Library of America publishes Herman Melville: Complete Poems
The Library of America edition of Herman Melville: Complete Poems arrived on my porch last month. Its texts are those of the three related Northwestern-Newberry Edition volumes. I was one of four co-editors of “Billy Budd, Sailor“ and Other Uncompleted Writings, the last and final volume to be published of the fifteen-volume Northwestern-Newberry edition of The Writings of Herman Melville. It was an honor to be invited by the Library of America volume editor, Hershel Parker, and Thomas Tanselle to write the “Note on the Texts,” a bibliographical essay included in each Library of America volume that describes the editorial procedures used to establish accurate texts. The LOA volume editor, Hershel Parker, wrote new, expansive explanatory notes for each of the poems, as well as a detailed up-to-date chronology based on his research for his two-volume biography of Herman Melville. This LOA volume is one that will very likely be bought, read, and consulted for many years to come. It is a happy coincidence that it is being published in the month and year of Melville’s 200th birthday, August 1, 1819.
BILLY BUDD, SAILOR AND OTHER UNCOMPLETED WRITINGS – Publication of the Final Volume of the Northwestern-Newberry Series: The Writings of Herman Melville
As of today, October 29, the paperback edition of “Billy Budd, Sailor“ and Other Uncompleted Writings is available on Amazon as well as the Northwestern University Press website. The hardcover is still in production, but should be available by the end of November. Click here for the NUP catalog page, or here for the book on Amazon.
It has taken a very long time (more than 45 years) to process the 1,000 or so manuscript leaves for publication in the final volume of the fifteen-volume Northwestern-Newberry Writings of Herman Melville series. It was just over 35 years ago that I sat daily as a graduate student from June 8 through August 6, 1982, Monday through Saturday, at the Houghton Library at Harvard transcribing the 335 leaves of the Parthenope (formerly “Burgundy Club”) poems and prose pieces contained in fifteen folders (including the folder containing “Pausilippo” removed by Melville for publication in Timoleon). From July 30 to August 2, 1982, I transcribed what I eventually came to realize was the theretofore unknown and untranscribed, “House of the Tragic Poet.” At the time, I thought surely someone had transcribed this piece previously. But as I worked in the following years on my dissertation with my advisor, Harrison Hayford, we finally determined that “House of the Tragic” poet was in fact a new piece. In the summers of 2013 and 2015, to prepare the reading and transcription texts for the now published final volume, I did a fresh literal transcription of these same manuscripts, as well as new transcriptions of the manuscripts of “Rammon,” “Story of Daniel Orme,” “Under the Rose,” and around 36 uncollected poems unpublished at the time of Melville’s death on September 28, 1891.
Many funding issues delayed the work needed to complete the final volume of the Northwestern-Newberry Writings of Herman Melville series. Sadly, the series General Editor, Harrison Hayford — who began the Northwestern-Newberry publishing project in 1965 — passed away in 2001. But happily by 2010 Northwestern University Press could commit the funds needed to print the final volume, and the editors of the final volume — Hershel Parker, Thomas Tanselle, Alma A. MacDougall, and I — found time in our personal schedules, over a five-year period beginning in 2012, to bring to a successful conclusion the project of publishing the final volume.
Completion of the volume was the result of a sustained collaboration among the editors. Hershel Parker, General Editor, wrote the “Historical Note,” coordinated the editorial process, and negotiated the restart of the project with Northwestern University Press. G. Thomas Tanselle, Bibliographical Editor, who has contributed to each of the NN volumes, was again tireless in the effort he devoted to this final volume. He wrote the “General Note on the Text, produced all of the editorial appendices for BILLY BUDD and WEEDS AND WILDINGS, proofed and checked for accuracy the components of all the other the editorial appendices (discussion notes, lists of emendations, all transcriptions, notes on individual pieces, related documents), and corrected and revised the heretofore standard reading and transcription texts of BILLY BUDD (Harrison Hayford and Merton M. Sealts, Jr., Univ. of Chicago, 1962) and WEEDS AND WILDINGS (Robert C. Ryan, dissertation, 1967). Alma A. MacDougall has acted as the supervising editor for all the NN volumes published since 1982 [ISRAEL POTTER (1982), THE CONFIDENCE-MAN (1984), THE PIAZZA TALES (1987), MOBY-DICK (1988), JOURNALS (1989), CLAREL (1991), CORRESPONDENCE (1991), and PUBLISHED POEMS (2009)]. For this final volume, Alma served as Executive Editor and reviewed for accuracy all reading and transcription texts, historical notes, discussion notes, emendation lists, illustrations, created the index, and prepared the final printer’s copy for the press.
