Fri, Mar 26, 2021
Planned obsolescence is real. It was practiced by the Phoebus Cartel to limit the lifetime of light bulbs by the largest light bulb makers in the first half of the twentieth century and has made headlines, and viral videos, concerning the iPhone. The concept has been proposed as a way to ensure workers don't loose jobs due to product improvements though we all know profits are the real concern. Nowadays manufactures turn more to fashion to make their old products less desirable by making them out of style.
Wed, Jun 16, 2021
Every day Richard Lenski's team takes a sample from yesterday's Escherichia Coli culture and adds it to a fresh medium to grow for another day before a sample is taken from the new culture. On and on for thirty years. Every day new mutations appear some of which die out and some of which take over a few cultures down the road. Along the way Richard has learned some important lessons about evolution, some of which are quite surprising.
Wed, Oct 27, 2021
While watching a helicopter transporting transporting an object hanging underneath it, Dr. Paul Stanley thought the shape of the rope would make an interesting physics exam question. But he decided to ask about the shape of the rope if it was not lifting a weight. Controversy ensued.