Book Review: Brilliant Blunders by Mario Livio

Science is not as concrete as we believe it to be. What we know today as fact was once only theory. Only through the evaluation of those premises, conclusions, and so called “facts” can society continue to develop its scientific beliefs. Brilliant Blunders highlights those major miscalculations by great scientific thinkers that led to other discoveries and truths even though that was not the scientist’s intention.

Let us consider Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity that proposes objects move in relation to each other in time creating the space-time continuum that still holds true today. He also proposed a concept called dark energy. He later removed the theory calling it a mistake. A problem resulted when other researchers confirmed that it actually exists. NASA currently believes that dark energy constitutes most of our universe and Einstein was right.

Science is on its own continuum of development. Mistakes are rarely accidental and require significant learned skill to make correctly. For example, the incorrect model of DNA proposed by Linus Pauling was wrong but also helped to develop a better model of DNA. The same can be said of Darwin’s Origin of Species. The incorrect models of thinking were leaps in intellectual advancement that helped others to think differently.

Science is about putting forward a hypothesis, model and theory. They are all only explanations that can change over time as new discoveries are found. A hypothesis is tested to create a model and models are used to develop theories. A model is the physical representation of a theory and is used to generate a theory. Sometimes models are derived from a theory to test the validity of that theory.

People propose ideas and concepts and these may not always be correct. However, as they move through the scientific method they also develop affirmations and negations that can be used in other theories. Science is an additive process whereby each study helps lend support or remove support for concepts until a predominant theory takes hold. Blunders are part of that process of learning.

The book helps scientists understand that there is no such thing as a mistake as some of the greatest discoveries in the world are mistakes. Mistakes add to the body of knowledge and this body of knowledge makes its way slowly into the collective intelligence. Such knowledge is then used to advance practical concerns in the business and civilian world. If you want to understand how to make a mistake the right way read this book.

Livio, M. (2013). Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein-Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists that Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe. Simon and Schulster, NY. ISBN 9781439192368

No Monkey Business with Math Calculating Primates

Most of us have difficulty with math. The exercise lands in the categories somewhere between going to the dentist and paying bills. However, math is an important function of higher order thinking. It requires the ability to understand quantities of information and put those into symbols for manipulation. According to a recent study in the National Academy of Science (PNAS) Rhesus Monkeys have the ability to do math using similar methods as humans. 

Using three Rhesus Macques that are four and five years old the researchers put them into an intense math learning program. The monkeys studied two to four hours a day and were rewarded with treats. Sometimes these monkeys studied seven days a week in their own learning classes. 

The monkeys touched a screen choosing between two options (1). The touch screen only required them to touch the right answers to get rewarded (conditioning). They were taught 26 abstract symbols by reinforcing correct learning. The monkeys were able to touch the biggest number 90% of the time.

The monkeys were able to move from using physical quantities to abstract Arabic numerals. Larger numbers received larger rewards. Correct answers created satisfaction in the learning. As an example they were taught the difference between XXX xx XXX xx or 11 as a higher number. It requires a fundamental shift in what these symbols represented to the monkeys. 

Humans are still the best in math and can learn more quickly than monkeys. However, the study does help us find the 97%+ similarities found between the two species. It is possible that monkeys have the capacity to use some of the mental processes of humans as well as the ability to think abstractly about numbers. Researchers have known for a long time how smart rhesus monkeys were and have used those in various programs include space flight. They now know they are capable of much more with the right education.  

The Study

The Navy Turns Science Fiction into Modern Technology

What does the Navy of the future look like? New technology has changed the fundamental development pattern of one of the world’s strongest military organizations. The navy ship of the future will be difficult to detect by radar, equipped with lasers, powered by ocean water, and able to launch projectiles with electromagnetic waves. It is no longer science fiction but is currently being run and adapted to modern warfare.  The wave of the future is one of constant development and transformation.

This week the Navy will christen its most advanced destroyer called the USS Zumwalt (1). The canopy of the ship is built on angles which make it difficult to spot on radar. Its impact and detection would look more like a fishing boat to the electronic eye. It will also carry the Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) which fires computer-guided and self-propelling shells that can reach three times the distance of an ordinary destroyer. 