Hershel Parker, who succeeded Harrison Hayford as the series General Editor, suggested that we might think of the publication of the final volume as a birthday present for Harry Hayford on what would have been, on November 1st, his 101st birthday. Happy Birthday, Harry!
Harrison Hayford
Kant Confessed His Suspicions about the Limitations of His System, but Persisted Anyway
Immanuel Kant
It is a mark of courage or at least bold if not heroic confidence that Kant forged ahead with his attempt to describe the mechanisms and functions of human cognition, even though he suspected that some of the descriptive ideas he invented would probably never be scientifically verified.
In a section of the Critique of Pure Reason, titled “The Schematism of the Pure Concepts of the Understanding” (chapter 1 of book 2 of the “Transcendental Analytic”) he wrote:
This schematism of our understanding, in its application to appearances and their mere form, is an art concealed in the depths of the human soul, whose real modes of activity nature is hardly likely ever to allow us to discover, and to have open to our gaze.
Preceding this pessimistic observation, Kant had been explaining his hypothesized “schema” as rules for how to conjoin or link an a priori concept that is not dependent on sensual experience with an object of perception obtained through the senses. He uses several examples to illustrate. With the example of a triangle he asserts that associating the concept of triangle with an empirically apprehend image of a triangle is effected by means of set of innate rules or instructions that he calls a schema. A “schematism” according to Kant is an application of a set of rules whereby a pure, a priori concept of understanding such as space, time, triangle, or number is correlated with an empirically constituted object or idea.
But in the interjected “aside” to the reader quoted above, Kant expresses his suspicion that “nature is hardly likely ever to allow us to discover” the “real modes of activity” that constitute the functioning of those schema, or rules for linking the inner, mental world of pure concepts with sensibly perceived objects or empirically derived ideas.
Kant may have been trying with his schema — sets of rules for linking a priori concepts with sensually perceived objects — to (among other things) heal the body/mind split of Descartes. If Kant was right about “nature” being likely to never allow us to “gaze” upon schema, then neuroscientists who today address the hard problem of consciousness by mapping the areas of the brain that correlate with subjectively reported states of consciousness (qualia), observed behavior, or visible correlates of autonomic nerve activity, these neuroscientists may then, like Kant, worry that they too will likely never succeed in actually “gazing” on the mechanisms (schema, rules) that link inner consciousness experience with the exterior world of things.
More than 230 years following the publication of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, many philosophers and cognitive scientists working with or following the ideas of philosophers like Daniel Dennett, prefer not to invent and use terms or ideas like Kant’s “schema” — the hypothesized (invisible, postulated, unverifiable) rules for how we link or associate inner concepts with perceived objects. They avoid and argue against using scientifically unverifiable ideas or hypotheses. They, like Dennett, will for the sake of argument deign to take up for discussion ideas that are not susceptible to empirical proof (cf. the ether and phlogiston hypotheses), but then, after discussing and exposing their vacuousness and unusability, summarily drop them, and urge others to do the same.
