DOCSLIB.ORG

Walt Roberts Provocation No. 234 Shootout at the K/TB

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Walt Roberts Provocation No. 234 Shootout at the K/TB Prov-234 11/5/88 C759 CC822 wait roberts (Walt R.,759) 11/ 5/88 2:50 PM L:69 KE YS:/PROVOCATIONS NO. 234/ Memo to: The Climate Club — C759 5 November 198S From: Walt Roberts Provocation No. 234 Shootout at the K/T Boundary Luis Walter Alvarez, one of the nation's most distinguished scientists, died in September at age 77. Luis was a gadgeteer and engineer, as well as a brilliant scientist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1968 for work on sub-atomic particles of short lifetime that occur in high energy nuclear collisions. He worked at the Radiation Lab at MIT on radar and microwave radio beacons early in WWII. He developed the Instrument Landing System, ILS used for many years and still in full operation today, to radio direct airplanes to safe landings in bad weather at major airports throughout the world. From 1944 to 1945 Alvarez worked at Los Alamos on the atomic bomb project, and he first suggested the technique for detonating implosion- triggered atomic bombs like those exploded at Alamogordo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He won over 40 patents. He spent most of his scientific life at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab of the University of California. He used cosmic rays to probe the Second Pyramid of Chephren in Egypt, and he helped investigate the shooting of John F. Kennedy. Luis and I were close friends by virtue of a strong association with Alfred L. Loomis, a wealthy business man with a strong bent for science, who played a big role in radar development during WWII at the MIT Radiation Lab, and who ran a private research center at Tuxedo in New York. Loomis sort of adooted both Luis and me, along with several other scientists, as something akin to foster sons. We would often visit Alfred at his home in Easthampton, Long Island, where Alfred liked to learn about our research in fullest detail over many long hours of conversation. He also would help us with advice, financial support, and contacts with foundations and individuals who could help us get the resources to do our science. Several times he visited our High Altitude Observatory sites in Boulder, Hawaii and Climax, and later he made visits to our new National Center for Atmospheric Research. During the design phase of our NCAR 1 aboratory I spent many hours going over the details of how to make the research center a flexible, functional and pleasant place to work, and how to do it in the most economical way. I often shared with Alvarez the visits to Loomis. Many years later, after Loomis' death, Luis wrote a marvelous and affectionate biography of Alfred. And quite recently Luis documented his own life, brilliantly, with delightful frankness, and not exactly modestly. He titled it "Alvarez, Adventures of a Physicist" and it's published by Basic Books. In Alvarez' 1ater years he devoted most of his creative energy to a novel and exciting theory of the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, at the well known boundary of the Cretaceous/Tertiary periods, generally referred to as the K/T Boundary . He attributed the death of the dinosaurs and many other species to a many years long nuclear-winter— 1 ike darkness from the atmospheric dust of a gigantic asteroid impact on the earth. He worked Page 1 Prov-234 11/5/88 on this with son Walter, a paleontologist at Berkeley. Their notions became controversial, and Luis, never one to shun a good argument, fought for his theory with passion against those who advocated volcanic causes or other explanations. I won't review the arguments here, since I covered them in several previous "Provocations" (principally 44, 102, 158, 176, 180). The one thing that can be said for sure is that the Alvarez hypothesis stirred up the science of paleontology as nothing had done in a long time. Many accused Luis of bad manners and bad temper. I confess I found some of his criticisms of his opponents a bit testy. Whatever one says, the arguments revitalized some somnolent fields of research. Yale paleontologist Leo Hickey said it well a few months before Luis' death: "While I decry the nasty, bigoted, cantankerous, crusty old bastard Luis Alvarez, he really has helped open up the thinking in paleontology. His is a major contribution." The 3 October issue of "The Scientist" has two great articles, one simply about Luis, and the other about Luis and the "Shootout at the K/T Boundary." *****.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • JUAN MANUEL 2016 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT Culture Friendship Justice