In addition, over the next few years lasers (LaWs) will be installed on some ships. They will afford the ability to shoot aircraft and small water vessels at a price of a dollar. Unlike other small craft defense mechanisms, it can be used to pinpoint the engine, specific location, or even person (2). This creates the ability to handle smaller objects with precision and cost effectiveness.

Let’s not forget that in 2016 an electromagnetic gun will be tested on fast paced seafaring ships. The gun cuts expenses of projectiles to $25,000 from $1 million (3). The ships will store more projectiles, shoot faster, and do it cheaper than conventional methods. With a simple electromagnetic pulse a projectile is launched seven times the speed of sound and carry the strength of missiles.

Of course we cannot forget the development of perpetual fuel made from sea water. A new catalytic converter can transform carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater into a liquid hydrocarbon fuel (4). Navy researchers will be working over the next few years to produce the fuel in quantity on land and then make it commercially available to its ships. This cuts cost of fuel to $3-$6 per gallon. 

The military of the near future will be cheaper, pinpoint resources better, conserve costs and do more with less. It will be powerful and unmatched in the waters. Ships will sail to the furthest ends of the earth without needing to refuel and micro-manufacturing will ensure they can do more with less space. It will be a military that uses science to enhance its mechanical and human abilities. Robotics and miniaturization will become the name of the game. None of this is possible without the fundamentals of STEM oriented education, the scientific mind, and the human capital to make it all possible. Cheers to the American Military!

PISA Report: U.S. Mediocre in Education

Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, recently released its 2012 results for creative problem solving for real life solutions. They looked at numerous countries to determine which 15-year-olds are best equipped to handle various problems.  The results compare the U.S. against other nations in global trends. The results indicate the U.S. is not doing very well and has lots of room for improvement. 

Among the 34 OECD nations the U.S. is performing below average with a ranking of 26 in math, 17 in reading and 21 in science.  The silver lining is that the country has not slipped from previous positions and seems to match their European counterparts. However, the results rank behind a number of Asian countries. 

More strikingly, 26% of American students don’t even reach the minimum requirements to be tested leaving them off the test. This is higher than the average of 23% in other countries. Top performers within the country are 2% compared against 3% for the average and 31% for Shanghai-China. The U.S. is not fostering their highest performers to excel within the classroom and this impacts their capacity to compete in the future. 

Students are still suffering from socio-economic issues. Those from the most disadvantages schools are having a difficult time competing against their counterparts and those of other nations. In the United States 5% of  students that come from the lowest 25% socioeconomic status perform better than their circumstances compared with the 7% international average. It is difficult for them to improve their position in life.

Common Core appears to have some positive benefits with test taking and the researchers indicate that by implementing such standards improvement in achievement can be expected. Likewise, schools that compete against other schools and have some autonomy in their decisions do better than those who don’t. Assessment appears to be only part of the answer as 80% of U.S. schools post data publicly while the average is 45% in other countries.

The educational environment needs the concerted effort of multiple stakeholders. Even though some of the factors in home life may be out of control of decision-makers this shouldn’t slow the advancement of providing better opportunities. Getting students in school at a younger age appears to make an important difference in socializing them to the world of higher academic performance. 

Creative problem solving isn’t something that is born in a vacuum. There are many pieces that come together to solve complex problems. Students that understand the concrete aspects of math (even though math can be subjective at its core root based upon how units are measured) and have the free-flowing thought processes to be creative can build better models and test those models with scientific methods. It is this critical and creative thinking that takes science and makes it practical for public use to solve problems.

PISA (2012). Lessons from PISA 2012 for the United States. Retrieved April 1^st, 2014 from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA2012_US%20report_ebook%28eng%29.pdf

Call for Papers: Sixth International Conference on Science in Society

Location: Vancouver, Canada
Date: October 10-11, 2014

Call for Papers for the Sixth International Conference on Science in Society and the Call for Submissions to The International Journal of Science in Society.

The 2014 Science in Society Conference will be held at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver, Canada from 10-11 October. Proposals for paper presentations, poster sessions, workshops, roundtables or colloquia are invited to the conference, addressing science in society through one of the following themes:

Theme 1: The Values and Politics of Science
Theme 2: The Social Impacts and Economics of Science
Theme 3: The Knowledge Systems and Pedagogies of Science

Website:
http://science-society.com/vancouver-2014