Daniel Dennett
Knowing what terms or ideas to avoid using in attempting scientifically to solve the riddle and mystery of consciousness is important. Knowing what not to do or think is progress. But the hard problem of consciousness (what is like to be something; qualia; John Searle’s Chinese room; Mary the color-blind super scientist) is still unsolved. Notwithstanding his occasional use of non-verifiable ideas like “schema” and “schematism,” Kant’s attempts in the Critique to heal the mind-body split deduced by René Descarte in his Meditations, argue against the empirical skepticism expressed by David Hume in his Treatise and Enquiry, and correct or balance the radical empiricism of John Locke’s Essay surely contain many useable ideas that can be “operationalized” by neuroscientists, cognitive researchers, and philosophers of consciousness in their attempt to solve, understand, and explain the “hard problem” of consciousness.
Robert Paul Wolff
A book published many years ago by Robert Paul Wolff, Kant’s Theory of Mental Activity: A Commentary on the Transcendental Analytic of the Critique of Pure Reason (Harvard University Press, 1963; Kindle [Society for Philosophy and Culture, 2013]) is the best commentary I have yet read on Kant’s Critique. Wolff has also recorded and published on YouTube a very helpful nine-part lecture series on the Critique.
Politics, Culture, Philosophy
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- Frank Schaeffer
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by Frank Schaeffer Biden addressed the terror threat directly: a “rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat” is what he called it. But the new president... The post Without the evangelical base Trump’s terror-breeding lies would fade appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
By Amy Brittain and David Willman Read at Washington Post Henry “Enrique” Tarrio had already publicized his plans to participate in the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally. The 36-year-old Miami resident and national chairman of the Proud... The post via Washington Post: ‘A place to fund hope’: How Proud Boys and other fringe groups found refuge on a Christian fundraising website appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
By Heather Ashby From Brazil to the United States, Hungary to New Zealand, right-wing extremist ideas and groups are posing a grave threat to democratic societies. Within this context, the ongoing support U.S. President Donald... The post via Foreign Policy: Far-Right Extremism Is a Global Problem appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
by Frank Schaeffer Trump slunk off to Florida and Biden took the oath of office under a clear blue sky. Now evangelicals are left to figure out how to move forward in a world that,... The post Evangelicals will now return to their default and favorite posture: victims appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
By ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and NIKKI SCHWAB, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTERand EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER and GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Read at DailyMail Franklin Graham, the evangelist preacher and son of Billy Graham, wrote... The post via DailyMail: Pro-Trump evangelical preacher Franklin Graham says the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach the president were like Judas who received ‘thirty pieces of silver from Pelosi’ appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
by Frank Schaeffer “The Trump people have to know they lost,” Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an expert on totalitarianism, argues, and “there has to be a consequence to losing a coup.” Otherwise, they will stage... The post No Healing Without Accountability appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
By Hemant Mehta Read Friendly Atheist at Patheos In case you need a reminder that the evangelical Christians who support Donald Trump and his insurrection are hardly a fringe group of extremists, here’s evangelist Franklin Graham condemning the 10... The post via Friendly Atheist: Franklin Graham: The 10 Republicans Who Voted to Impeach Trump Are Like Judas appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
By Michelle Boorstein Read at Washington Post As lawmakers prepared to impeach President Trump and Washington readied for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, Cliff Dyrud wasn’t focused on man-made acts. He was listening for the words of... The post via Washington Post: For some Christians, the Capitol riot doesn’t change the prophecy: Trump will be president appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
by Frank Schaeffer The Trump years prove one thing: Evangelicals are everywhere and have turned against our democracy- en masse. The first casualty was decency. The second was our idea of manhood. Let that sink... The post Why did evangelicals go for Trump? — Because Trump was as cruel as the Bible appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
By Rachel Martin Read at NPR As fallout continues from the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, Ed Stetzer, head of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College in Illinois, has a message for his... The post via NPR: ‘How Did We Get Here?’ A Call For An Evangelical Reckoning On Trump appeared first on Frank Schaeffer - Official Blog. [...]