    Friendship Volume 135, № 1 Character Culture JUAN MANUEL SANTOS 2016 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT Justice LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Brothers, It is an honor and a privilege as your president to have the challenges us and, perhaps, makes us question our own opportunity to share my message with you in each edition strongly held beliefs. But it also serves to open our minds of the Quarterly. I generally try to align my comments and our hearts to our fellow neighbor. It has to start with specific items highlighted in each publication. This with a desire to listen, to understand, and to be tolerant time, however, I want to return to the theme “living our of different points of view and a desire to be reasonable, Principles,” which I touched upon in a previous article. As patient and respectful.” you may recall, I attempted to outline and describe how Kelly concludes that it is the diversity of Southwest’s utilization of the Four Founding Principles could help people and “treating others like you would want to be undergraduates make good decisions and build better treated” that has made the organization successful. In a men. It occurred to me that the application of our values similar way, Stephen Covey’s widely read “Seven Habits of to undergraduates only is too limiting. These Principles are Highly Effective People” takes a “values-based” approach to indeed critical for each of us at this particularly turbulent organizational success. time in our society. For DU to be a successful organization, we too, must As I was flying back recently from the Delta Upsilon be able to work effectively with our varied constituents: International Fraternity Board of Directors meeting in undergraduates, parents, alumni, higher education Arizona, I glanced through the February 2017 edition professionals, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Communications-Mathematics and Applied Mathematics/Download/8110
    A Mathematician's Journey to the Edge of the Universe "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." ― Socrates Manjunath.R #16/1, 8th Main Road, Shivanagar, Rajajinagar, Bangalore560010, Karnataka, India *Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] *Website: http://www.myw3schools.com/ A Mathematician's Journey to the Edge of the Universe What’s the Ultimate Question? Since the dawn of the history of science from Copernicus (who took the details of Ptolemy, and found a way to look at the same construction from a slightly different perspective and discover that the Earth is not the center of the universe) and Galileo to the present, we (a hoard of talking monkeys who's consciousness is from a collection of connected neurons − hammering away on typewriters and by pure chance eventually ranging the values for the (fundamental) numbers that would allow the development of any form of intelligent life) have gazed at the stars and attempted to chart the heavens and still discovering the fundamental laws of nature often get asked: What is Dark Matter? ... What is Dark Energy? ... What Came Before the Big Bang? ... What's Inside a Black Hole? ... Will the universe continue expanding? Will it just stop or even begin to contract? Are We Alone? Beginning at Stonehenge and ending with the current crisis in String Theory, the story of this eternal question to uncover the mysteries of the universe describes a narrative that includes some of the greatest discoveries of all time and leading personalities, including Aristotle, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton, and the rise to the modern era of Einstein, Eddington, and Hawking.
    [Show full text]
  • Report and Opinion 2016;8(6) 1
    Report and Opinion 2016;8(6) http://www.sciencepub.net/report Beyond Einstein and Newton: A Scientific Odyssey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, And The Cosmos Manjunath R Independent Researcher #16/1, 8 Th Main Road, Shivanagar, Rajajinagar, Bangalore: 560010, Karnataka, India [email protected], [email protected] “There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.” : Lord Kelvin Abstract: General public regards science as a beautiful truth. But it is absolutely-absolutely false. Science has fatal limitations. The whole the scientific community is ignorant about it. It is strange that scientists are not raising the issues. Science means truth, and scientists are proponents of the truth. But they are teaching incorrect ideas to children (upcoming scientists) in schools /colleges etc. One who will raise the issue will face unprecedented initial criticism. Anyone can read the book and find out the truth. It is open to everyone. [Manjunath R. Beyond Einstein and Newton: A Scientific Odyssey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, And The Cosmos. Rep Opinion 2016;8(6):1-81]. ISSN 1553-9873 (print); ISSN 2375-7205 (online). http://www.sciencepub.net/report. 1. doi:10.7537/marsroj08061601. Keywords: Science; Cosmos; Equations; Dimensions; Creation; Big Bang. “But the creative principle resides in Subaltern notable – built on the work of the great mathematics. In a certain sense, therefore, I hold it astronomers Galileo Galilei, Nicolaus Copernicus true that pure thought can
    [Show full text]
  • Implementation Guide
    GREAT MINDS® SCIENCE Implementation Guide A Guide for Teachers Great Minds® Science Implementation Guide Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Foundations .................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Product Components .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Learning Design............................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Scope and Sequence ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Research in Action ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Getting Started ..............................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Particle Physics
