News

The Right History of Left-handedness

News

We all know someone who’s left-handed.  I am. My dad is. So is President Obama! In fact, about 10 percent of the population is left-handed. But why? Is there some advantage to being left-handed? Is there one to being right-handed? It’s commonplace knowledge that left-handedness was once considered evil. In the 18th century, many teachers went to great lengths to suppress left-handed writing. Students were prohibited from writing with their left hand, and anyone who was caught would be severely punished. Christianity teaches that Jesus is to the right of God, while punishment is on the left. This led to the widespread association of left with the devil, and served as the reasoning for forcing students to write with the right hand—they were sending children down the moral, right path. 

It’s no wonder that being left-handed was considered evil for so long. For starters, it wasn’t (and still isn’t) the norm. Humans have shown time and time again that they will fight anything that is different. Furthermore, the words “right” and “left” have good and bad connotations, respectively. Today, “right” is often used to mean “correct,” but the original meaning was “straight.” In contrast, the word “left” comes from an Old English word for “weak.” In French, the word for “left” originally meant “awkward.” This leaves us with the correct (right) hand and the weak and awkward (left) hand. The right hand was the “correct” hand because it was common to be right-handed, even before lefties were suppressed. 

The practice of converting lefties lasted far longer than many realize. It wasn’t until the 1970s that being left-handed was accepted. Even then, it wouldn’t be for another ten years that this trend would become the norm. Now, forcing children to be right-handed is seen as inhumane. However, in a school computer lab, the mouse is set up to the right of the computer. Left-handed students adapt and learn a little motor control with their right hand. Most of the desks were designed with righties in mind. In the rare case there is a left-handed desk, they’re crowded to the left side of the room or three lefties have to fight over one desk. We don’t force our lefties to be right-handed. Instead, we force them to adapt to our right-handed world. 

Furthermore, being left-handed is deadly. This is not due to the right being better than the left, it’s due to the sheer volume of right-handed people. Since there are more righties than lefties, the world is designed for right-handed consumers. For example, right-handed scissors push into our hands, hurting them. We must hold our pencil awkwardly to accommodate the spirals on notebooks. Pen smears across our paper as we write left to right. Lefties are more likely to get into fatal car crashes. Living in a world that is not designed for you is dangerous from an evolutionary standpoint. 

While it is more dangerous to be left-handed, that doesn’t mean we should avoid being a leftie. These are simply statistics. They don’t reflect the outcome of every left-handed life. 

People are always claiming that being left-handed somehow affects your personality. They say it makes you more creative, more intelligent, or more likely to lead. This is simply untrue. Studies have showed time and time again that there is no link between handedness and personality. That being said, people with psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia, are more likely to be left-handed than right-handed. Researchers are not sure why. 

At the end of the day, handedness doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t say anything about our personality, or how our life will truly end. Being left-handed is nothing more than a fun fact. Be proud of your left hand, cut it some slack, and remind your hand it’s not awkward after all.

August Sky Spotlight

Astronomy and Physics, Earth, News

2nd: Moon at Perigee

On August 2nd, the Moon will be at its closest spot to Earth. This is called perigee.

7th: 1st Quarter

The Moon will be in its first quarter phase!

9th: Moon and Jupiter; Mercury in Greatest Western Elongation

The Moon and Jupiter will meet in the constellation Scorpio in the Southwestern sky.

Saturn, Venus, and Mercury in a dawning sky. Source: universetoday.com

Since Mercury is in between the Earth and the Sun, Mercury is always in the daytime sky. As Mercury goes around the Sun, it gets closer and farther away from the Sun in the sky. On the 9th, Mercury will be as far from the Sun as it gets. This is called greatest western elongation. This is when Mercury is at its best viewing because it’s not washed out by the Sun.

11th: Venus and Sun

On the 11th, Venus and the Sun will be together in the constellation Cancer! However, the Sun’s brightness will make this nearly impossible to view. Look towards (but not at) the rising Sun in the East.

12th: Moon, Saturn, and Pluto; Perseid’s Peak

The Moon, Saturn, and Pluto will be together in Sagittarius on the 12th. To see them, look towards the Southern sky.

In addition to seeing the Moon and planets, this night will feature one of the best shows the sky puts on: a meteor shower. The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak the night of the 12th and into the morning of the 13th. Look to the Northeast to see the show. Unfortunately, the bright Moon will inhibit viewing, but there will still be plenty to see!