After having been unjustly convicted of the bogus charges brought against him in that most infamous and influential of trials, Socrates was asked to propose a penalty for himself. Defying everyone's expectations (exile, paying a fine, delivering a public apology, etc.), Socrates claimed he should be rewarded with free room and board at the Prytaneum. This response upset the Athenians so much that an even greater number than those who had originally found him guilty decided the proper sentence should now be death.In the Crito, and against all sorts of arguments—moral, prudential, political, philosophical—urging him to escape this unjust punishment,… [...]
Ever since I first watched Memento and its fascinating exploration of the philosophical question of personal identity as constituted by memory through time, film director Christopher Nolan has been on my radar. And, Insomnia aside, he has consistently managed to set the bar higher and higher to the point where he stands on a category of cinematographic and philosophical genius all by himself.In addition of being a master of character development, non-linear storytelling and building hair-raising suspense—not to say anything about the pure aesthetic beauty of his films—Nolan is a director of big ideas. There's virtually no film in which he… [...]
The philosophical problem of evil—the question of how the existence of unnecessary suffering is possible in a world created and sustained by an all-powerful, all-knowing and benevolent deity—has vexed theologians and philosophers for millennia.Apologists have attempted to vindicate God's goodness in various versions of what is known as theodicy. One of the most famous was articulated by the Enlightenment polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Given that he thought the existence of contingent beings requires an explanation that is itself not contingent, Leibniz deployed a really clever argument to prove the metaphysical necessity of the existence of God. Since God was for… [...]
Life is hard enough as it is. Existence, in many ways, is suffering. Obviously, some have it much worse than others, and that matters, but at some point in our lives we all experience pain, disease, loss, betrayal. We struggle with existential angst, with the fear of meaninglessness, with questions of character, with the impending coming of oblivion. We struggle to pay rent, to put food on the table, and to have enough energy at the end of the day to make a positive difference in the world.And we don't all find love. Few things make the loneliness of existence… [...]
If you are a geek, you are likely to get excited over things others might find boring, laughable, lame, etc. You still like what you like, but you also know when to keep that to yourself.But sometimes you stumble upon something so incredibly brilliant that, no matter what else may be going on in your life, you just have to let your inner geek go nuts. And the following parody of 'Despacito' is just such an instance... [...]
James Baldwin, the great essayist, poet, civil rights activist, writer and orator, would have turned 93 this week. In order to commemorate the importance of his memory and legacy, we are showcasing today the very famous Cambridge debate in which—while surrounded by an overwhelmingly white audience—he courageously and adeptly defended the proposition that “The American Dream is at the expense of the American negro” against the influential conservative writer William F. Buckley, Jr.Prior to this debate, Buckley had made his reputation as a leading American conservative, at least partly, through his writings opposing the civil rights movement and desegregation, and by… [...]
Few figures have been more important and influential in the history of civilization than the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. And it's not simply that he was a philosopher either. Despite the importance of the intellectual contributions made by his predecessors, and despite the vast differences between them (just think Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Democritus, etc.), virtually all philosophers who preceded him were ultimately consigned to the category of Pre-Socratics.So what exactly was so special about Socrates that it would be he, and not any of his forerunners, who would be generally recognized to be the first master of philosophy?… [...]
Anyone who's ever contemplated Raphael's celebrated painting The School of Athens knows that the painting centers, quite literally, around Plato and Aristotle (the former pointing up toward his transcendent Realm of the Forms, while the latter attempts to ground his understanding of reality on a much more naturalistic conception). A quick glance also reveals a few other obvious personalities: Socrates, Diogenes the Cynic, Pythagoras, and Euclid (or perhaps Archimedes?). But if you look even closer, you can see that this painting is also paying homage to the Presocratics, those thinkers who dared to imagine the cosmos might be intelligible to… [...]
As his presidency sadly comes to an end, President Obama delivered last night what is sure to become one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in his already admirable history of powerful and memorable speeches.In a time when democracy, justice, freedom, equality and human rights have come under threat in America—as a right-wing administration inspired by unabashed hatred, divisiveness, racism, xenophobia and greed prepares to take office—President Obama's message is a sober and thoughtful reminder that this experiment in self-governing is not a foregone conclusion but a process that requires permanent work, vigilance and cooperation.Thank you for being an… [...]
