Golden Nuggets #2

A genius is someone who discovers that the stone that falls and the moon that doesn't fall represent one and the same phenomenon"

When the Argentine physicist and writer Ernesto Sábato wrote this tribute to Isaac Newton, he was not exaggerating. For Newton's theory of gravity - unlike several others in the world of science - remains unchallenged and unmodified centuries after he announced it.

Newton's greatness is not only as a scientist. Very few brilliant minds have had the humility  to admit: "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.".

Happenings Old and New

Not a single post for 4 months, when I was on the move. I guess I needed to be on my home turf to resume blogging! A lot has been happening since June - in my life, in the world. However, yesterday's sensational news are often forgotten today. Yet, most of us want to know what's going on  - as I do via the WORLD NEWS  section displayed at the bottom of this page.

The media - talking heads on TV, streaming news on the internet and the good old newspaper delivered daily at one's doorstep - goes on and on about politics, business and entertainment. Today's  top 5 headlines are a fair representation of daily news coverage.

• Philae comet lander back in contact  ... space exploration
• Leaders meet in Brisbane for G20  ... politics
• Boko Haram militants 'seize Chibok' ... terrorism
• 'Major milestone' in polio battle  ... health
• Fifa judge 'surprised' at criticism  ... sports

How does one decide what is important or significant enough to really matter? Or merit more than a few minutes of our attention?

Today the headline about Philae caught my eye. A space robot transmits information from the surface of  a comet! Will this news grip the world's imagination as did the first landing on the moon? What insights about the comet will Philae and Rosetta reveal to the excited scientists back on earth? Click here for an update from Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society.

Dancing Gorilla

Have you ever wondered how x-rays and scans reveal the condition of your lungs or brain or some other part of your body? Evidently, those mysterious black and white images make sense to radiologists. Because they know what a normal or healthy person's scan looks like; and their eyes are trained to detect abnormalities at a glance.

This is the CT scan of a patient's lung. Look closely at  the top of the right lung. Do you see anything unusual?

Don't worry if you did not spot the dancing gorilla. In a psychological experiment, several expert radiologists were shown this scan and asked to look for indications of lung cancer. A whopping 75 per cent failed to notice the gorilla!

Does the experiment suggest that medical specialists are not good at detecting signs of potentially life-threatening conditions by looking at CT scans? Not at all. This happens because they are proficient at detecting abnormal signs. When the radiologist looks at a scan with a specific focus - in this case, to spot nodules that indicate cancer in the lung - he automatically filters out other things that might distract him. Including dancing gorillas :)

This is simply how our attention system works. Not just with radiologists, but with everyone. It is called inattentional blindness. Scientists say that there is a big difference between looking and perceiving. Read more about it Here.

Power to the People

The BBC has a Section on World Changing Ideas for transforming the future of Planet Earth. Recently I read this article on the escalating energy needs of urban communities and radical ideas to improve the situation.

Amazingly innovative ideas like smart grids and decentralised power generation,  described in plain English. Imagine having the wherewithal to generate and control your own energy usage! Like solar heating on your own terrace, some day these high-tech ideas will be reality. I believe it is a peek into the future.

It certainly gave me something to hope and dream about, as I sweltered in the April heat of Bangalore, enduring long hours of power cuts.

Getting to Mars

The real thing is better than sci fi.

Space exploration is an expensive, high-tech adventure. But adventure nevertheless. In this exciting video, NASA shares the crucial seven minutes before Curiosity lands on the hot surface of Mars.