Epigenetic mechanisms which involve biochemical alterations to DNA structure have been documented to result in heritable changes in gene expression. Unlike mutations, however, epigenetic changes do not involve changes in the primary DNA sequence, such that a nucleotide would change into a different nucleotide. Nevertheless, the field of epigenetics has been a fertile ground for […]
Read more "The Charade of Epigenetic Evolution"A deep connection exists between the microscopic world of atoms that holds together small molecules and the features of the macroscopic world around us, typified by complex structures, the likes of which include life, stars, and galaxies. The properties of the universe at large that have allowed biological life to evolve are determined by the […]
Read more "Diverse Scales"Whenever we speak of the truth, we tend to divide it along a certain objective-subjective dichotomy. But, the very idea that that there is such a thing as “subjective truth” hardly does justice to the concept of truth itself. The term “subjective truth” is largely an oxymoron and has given rise to common philosophical tendencies […]
Read more "The Assault on Truth"For centuries, the nature of light has been a source of much wonder and study. The fascinating nature of light lends the spectacular vividness to the natural world that our senses perceive. The colour of the sky embellished with bluish and reddish hues, the glittering mosaic of rainbow layers bejeweled with iridescence, and the glamoring […]
Read more "A Brief History of Light"On January 15 2009, six minutes after takeoff, US Airways Flight 1549 was ditched into the Hudson River, partly a result of the heroic efforts of Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger. The aircraft had sustained perilous engine damage due to a bird strike. With both engines disabled and therefore incapable of generating thrust, the plane had […]
Read more "The Miracle on the Hudson Revisited"As transient lifeforms, we are normally not fully equipped to apprehend the unimaginable stretches of space around us. This is largely due to the limits of perception imposed by our own brains. What our senses define and register is nothing but a mere figment of the entire vastness of the universe around us. As time went on […]
Read more "How Big Is the Universe?"The ultimate goal of the scientific method is to falsify the closest approximations to reality. There are no absolute truths in science because all theories are liable to perpetual refinement and revision. In science, plausibility is established not by proving things true but in fact, but by demonstrating that they have not yet been shown […]
Read more "How do we know what is true?"
The BLOG of the cosmos 