15th: Full Moon, Venus at its Brightest 

The 15th will bring a full moon! And, if you look at the dawn sky, you will see a very bright Venus.

17th: Moon and Neptune; Moon at Apogee

The Moon and Neptune will appear together on the Eastern side of Aquarius. In addition, the Moon will be at apogee, it’s farthest point from Earth.

21st: Uranus and Moon

On the 21st, Uranus and the Moon will be seen in the Eastern sky in Aries.

23rd: Last Quarter; Venus and Mars

The Moon will be in its last quarter phase on the 23rd, while Venus and Mars will be together in the sky. They will be near the Sun in the constellation Leo.

29th: Mercury, Moon, and Sun

On the 29th, Mercury, the Moon, and the Sun will all be together. Look to the dawn sky to see them.

30th: Moon, Venus, and Mars; New Moon; Moon at Perigee 

The Moon, Venus, and Mars will be near the Sun; dawn will bring the best viewing. However, the new moon may be difficult to spot. Finally, the Moon will have returned to its closest point to the Earth.

31st: Sun and Mars

The Sun and Mars will be together in the constellation Leo.

The Last Lecture Book Review

book reviews, News

Once, at a book store with my mom, she spotted a book she had once read. While describing the plot, she began to tear up—this book was apparently that good and that sad. The next day, I picked up the copy we had at home and began to read.

The Last Lecture is by Jeffrey Zaslow and Dr. Randy Pausch. Pausch told about his life and Zaslow put the book together. In the book, Pausch is dying of cancer. He doesn’t have long to live, but he wants to impart his wisdom to the world. In particular, he wants to pass it on to his kids. These children will grow up without their father, so he must leave behind as much of himself as he can. 

Randy Pausch is a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This allowed him to teach his students valuable life lessons, off the computer. Furthermore, it gave him ample opportunity to learn from students. These stories are used to teach the reader about life. 

Pausch tells the reader what he learned through personal stories, whether it was humility, gratitude, or respect. These stories carry universal themes that can help anyone, anywhere. That being said, Pausch shows his age. He is clearly from the same generation as my mother. This generational gap caused some of the lessons to fall flat for me. For example, he spoke of kids being “entitled” these days. This is an accusation that is often thrown onto Millenials and Gen Z, so it made me roll my eyes. 

My favorite thing about the book was that it was honest. Pausch admits his mistakes. Even better, he learns from them. 

I have to admit, the book did not make me cry. Although, I think that has more to do with me than the book. The story was sweet and touching, but not tear-jerking. That being said, many others have bawled at this story. I think this book is a fantastic read because it is applicable to everyone. There is at least one lesson for each person. The Last Lecture is a must-read for anyone looking to learn a little something about life.

Dyson Spheres: Smart or Stupid?

Astronomy and Physics, Earth, News

The other day my dad made a bold claim: Dyson spheres are stupid. I told him that they were not stupid, and he replied that they are because they’re physically impossible. 

I have to admit, he may have a point there. I mean, a true Dyson sphere would have to be quite large. That would take a lot of materials. Does the Earth have enough materials? Does the solar system? 

A Dyson sphere is a theoretical structure that encompasses a star. This structure would harvest as much sunlight as possible.

Olaf Stapledon made the first mention of Dyson spheres in his book Star Maker, but Freedman Dyson later proposed them in a scientific journal as a solution to an advanced civilization’s energy shortage. We rank hypothetical advanced civilizations on the Kardashev Scale, which is based on energy consumption. Currently, humans are not advanced enough to show up on the scale. However, a civilization with a Dyson sphere would be a Type II civilization—they would be able to harness the energy of their star. 

The sun is constantly producing 386 septillion watts of energy. Less than a billionth of a percent of this energy reaches the Earth. Humans harvest even less than this. Clearly, there is a ton of missed solar energy. 

But how would a Dyson sphere actually work? If it were to encompass the sun, but not the Earth, we would no longer receive sunlight. That wouldn’t work; it’s common knowledge that we need sunlight for life. So maybe it should follow the Earth’s orbit, with a little gap for the Earth. Or maybe it should be a little bigger than the Earth’s orbit and hold us inside too. Either way, that would be an astronomically large structure. The Earth is 93 million miles from the sun, so a sphere of that size would have a surface area of 109 quadrillion miles squared. My dad is right, that would be (nearly) impossible. There are not enough materials on the Earth. Luckily, there are enough materials in the solar system to build one. However, I wouldn’t count on it. 