Art critic John Berger's recent death has left a huge void in the world of art appreciation. While his career prompted numerous controversies and instances of outrage and public condemnation, Berger's attacks on what sometimes amounts to the condescending and elitist attitude of his own profession helped popularize the appreciation of art. His 1972 BBC documentary series Ways of Seeing, as well as its subsequent eponymous book, helped bring the world of thoughtful art appreciation to an entire generation of people who may have otherwise never gotten interested in the fine arts. Unlike conventional forms of art criticism and appreciation—which tend… [...]
Right Living, Thinking, Etc
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"I pray for your success in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of all Americans," His Holiness writes. The post The Dalai Lama congratulates President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
Buddhist teacher Lama Tsomo shares a guided tonglen meditation to cultivate compassion and move from fear into love. The post The Lion’s Roar Podcast: Guided Tonglen Meditation with Lama Tsomo appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
Jack Kornfield on beginning this time-honored, heart-opening practice. The post How to Do Metta appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
Pema Chödrön nos enseña “tomar y dar,” una práctica budista antigua para desarrollar compasión. Con cada inhalación, tomamos el dolor de otros. Con cada exhalación, enviamos alivio. The post Cómo practicar Tonglen appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
Cuando estaba compilando la antología Buddha’s Daughters: Teachings from Women Who Are Shaping Buddhism in the West [Las hijas de Buda: enseñanzas de las mujeres que están dando forma al budismo en Occidente], una de las primeras maestras que pensé en incluir fue Judy Lief, ya que sus enseñanzas son algunas de las más notablemente esclarecedoras, relevantes y también fácilmente disfrutables. The post Las hijas de Buda: una entrevista con la maestra de dharma y autora Judy Lief appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
Roshi Joan Halifax reflects on the idea of "wise hope" and why we should open ourselves to it. The post Yes, We Can Have Hope appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
It may seem like an unattainable ideal, but you can start right now as a bodhisattva-in-training. All you need is the aspiration to put others first. The post How to Be a Bodhisattva appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
“As Zen Buddhist clergy, we condemn the attack on the United States congress on January 6th,” the statement reads. “We see that the violence at the capitol was deeply tied to the white supremacy that has characterized this nation since its inception.” The Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA) has released a statement in response to […] The post Soto Zen Buddhist Association releases statement responding to Capitol attack appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
"Martin Luther King Jr.’s work is not finished," says Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat Roshi. We must continue it with gratitude on the endless path toward liberation for all. The post This Path Is Endless appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
He was more than just the "civil rights leader" he is remembered as today. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of America's greatest moral philosophers. The post The King We Need: Martin Luther King Jr., Moral Philosopher appeared first on Lion's Roar. [...]
(Natural News) Older people’s mental health worsened during lockdowns as their loneliness put them at risk of depression and anxiety, according to a recent study led by researchers from the University of Exeter in the U.K. Published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics, the study revealed that a drop in physical activity levels was linked to symptoms of poor mental... [...]
(Natural News) Twitter is happy to press the censor button on a world leader who the company disagrees with politically, but it’s a lot more difficult to convince them to take down child pornography. In fact, the social media platform is so reluctant to remove such material that a victim of sex trafficking is suing... [...]
![Steve Hilton drops BOMBSHELL: "Dr. Fauci's institute commissioned research that produced this [COVID-19] virus" after Obama administration banned funding of the controversial research](https://www.naturalnews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2021/01/Fauci-Committee-Hearing-Coronavirus.jpg)
(Natural News) Last week, “President Biden’s” new Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Fauci, gleefully announced that “President” Biden has agreed to retract President Trump’s decision to withdraw support for the World Health Organization, calling its president Dr. Tedros his “dear friend.” (Article by Patty McMurray republished from 100PercentFedUp.com) Fox News’ The Revolution host Steve Hilton unloaded... [...]
