Category Archives: Science

Stephen Hawking has passed away

NPR The Two-Way: Stephen Hawking, Who Awed Both Scientists And The Public, Dies.

“There aren’t very many scientists who achieved rock-star status. Stephen Hawking, who has died at the age of 76, family members told British media early Wednesday, was definitely a contender.

“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” the family statement said, according to The Guardian. “His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him for ever.””

Link via Garret.

Many more links and stories about Hawking in this MetaFilter thread: A brief history of a man.

I read his most famous book “A Brief History of Time” (Eine kurze Geschichte der Zeit) years ago, but think I’ll re-read it now.

Think of the heart muscle as a rubber band […] put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will emerge dry and brittle.

NPR shots: Hearts Get ‘Younger,’ Even At Middle Age, With Exercise.

“Eventually it happens to everyone. As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart becomes less flexible, more stiff and just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it used to be. In most people the first signs show up in the 50s or early 60s. And among people who don’t exercise, the underlying changes can start even sooner.

“The heart gets smaller — stiffer,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a sports cardiologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, in Dallas.
[…]
Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that even if you haven’t been an avid exerciser, getting in shape now may head off that decline and help restore your aging heart. He and his colleagues published their recent findings in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation.”

“Die Erde. Endliche Weiten. Das sind die Abenteuer der Menschen im 21. Jahrhundert.”

ZDF “Die Anstalt” vom 27.02.2018: Zukunftszenario Klimawandel – Zurück im Jahr 2100. (52min, auch als Download)

Hintergrundinformationen: Faktencheck (PDF, 564kB)

“Das Abschmelzen der Polkappen und das Verschwinden von Florida wird noch ein bisschen dauern, aber durch den Anstieg des Meeresspiegels sind weite Teile von Norddeutschland, den Niederlanden und Dänemark bereits überflutet. Hamburg und Amsterdam haben große Probleme und können nicht gehalten werden. 13 Millionen Menschen in Europa haben ihre Heimat verloren und in Indonesien 200 Millionen. Durch den Temperaturanstieg ist ein Drittel der Erdoberfläche unbewohnbar, und die Hitze zusammen mit der hohen Luftfeuchtigkeit hat dazu geführt, dass die Tropen, also von Brasilien über Afrika bis nach Thailand, Indonesien und Vietnam zu einer Todeszone geworden sind. – Moment, über welches Jahr reden wir hier? – 2100.”

Prost!

The New York Times: German Olympians Drink a Lot of (Nonalcoholic) Beer, and Win a Lot of Gold Medals.

“If nonalcoholic beer helped athletes recover more quickly from grueling workouts, then it could allow them to train harder. Scherr credits the nonalcoholic beer’s salubrious effects to its high concentration of polyphenols, immune-boosting chemicals from the plants with which its brewed.”

NPR the salt: Olympians Are Using Non-Alcoholic Beer As Recovery Drinks. Here’s The Science.

“In greek mythology, the Olympians were said to drink ambrosia, which bestowed upon them immortality. […] Today’s Olympians have been swept up in a new trend largely emerging from Bavaria: non-alcoholic athletic recovery beers. A number of breweries, such as Erdinger and Krombacher have, over the last few years, expanded their offerings of sober sports beers. This year, beers from both brands are a common sight in the Olympic Village.

But how much science is there to support the use of beer as an athletic recovery drink?”