    Introduction to Particle Physics Achim Geiser, DESY Hamburg DESY summer student program, 28.-29.7.21 Scope of this lecture: Introduction to particle physics for novices rather elementary more details -> specialized lectures particle physics in general thanks to B. Foster for some of the nicest slides/animations other sources: some emphasis on DESY-related topics www pages of DESY and CERN 28.-29.7.21 A. Geiser, Particle Physics 1 What is Particle Physics? 28.-29.7.21 A. Geiser, Particle Physics 2 What is “science”? Wikipedia.org: Science (from Latin scientia , meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. First large scale scientific experiment: proposal: Galilei 1632 historically^ recorded realisation: Pierre Gassendi 1640 Galileo Galilei French navy Galley with M. Risch international crew of ~100 people Physik in Unserer Zeit cannon (fraction of students not reported) 38 (5) (2007) 249 ball => 5 m/s ? 28.-29.7.21 A. Geiser, Particle Physics 3 What is a „particle“? Classical view: particles = discrete objects. Mass concentrated into finite space with definite boundaries. Particles exist at a specific location. -> Newtonian mechanics Isaac Newton Modern view: (Principia 1687) Emilie du Châtelet particles = objects with discrete (1759) Niels quantum numbers, e.g. charge, mass, ... Bohr not necessarily located at a specific position (Nobel 1922) (Heisenberg uncertainty principle), can also be represented by wave functions (quantum mechanics, particle/wave duality). Louis Werner Erwin de Broglie Heisenberg Schrödinger (Nobel 1933) (Nobel 1929) (Nobel 1932) 28.-29.7.21 A. Geiser, Particle Physics 4 What is „elementary“? Greek: atomos = smallest indivisible part John Dalton 1803 (atomic model) Dmitry Ivanowitsch Mendeleyev 1868 (elements) Ernest Rutherford 1911 (nucleus) (Nobel 1908) Murray Gell-Mann 1962 (quarks) (Nobel 1969) ? 28.-29.7.21 A.
    [Show full text]
  • 1, 2015 Unionnewsdaily.Com Vol
    National U n i o n C o u n t y Breast Cancer OURCE Awareness THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015 UNIONNEWSDAILY.COM VOL. 98 NO. 39 50 C E N T S Month Kean plans ‘dam aging’ layoffs Assemblywoman urges university to rescind planned support staff layoffs By Patrick Bober lege in record numbers, but they’re also Regional Editor ‘It would harm our students, specifically hurting their dropping out in droves.” As the start of the school year begins to ability to progress to graduation. Laying off support staff “There is a remedy at hand, though,” the feel routine for many of the students at opinion piece by David L. Kirp in the New Kean University, most are likely unaware will reduce student retention and graduation rates.* York Times reads, “and it’s pretty straight­ of a brewing controversy that could have a — James Castiglione forward. Nationwide, universities need to profound effect on their academic endeav­ give undergraduates the care and attention ors. The Board of Trustees and President The layoffs are expected in the Center progress to graduation. Laying off support akin to what’s lavished on students at elite Dawood Farahi have given notice of their for Academic Success, the Educational staff will reduce student retention and institutions.” intent to lay off up to 30 academic support Opportunity Center and the school library, graduation rates.” Kirp is a professor of public policy at the staff members while raising tuition by 3 but rest assured that the Kean Federation Castiglione is confident in this claim, University of California, Berkeley, and is percent.
    [Show full text]
  • Scuola Internazionale Di Fisica “Enrico Fermi” International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi”
    SOCIETÀ ITALIANA DI FISICA Scuola Internazionale di Fisica “Enrico Fermi” International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi” La Scuola Internazionale di Fisica “Enrico Fermi” (International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi”) con i suoi Corsi è una delle più prestigiose attività culturali della Società Italiana di Fisica (SIF), sin dal 1953. In quell’anno, il Presidente della Società, Giovanni Polvani dell’Università di Milano, concepì l’idea di una Scuola estiva a livello post universitario che avrebbe dovuto conquistare un’altissima rilevanza internazionale. Scelse come sede una magnifica villa sul Lago di Como, Villa Monastero, in Provincia, oggi, di Lecco. Nel tempo, la Scuola di Varenna si è evoluta. Il numero dei Corsi è passato da uno a tre e adesso a quattro all’anno. Il loro prestigio internazionale è rimasto indiscusso. I più celebri scienziati del mondo, come direttori, docenti o studenti hanno partecipato alla Scuola di Varenna. Gli argomenti, monografici, si sono estesi a tutti i campi della fisica, anche in relazione allo sviluppo di nuovi settori, specialmente in Italia e con particolare attenzione all’UE. La Scuola è, da sempre, un’attesa occasione d’incontro per illustri scienziati e giovani allievi provenienti da tutto il mondo. La tranquilla atmosfera, le acque limpide del lago, la vita della Scuola facilitano il dialogo tra i giovani e gli esperti con giovamento intellettuale di entrambi. In conclusione, si può affermare che la International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi” di Varenna è tra le più famose e importanti scuole di fisica post laurea del mondo. Dalla sua istituzione nel 1953, la Scuola ha attratto, come detto, i più illustri studiosi del mondo.