(Natural News) Have you checked your social credit score lately? You might want to. Mine seems to have taken a nosedive this month. You might want to see how yours is doing. (Article by Josh Hawley republished from NYPost.com) Everyone knows what a credit score is. But social credit scores are new. They’re the latest... [...]
(Natural News) Despite decrying censorship when it was happening to them last year, when Donald Trump was banned from Twitter and Facebook earlier this month, the left praised the move by big tech. “Facebook is a private company and can do what they want,” the pro-censorship hypocritical crowd chanted ad nauseum through the digital ether... [...]
(Natural News) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Florida Department of Health and the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department are investigating the sudden passing of a doctor who developed a rare autoimmune disorder several days after receiving Pfizer’s coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. Dr. Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynecologist from Miami Beach, received the vaccine at Mount Sinai Medical... [...]
(Natural News) The condition or appearance of the hair reflects the state of an individual’s overall health. The cells that make up each strand of hair require a steady supply of key nutrients to maintain their structure and natural shine. However, there are multiple factors that influence hair growth, and knowing what these factors are could help... [...]
(Natural News) It is becoming increasingly clear that pharmaceutical antibiotics are not the life-saving drugs their makers say they are. Prone to misuse, antibiotics have given rise to a new breed of drug-resistant bacteria called “superbugs,” creating one of the most dangerous public health crises of this time. On top of this, antibiotics have numerous side effects. They can cause changes... [...]
(Natural News) Cassia siamea, commonly known as yellow cassia or Siamese senna, is an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia, particularly in the countries of Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. Known as a source of high-quality firewood, yellow cassia is also grown as an ornamental because of the bright yellow flowers it produces throughout... [...]
(Natural News) Areas of Hebei, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Henan, and Ningxia provinces, as well as Inner Mongolia and Beijing announced that they entered “wartime” mode over the weekend due to surges in COVID-19 cases. (Article by Nicole Hao republished from TheEpochTimes.com) “Wartime” mode typically means that restrictions are placed on when residents can leave their homes, and almost all public... [...]
Science News
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Axions are a hypothetical particle that might explain the existence of dark matter. But it might occasionally interact with normal matter, especially in the cores of stars. A team of physicists have searched for evidence of axions in Betelgeuse and come up with nothing. It doesn’t mean that the axion doesn’t exist, but it does … Continue reading "Astronomers Hoped to see Evidence of Dark Matter Particles Inside Betelgeuse. No Luck" The post Astronomers Hoped to see Evidence of Dark Matter Particles Inside Betelgeuse. No Luck appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
The Sun has a lot of rhythm and goes through different cycles of activity. The most well-known cycle might be the Schwabe cycle, which has an 11-year cadence. But what about cycles with much longer time scales? How can scientists understand them? As it turns out, the Sun has left some hidden clues in tree … Continue reading "Tree Rings Reveal 1,000 Years of Solar Activity" The post Tree Rings Reveal 1,000 Years of Solar Activity appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
Planetary nebulae are the most beautiful objects in the night sky. Their gossamer shells of gas are otherworldly and evocative. They captivate the eye, and viewers need no scientific knowledge to get drawn in. How are they created, and why do they look so beautiful? First of all, if you don’t know already, planetary nebulae … Continue reading "Why do Planetary Nebulae Look the Way They Do?" The post Why do Planetary Nebulae Look the Way They Do? appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
The TRAPPIST-1 system has long be studied by exoplanet hunters due to its unique quantity of planets that happen to also be Earth sized. In a recent paper, a team of scientists led by Erik Agol at the University of Washington, dove into more detail on the density of the seven known planets in the … Continue reading "There are Seven Rocky Planets in the TRAPPIST-1 System and They’re Surprisingly Similar" The post There are Seven Rocky Planets in the TRAPPIST-1 System and They’re Surprisingly Similar appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
