sky for the next seventy days. You expect this at above 75° South. Then on the 8th of May something strange … Continue reading The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) – Maybe. Polar Exploration and the Mysterious Novaya Zemlya Effect →

The post The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) – Maybe. Polar Exploration and the Mysterious Novaya Zemlya Effect first appeared on Communicate Science.

A Sticky Moment with a California Tree Frog

Tim Jones — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 19:58:12 +0000

Tree frogs in trees are just fine, but tree frogs on plate-glass windows are better – because then you get to see their slightly icky fascinating undersides. I must admit, what struck me most when this guy landed – ‘thunk’ – out of a fig tree onto our window in Los Angeles, was how much … Continue reading A Sticky Moment with a California Tree Frog →

The post A Sticky Moment with a California Tree Frog first appeared on Communicate Science.

First Citizen Science Project Was A Damp Squib

Tim Jones — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 14:58:23 +0000

“A squib is a type of firework, hence damp squib: something that fails ignominiously to satisfy expectations; an anti-climax.” Oxford English Dictionary The opportunities for non-scientists to do science have never been greater: it’s called Citizen Science. Helping out the professionals can involve anything from counting ladybirds in your back yard, to looking for … Continue reading First Citizen Science Project Was A Damp Squib →

The post First Citizen Science Project Was A Damp Squib first appeared on Communicate Science.

Bugs and Bullets in an Expanding Universe: The Scientists who worked in Paradise

Tim Jones — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 21:14:12 +0000

An Unfortunate Accident Modern revolvers have a mechanism that keeps them from firing accidentally if knocked or dropped. Before that, savvy owners learned to carry their weapon with an empty chamber under the hammer. Californian real-estate developer Clarence Austin was not among them. Picture Austin, one May day in 1909, setting off on a peaceful … Continue reading Bugs and Bullets in an Expanding Universe: The Scientists who worked in Paradise →

The post Bugs and Bullets in an Expanding Universe: The Scientists who worked in Paradise first appeared on Communicate Science.