    [Show full text]
  • 24 August 2013 Seminar Held
    PROCEEDINGS OF THE NOBEL PRIZE SEMINAR 2012 (NPS 2012) 0 Organized by School of Chemistry Editor: Dr. Nabakrushna Behera Lecturer, School of Chemistry, S.U. (E-mail: [email protected]) 24 August 2013 Seminar Held Sambalpur University Jyoti Vihar-768 019 Odisha Organizing Secretary: Dr. N. K. Behera, School of Chemistry, S.U., Jyoti Vihar, 768 019, Odisha. Dr. S. C. Jamir Governor, Odisha Raj Bhawan Bhubaneswar-751 008 August 13, 2013 EMSSSEM I am glad to know that the School of Chemistry, Sambalpur University, like previous years is organizing a Seminar on "Nobel Prize" on August 24, 2013. The Nobel Prize instituted on the lines of its mentor and founder Alfred Nobel's last will to establish a series of prizes for those who confer the “greatest benefit on mankind’ is widely regarded as the most coveted international award given in recognition to excellent work done in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. The Prize since its introduction in 1901 has a very impressive list of winners and each of them has their own story of success. It is heartening that a seminar is being organized annually focusing on the Nobel Prize winning work of the Nobel laureates of that particular year. The initiative is indeed laudable as it will help teachers as well as students a lot in knowing more about the works of illustrious recipients and drawing inspiration to excel and work for the betterment of mankind. I am sure the proceeding to be brought out on the occasion will be highly enlightening.
    [Show full text]
  • Science in the Contemporary World an Encyclopedia
    Science in the Contemporary World An Encyclopedia Eric G. Swedin Santa Barbara, California Denver, Colorado Oxford, England © 2005 by Eric G. Swedin All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Swedin, Eric Gottfrid. Science in the contemporary world : an encyclopedia / Eric G. Swedin. p. cm. (ABC-CLIO’s history of science series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-85109-524-1 (hardback : acid-free paper)–ISBN 1-85109-529-2 (eBook) 1. Science—Encyclopedias. I.Title. II. Series: ABC-CLIO’s history of science series. Q121.S94 2005 503—dc22 2004026950 07 06 05 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is available on the World Wide Web as an e-book.Visit abc-clio.com for details. ABC-CLIO, Inc. 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper . Manufactured in the United States of America Contents Preface and Acknowledgments, xi Introduction, xiii Topic Finder, xxiii Science in the Contemporary World: An Encyclopedia A Biology and the Life Sciences, 33 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, 1 Biotechnology, 36 Agriculture, 3 Birth Control Pill, 37 Alvarez, Luis W.(1911–1988), and Walter Black Holes, 40 Alvarez (1940–), 6 Boyer, Herbert (1936–), 41 Anthropology, 7 Broecker,Wallace S.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded the Top 100 the Seed to This End
    PROC. OF THE 11th PYTHON IN SCIENCE CONF. (SCIPY 2012) 11 A Tale of Four Libraries Alejandro Weinstein‡∗, Michael Wakin‡ F Abstract—This work describes the use some scientific Python tools to solve One of the contributions of our research is the idea of rep- information gathering problems using Reinforcement Learning. In particular, resenting the items in the datasets as vectors belonging to a we focus on the problem of designing an agent able to learn how to gather linear space. To this end, we build a Latent Semantic Analysis information in linked datasets. We use four different libraries—RL-Glue, Gensim, (LSA) [Dee90] model to project documents onto a vector space. NetworkX, and scikit-learn—during different stages of our research. We show This allows us, in addition to being able to compute similarities that, by using NumPy arrays as the default vector/matrix format, it is possible to between documents, to leverage a variety of RL techniques that integrate these libraries with minimal effort. require a vector representation. We use the Gensim library to build Index Terms—reinforcement learning, latent