Monthly Archives: December 2010

Berkeley researchers discover Möbius symmetry in metamaterials

Möbius symmetry, the topological phenomenon that yields a half-twisted strip with two surfaces but only one side, has been a source of fascination since its discovery in 1858 by German mathematician August Möbius. As artist M.C. Escher so vividly demonstrated in his “parade of ants,” it is possible to traverse the “inside” and “outside” surfaces […] … learn more→

Author\’s quest to unravel the mystery of God

Few books have been written about God that are not specifically theistic or atheistic in nature. Now a new book goes beyond traditions of belief and disbelief to trace the personal history of God from a standpoint outside the Bible, and answer the crucial question: is there a creative, supernatural, intelligent entity in the universe, or is the concept merely an abiding superstition? … learn more→

New analysis shows assumptions about importance of modern wildfires wrong

An assumption that wildfires are at a record high today has been incorporated into scenarios used for projections of future climate change. However, several recent analyses of palaeoenvironmental data show that the assumption is quite wrong, according to Macquarie University biological scientists, Professors I. Colin Prentice and Sandy Harrison. Two years ago, a team led […] … learn more→

Conditioning reefs for the future

In a world first, a new ‘state of the art\’ climate change experimental facility has been completed at the University of Queensland\’s (UQ) Heron Island Research Station. The Climate Change Mesocosm (CCM) project led by Associate Professor Sophie Dove and Dr David Kline from the Global Change Institute\’s (GCI) Coral Reef Ecosystems Laboratory is one […] … learn more→

The Timeless Land by Eleanor Dark

The lifestyle of Bennelong, an Australian Indigenous tribal warrior was destroyed, partly been by alcohol, which exacerbated the exclusion he eventually faced from both his tribal race and the whites who at first so mercilessly used him. … learn more→