In Georgia’s 2020 gubernatorial election, some voters in Atlanta waited over 10 hours to cast a ballot. One reason for the long lines was that almost 10% of Georgia’s polling sites had closed over the preceding seven years, despite an influx of about 2 million voters. These closures were disproportionately concentrated in predominantly Black areas… Continue reading Topologists Tackle the Trouble With Poll Placement
In NASA’s Push for the Moon, Commercial Partners Soar—And Stumble
It has been a rough-and-tumble start for hurling hardware and science experiments to the moon under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, dubbed CLPS. Under CLPS, American vendors have been contracted to assist the space agency in revitalizing the nation’s lunar exploration capabilities, all in preparation for a crewed lunar landing at the lunar south… Continue reading In NASA’s Push for the Moon, Commercial Partners Soar—And Stumble
After Death Communications (ADCs)
Podcast: Download MYS306: Millions of people report spontaneous experiences of contact with departed loved ones, hearing their voices, seeing their faces again. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss what After Death Communications are, what they are like, and whether they really could be forms of contacted with our lost loved ones. Get all new episodes… Continue reading After Death Communications (ADCs)
SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Reached Record Heights before It Was Lost
SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Reached Record Heights before It Was Lost SpaceX lost both the booster and vehicle in a test launch of its massive Starship rocket. But the third try was the charm for Starship, which smoothly separated in its most successful flight to date By Josh Dinner & SPACE.com The SpaceX Starship spacecraft lifts… Continue reading SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Reached Record Heights before It Was Lost
Is Trump Really Leading in Battleground Pennsylvania?
Several national pollsters have concluded that Donald Trump is leading in Pennsylvania over Joe Biden. The RealClearPolitics polling average as of April 3 shows Trump with a 0.6% edge in the Keystone State. Some pollsters even show Trump at 52% support. Susquehanna Polling and Research takes issue with some of these polls and questions their… Continue reading Is Trump Really Leading in Battleground Pennsylvania?
How Is Flocking Like Computing?
Birds flock. Locusts swarm. Fish school. Within assemblies of organisms that seem as though they could get chaotic, order somehow emerges. The collective behaviors of animals differ in their details from one species to another, but they largely adhere to principles of collective motion that physicists have worked out over centuries. Now, using technologies that… Continue reading How Is Flocking Like Computing?
Aileen Cannon: Portrait of a Judge in the Fractured Double Reality of American Justice
Above, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over the Trump classified documents trial in Florida and taking partisan heat for it. By Julie Kelly, RealClearInvestigationsApril 3, 2024 The residents of Fort Pierce, Florida, are not accustomed to seeing dark SUVs and flashing motorcycles speed down the town’s main thoroughfare bordering the shore… Continue reading Aileen Cannon: Portrait of a Judge in the Fractured Double Reality of American Justice
The Social Benefits of Getting Our Brains in Sync
When Dikker and her colleagues analyzed the results, published in 2021, they found that pairs who knew they were seeing neurofeedback grew more in sync over time — an effect driven by their motivation to stay focused on their partner, the researchers explained. More importantly, their heightened synchrony increased how socially connected the pair felt.… Continue reading The Social Benefits of Getting Our Brains in Sync
Kinkaid’s Cave (Egypt & the Grand Canyon)
Podcast: Download MYS305: In 1909, G.E. Kinkaid found a cave in the Grand Canyon containing Egyptian and Asian artifacts. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss the excavations that began at the time and then how the story vanished from the media. What is the truth of Kinkaid’s cave and what did it really contain? Get… Continue reading Kinkaid’s Cave (Egypt & the Grand Canyon)
Merging Fields, Mathematicians Go the Distance on Old Problem
In a way, the integer distance problem was a victim of its own early successes. The hyperbola proof, with its ingenious simplicity, is emblematic of the philosophy espoused by Erdős, a highly influential mathematician who often spoke of “The Book” — an imagined volume of the most elegant proofs in mathematics. The culture of simplicity… Continue reading Merging Fields, Mathematicians Go the Distance on Old Problem