Odd STEM

Could Jack-O’-Lanterns Work?

“Must the candle be lit?”

Creating Jack-o’-lanterns is part of both Irish and Christian tradition, with the controversial claim that these carved vegetables ward off evil spirits.[1] Such wary evil spirits are supposedly afraid of the scary faces carved into the vegetables (currently pumpkins in the U.S.). The same protective benefit is said to also come dressing up like a ghost for Halloween[2] or having stone gargoyles on the exterior of a building[3], though gargoyles tend to be out all year round. Is there something to the claim of Jack-o’-lanterns providing protection from evil spirits, or are these carved vegetables just fun Halloween decorations?

Human Design and Reproduction

“Is the quality a defect?”

Every species – whether brought about by evolution or divine creation – has a biological design that strives for the survival of that species. Part of that biological design is reproduction, which is necessary for the survival of our species too, assuming humans will never be immortal. What if someone never reproduces? Biologically, such people seem at first glance to not be contributing to the survival of our species. Are they deviating from our design?

The Lowly Distance Formula

“…the definition of a light year is a direct application of the formula…”

The classic distance formula of rate×time=distance (or r×t=d) may not look like much. I wasn’t particularly impressed with it in elementary school when the teacher started discussing it. I wanted to learn new math that day, and this was just multiplication (or division if rearranged). Was it a new profound concept? No, just boring, mundane stuff. If you travel at this rate of speed for this amount of time,you end up traveling this distance. Being good in math and a fan of science fiction and science, I was hoping for something more interesting. But there’s more to this simple distance formula than meets the eye.

Zero Impact

“…living like other animals may become a right belonging to each individual.”

It’s no secret that humans have significantly affected Earth’s natural environments. Some people say we are even destroying the Earth, which at times can be hard to disagree with. Consequently there is support for the idea of decreasing, eliminating, or even reversing human impact on Earth. What if we achieved zero further impact? What would that look like?

A Parallel Universe

“…what else would a universe be made of?”

Like many other people, I have occasionally wondered if there is a parallel version of me out there, living on some parallel Earth in some parallel universe. Parallels of us or even a parallel Earth is suggested by dreams and mirror reflections in everyday life. Not surprisingly, there are cultural references to parallel universes, such as the “Mirror, Mirror” episode of the original Star Trek television series.[1] In that episode, main character Captain Kirk and cohorts find themselves in a parallel universe where conquest is favored over peace. Could there be a parallel universe with a parallel Earth and maybe parallel versions of me and people I know? I have my doubts for a couple reasons.

I Don’t Know

“This can of course backfire.”

Those three little words – I don’t know – are something my wife doesn’t like to hear, particularly when asking our family what we would like to eat for dinner. In her opinion, that is simply not a helpful response. Pushing for a more informative answer helps her avoid disappointing us with her dinner choice (or more importantly, hearing complaints about it). This is one way she can deal with the uncertainty of whether such a negative event might happen. Nature’s solution to uncertainty is to use probability.

Some Potential Long-Term Effects of COVID-19

“What will become of the United States?”

Last year was not a normal year, to put it mildly. With 2020 being unprecedented for the COVID-19 pandemic, what can we expect for 2021 or the following years or decades? What will happen to us if we continue to wear masks, practice social distancing, and avoid travel for generations? Considering the countless examples in nature, of adaptation of species to changing circumstances, these cultural changes could eventually affect our species if allowed to continue indefinitely.

Unearthly Origin

“Yes and no.”

At this time of year it’s not unusual to wonder, where does Santa Claus come from? Or the elves or even the raw materials to make all the toys? Where does it all come from? Or anything else here? Science suggests that what is on Earth, basically comes from the same place anything else here comes from – Earth. There are a few minor exceptions like rocks brought back from space and whatever meteorites find their way here, but generally the stuff we see here is from Earth. That would include Santa, his elves, and their toy-making materials. I’m assuming Santa and his various associates aren’t extraterrestrials. But where did Earth come from?

Electric Humans

“How can it be so much cheaper…?”

Tradition tells us that Thanksgiving commemorates a feast involving the Pilgrims, as well as the Native Americans who contributed to this feast in the early 1600s.[1] Accordingly, our modern Thanksgiving holiday is often marked by time off from work or school and a lot of eating. Eating gives us energy we need to stay alive, and by coincidence, time off is said to “recharge our batteries.” Of course that’s just a coloquial expression about recharging our batteries. Admittedly, we probably do recharge actual batteries during our time off, considering the various portable devices we use – cell phones, laptops, flashlights, electric razors, GPSes, and many more. It certainly would be convenient if we could recharge ourselves by plugging into a power source. Assuming that could even work, which is currently doubtful, how much would it cost to recharge a human with electricity?

Unseen Ghosts and Monsters

“That raises a whole bunch of generally unpleasant questions.”

November has somehow managed to sneak up on me, like an evil creature in some horror movie, moving with great stealth to claim its next victim. In October of 2018, I wrote a blog entry on ghosts, luck, and curses.[1] I explained how such phenomena might be interpretations of consequences, caused by us unaware and/or by obscure environmental factors. Whereas the phenomena in that earlier entry were potentially observable by anyone, this current entry touches on phenomena experienced only by certain individuals. In particular this entry is about individuals thinking they actually see ghosts or monsters, that are not visible to others. While it’s easy to dismiss such people as hallucinating or maybe just imagining things, there may be some truth to this type of phenomena.