By far the biggest science news this week was the discovery (do you really get to call it that if you've been searching for the exact thing you find?) of the Higgs boson, the so-called God particle that gives matter mass. A quick Google search or perusal of your favorite news source will give you the salient details (plus a lot more). But you might not hit upon one of my favorite commentaries on the topic, from Cape Cod Times' Sean Gonsalves. It's as much about parenting as physics - a personal essay about Sean's hopes for his son, Sean Jr.
Lofty goals for any parent. Best of luck, Sean!
Elsewhere in the news, the National Science Foundation announced that a team of scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Maine, and University of Washington have figured out what's behind massive algal blooms that happen in the North Atlantic every spring and summer.
You've got to check out the photo gallery. But keep in mind these blooms aren't just beautiful when viewed from space. They're also major players in the global carbon cycle. So figuring out how they work is big news ... or it should be, anyway.
News that Cape Wind developers are beginning a detailed seafloor survey caught my eye not so much because of the political or economic ramifications (first concrete step toward construction!), but because it means we'll learn a little bit more about the seafloor right off our own coast - a place that is too poorly understood, in my humble opinion. I, for one, will be interested to learn what's out there, particularly whether there are artifacts from native tribes who may have lived there thousands of years ago when glaciers still had enough of the world's water locked up to make Nantucket Sound dry land. Still not convinced seafloor mapping is cool? Here are five reasons seafloor maps are important for everyone.
Looking for something to do this weekend? How about a dance performance inspired by cell biology?
HIT is a collaboration between cell biologist David Odde and Carl Flink, artistic director for Black Label Movement. The pair have been working together - and learning from each other - for three years now.
Free lecture-demonstration, Sunday at 4pm in the MBL Club in Woods Hole.