Rocket fuel is one of the most important components of any maneuverable spacecraft. That is also true for ion thrusters – while they don’t use traditional chemical fuel, they do still need a feed source for their ion engines. Now, a team from ThrustMe, a spinoff of the École Polytechnique and CNRS, has designed a … Continue reading "Lightweight Iodine Thruster Could Help Solve Space Junk Problem" The post Lightweight Iodine Thruster Could Help Solve Space Junk Problem appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
Computers are known for their ability to spot patterns. It’s what they are good at, and over the last 50+ years they have continued to improve. But they only know how to spot patterns if they know where to look for them in data. So sometimes, it falls to a human to truly see a … Continue reading "An Active Galaxy That Erupts Predictably Every 114 Days Or So" The post An Active Galaxy That Erupts Predictably Every 114 Days Or So appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
A new study by an international team shows how the physics of a black hole's event horizon could allow us to harness limitless energy from them someday. The post A New Idea to Harness Energy From Black Holes appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
SpaceX has just acquired two former oil drilling rigs off the coast of Texas, which it is converting into launch facilities called Phobos and Deimos The post Starships Will be Launching From These Oil Drilling Platforms Bought by SpaceX appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
In the academic literature, review papers are widespread, and can help ground discussion on a specific topic by bringing new researchers up to speed as well as allowing experienced hands to catch up on some topics they might have otherwise missed. Anytime a new one on a topic of space exploration is published, it helps … Continue reading "3-D Printing on the Moon. From Regolith to Paste to Useful Objects and Structures" The post 3-D Printing on the Moon. From Regolith to Paste to Useful Objects and Structures appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
Dancing is a favorite pastime of many couples. Swinging around a dance floor, using the laws of physics to twirl at just the right moment, and hopefully not step on any toes, is an art unto itself. The same laws of physics that govern couples on a dance floor also govern (to some extent) the … Continue reading "Massive Binary Stars Huddle Up Surprisingly Quickly" The post Massive Binary Stars Huddle Up Surprisingly Quickly appeared first on Universe Today. [...]
Event Horizon Telescope honoured by the Royal Astronomical SocietyFriday Jan 08, 2021The Group Achievement Award, bestowed upon a group that includes several Perimeter researchers, recognizes outstanding achievement by a large consortium within astronomy. [...]
2020: Perimeter's scientific year in reviewThursday Dec 17, 2020Perimeter researchers rose to the challenges of a highly disruptive year. [...]
Perimeter Institute launches Clay Riddell Centre for Quantum MatterThursday Oct 15, 2020A new research hub at Perimeter seeks to accelerate discovery in one of the fastest-growing fields in physics, thanks to a $10 million investment from the Riddell Family Charitable Foundation. [...]
Perimeter congratulates 2020 winners of the Nobel Prize in PhysicsTuesday Oct 06, 2020This year’s winners were honoured for their discoveries relating to black holes. [...]
CHIME receives Governor General’s Innovation AwardWednesday Jul 15, 2020The CHIME team is recognized for its outstanding and groundbreaking telescope. [...]
Perimeter participates in #Strike4BlackLivesFriday Jun 26, 2020Perimeter Institute participated in the Strike for Black Lives and continues to evaluate ways to become a stronger ally in the fight against anti-Black racism. [...]
Perimeter among top winners at CCAE AwardsTuesday Jun 16, 2020The Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education honoured Perimeter Institute with four Prix d’Excellence awards. [...]
Four new Simons Emmy Noether Fellows announcedMonday Jun 15, 2020The next group of Simons Emmy Noether Visiting Fellows includes four talented physicists with specialties ranging from the tiniest particles to large-scale theories of gravity. [...]
Anna Golubeva earns Borealis AI FellowshipMonday Jun 08, 2020Perimeter PhD student named one of 10 Borealis AI Fellows for her research in machine learning. [...]