semantic analysis, machine learn- the LSA model. This library provides all the machinery to build, ing among other options, the LSA model. One place where Gensim shines is in its capability to handle big data sets, like the entirety of Wikipedia, that do not fit in memory. We also combine the vector Introduction representation of the items as a property of the NetworkX nodes. In addition to bringing efficient array computing and standard Finally, we also use the manifold learning capabilities of mathematical tools to Python, the NumPy/SciPy libraries provide sckit-learn, like the ISOMAP algorithm [Ten00], to perform some an ecosystem where multiple libraries can coexist and interact.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Guide.Xlsx
    Quiz NumberLanguage Title Author 74157 EN 1633 Weber, David 35293 EN 1812 Nevin, David 82111 EN 11-Sep-01 Pierce, Alan 65530 EN 11-Sep-01 Santella, Andrew 108151 EN 11-Sep Englar, Mary 12785 SP ¡Adiós, Mr. Chips! Hilton, James 30160 SP ¡Atención! Río contaminado Veit, Barbara 18268 SP ¡California, aquí vamos! Ryan, Pam Muñoz 144864 SP ¡Casi medio año! Brozon, M.B. 30186 SP ¡Peligro! Playa radiactiva Veit, Barbara 41458 SP ¡Yo! Alvarez, Julia 105050 EN 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi: A Mississippi Number BookShoulders, Michael 123998 EN 10 Best Animal Camouflages, The Lindsey, Cameron 123950 EN 10 Best Animal Helpers, The Carnelos, Melissa 124024 EN 10 Best Love Poems, The Hanson, Sharon 124025 EN 10 Best Plays, The Nyman, Deborah 124026 EN 10 Best TV Game Shows, The Quan-D'Eramo, Sandra 123951 EN 10 Best Underdog Stories in Sports, The Shalton, Michelle 122556 EN 10 Boldest Explorers, The Gibson-Hardie, Stephanie Kim 122661 EN 10 Bravest Everyday Heroes, The Beardsley, Sally 122521 EN 10 Coolest Flying Machines, The Downey, Glen 124032 EN 10 Coolest Wonders of the Universe, The Samuel, Nigel 122533 EN 10 Deadliest Plants, The Littlefield, Angie 123999 EN 10 Deadliest Predators on Land, The Jenkins, Jennifer Meghan 122606 EN 10 Deadliest Sea Creatures, The Booth, Jack 122607 EN 10 Deadliest Snakes, The Jenkins, Jennifer Meghan 122527 EN 10 Funniest People, The Donaghey, Sean 122522 EN 10 Greatest Accidental Inventions, The Booth, Jack 122662 EN 10 Greatest American Presidents, The Junyk, Myra 122608 EN 10 Greatest Movies from Books, The Drake, Carol 122528 EN 10 Greatest Pop Stars, The Hallett, R.B.
    [Show full text]
  • How High School Science-Related Experiences Influenced Career Persistence Andrew Dwight Shaw University of Missouri-St
    University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Dissertations UMSL Graduate Works 8-12-2005 How High School Science-related Experiences Influenced Career Persistence Andrew Dwight Shaw University of Missouri-St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Shaw, Andrew Dwight, "How High School Science-related Experiences Influenced Career Persistence" (2005). Dissertations. 618. https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/618 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the UMSL Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HOW HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE-RELATED EXPERIENCES INFLUENCED SCIENCE CAREER PERSISTENCE A Thesis Submitted to the faculty of University of Missouri – St. Louis by Andrew D. Shaw In Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2005 ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Gordon and Jean Shaw. While interviewing the scientists for this research, it occurred to me that my own entrance into science was remarkably similar to theirs. For as long as I can recall, my folks took my siblings and me on trips to museums and parks. We enjoyed stimulating and fervent conversations about numerous issues around the dinner table, and we were regularly supported in our school work. Books were important, and my mother read to us every night. My first science fair project was a robot, constructed out of erector sets. My father was an invaluable consultant, advising me that the triangle is the sturdiest structural component.
    [Show full text]