Surprising Science — March 15, 2014

Carl Sagan on the 4th Dimension

It’s Sunday night, and time for everyone’s favorite new show, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.” While we enjoy watching Neil deGrasse Tyson successfully fill Carl Sagan’s shoes, it’s nice to go back in time to watch clips from Sagan’s classic show.

Here he is explaining the 4th dimension to us 3rd dimension creatures:

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Why do galaxies spin?

The Universe begins with negligible amounts of angular momentum, which is always conserved. So why do planets, stars, and galaxies all spin?

How the ancient Aztecs’ “rotting currency” led civilization to metal coins

More than 1,000 years ago, Mesoamerican societies conducted one of history’s most interesting experiments in commodity money.

High Culture

French writer Annie Ernaux wins the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature

Many were expecting extremism survivor and free speech advocate Salman Rushdie to take home the Nobel Prize in Literature, but Annie Ernaux beat him to it.

13.8

Quantum physics forces us to make really weird choices

Einstein always loses in the quantum realm.

The Past

Did extraterrestrials visit ancient Sumer?

Venerated astrophysicist Carl Sagan entertained the possibility.

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