Kevin Costello admitted as Honorary Member of the Royal Irish AcademyWednesday May 27, 2020Perimeter Faculty member Kevin Costello was one of 29 members admitted in a virtual ceremony in May. [...]
Astronomers have detected the first Jupiter-like planet without clouds or haze in its observable atmosphere. [...]
Scientists have just shown that the influence of Saturn's satellites can explain the tilt of the rotation axis of the gas giant. Their work also predicts that the tilt will increase even further over the next few billion years. [...]
The fluttery flight of butterflies has so far been somewhat of a mystery to researchers, given their unusually large and broad wings relative to their body size. Now researchers have studied the aerodynamics of butterflies in a wind tunnel. The results suggest that butterflies use a highly effective clap technique, therefore making use of their unique wings. This helps them rapidly take off when escaping predators. [...]
Study participants continued to improve their antibodies months after initial infection, potentially due to exposure to remnants of the virus hidden in the gut. [...]
Scientists show evidence that nitrogen acquired during Earth's formation came from both the inner and outer regions of the protoplanetary disk. The study has implications for signs of potential habitability of exoplanets. [...]
Astronomers discover that the core mass of exoplanet WASP-107b is much lower than previously thought possible for a gas-giant planet. [...]
Earth's global average surface temperature in 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record, according to an analysis by NASA. [...]
A new study finds that due to COVID-19 deaths last year, life expectancy at birth for Americans will shorten by 1.13 years to 77.48 years -- the largest single-year decline in life expectancy in at least 40 years. [...]
Flooding has caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage in the U.S. over the past three decades. Researchers found that 36 percent of the costs of flooding in the U.S. from 1988 to 2017 were a result of intensifying precipitation, consistent with predictions of global warming. [...]
Scientists believe that planets like Earth bob in a sea of gravitational waves that spread throughout the universe. Now, an international team has gotten closer than ever before to detecting those cosmic ripples. [...]
NASA’s mission to the outer solar system has found more light than expected. That could mean more galaxies in the visible universe than we thought— or less, depending on who you talk to. The post What New Horizons Found in Deep Space — And Why It Matters appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
The incredible variety of telescopes presents a real challenge for first-time buyers. Here's a no-nonsense primer to an astronomical rite of passage. The post How to Choose a Telescope appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
SpaceX has placed more than 1,000 Starlinks in orbit, and other companies are following suit. Here's the latest on what's being done to protect astronomy. The post Beyond Starlink: The Satellite Saga Continues appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
Measurements of Starlink's "VisorSat" show SpaceX has succeeded in making a less reflective satellite. But it's still visible from dark-sky areas. The post Starlink Satellites Are Fainter Now — But Still Visible appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
Right after dark, face east and look very high. The bright star there is Capella, the Goat Star. To the right of it, by a couple of finger-widths at arm's length, is a small, narrow triangle of 3rd- and 4th-magnitude stars known as "the Kids." Though they're not exactly eye-grabbing, they form a never-forgotten asterism with Capella. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 22 – 30 appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
China’s Chang’e 5 spacecraft helped deliver samples from the Moon to Earth. Now it’s heading for an extended mission to observe the Sun. The post China's Chang'e 5 Probe Heads Sunward appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
If you own an 8-inch or larger telescope you might see more than a dozen new and returning comets this year, including one potential naked-eye candidate. The post Comet Watch 2021 appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
Don't be intimidated by astrophotography equipment — modest equipment can do great things. The post In Astrophotography, Bigger Is Not Always Better! appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
NASA has granted two key planetary missions extensions, so InSight and Juno will continue to return data from Mars and Jupiter, respectively, for years to come. The post NASA Extends Juno, InSight Missions appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]
In the news this week: Globular clusters have the detailed scoop on our galaxy's past, and a "heartbeat" black hole binary in the Milky Way has gone mysteriously dim. The post Astronomy News: Galactic One-Two Punch, Black Hole Heartbeat Falters appeared first on Sky & Telescope. [...]