An artist’s concept of a Dyson sphere. Source: CapnHack, via energyphysics.wikispaces.com

Okay, so we can’t have a Dyson sphere. But maybe we can have a Dyson part of a sphere? Or a Dyson fleet of satellites? Some (my dad), may argue that this is not a true Dyson sphere, but we could harvest far more energy than we do now. Right now, humans can only dream of a Dyson sphere. We don’t have the technology to build such a thing. Even a simpler version would be way out of our league. An array of satellites would need carefully calculated orbits. However, some of these orbits would probably overlap, thus blocking the very light they were sent to collect. 

While a Dyson sphere would be really cool, we don’t need to go to space to harvest light for energy. I mean, we have plenty of working solar panels on Earth. Plus, they’re becoming more popular; solar energy has been increasing for years and continues to do so. While solar energy isn’t as efficient at producing energy as fossil fuels are, you don’t have to pay for sunlight. 

Maybe Dyson spheres are in our future—not our near future, of course. I, for one, don’t have a lot of hope. I think they’re a cool theoretical structure, but I believe they will remain exactly that: theoretical. I would also like to say that my dad is not right. Dyson spheres are not dumb. We just have to be smart enough to build them.

A Trip into the Life of Sally Ride

Astronomy and Physics, Earth, News, women in science

Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, California. She went to a private high school on a scholarship, where she was a bright student and an excellent tennis player. Ride first attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania but ultimately graduated from Standford where she majored in physics and English. She went on to earn her Ph.D. from Standford in 1978. There, Ride studied x-rays emitted by stars. 

In 1978, Dr. Ride applied to be an astronaut after seeing an ad in the school newspaper. She was among the first six women to be selected and had to go through intense training. Ride was not a pilot, but she still had to spend time in a plane—just not in the pilot’s seat. Instead, she trained by being the navigator and communicator for the pilot. Ride loved her time in the plane. In fact, she loved it so much that she later got her pilot’s license. Before going to space, Ride worked in Mission Control. There, she was capsule communicator (CAPCOM for short), which serves as the link from ground to space. NASA prefers astronauts at CAPCOM because they know all the astronauts’ slang.

Source: NASA

Unfortunately, as a female astronaut, Ride faced lots of sexism. People were not used to seeing a woman in such a role. Members of the media often asked Ride extremely sexist questions they would never ask her male colleagues. She was asked “Will the flight affect your reproductive organs?” and “Do you weep when things go wrong on the job?” Luckily, Dr. Sally Ride never let the ignorance of the media stop her. 

Finally, in 1983, Ride became the first American woman in space. Ride flew on the space shuttle Challenger, and successfully completed her mission with her crew. On the shuttle, Ride operated a robotic arm that put satellites into space. Two of these satellites were simply communication satellites, but another carried experiments. Then, in 1984, she went to space again, also aboard the Challenger. She was training for a third mission when the Challenger Disaster occurred. Her mission was canceled, and she would never go to space again. In total, Dr. Sally Ride spent 14 days, 7 hours, and 46 minutes in space. 

The thing that I’ll remember most about the flight is that it was fun. In fact, I’m sure it was the most fun I’ll ever have in my life.

Sally Ride

Ride was selected to the Rogers Commission, which investigated the Challenger explosion. She was instrumental in discovering the cause of the disaster. In 2003, she was asked to help investigate the Columbia accident. She is the only person to serve on commissions for both accidents. 

In 1987, Ride left NASA to work at the Stanford University Center for International Security and Arms Control. They educate tomorrow’s leaders of international policy, while also influencing today’s policy. Just two years later, she became a physics professor at the University of California, San Diego. In the 90s, she led NASA outreach programs that allowed students to ask for images of the Moon and Earth. She co-founded Sally Ride Science in 2001, a company that focuses on encouraging students, especially girls, to get into science. There are so many aspects of science that aren’t well known, so Sally Ride Science shows kids what futures lie in science. This non-profit thrives to this day.

Sally Ride Science. Source: NASA

On July 23, 2012, Dr. Sally Ride died. She had pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly cancers. After her death, it became known that she had a female partner. She had a husband while she was an astronaut, but the marriage quickly ended in divorce. Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy had been partners for the 27 years prior to Ride’s death. Ride had been very private with her personal life, so the public was unaware of this. Ride is the first known LGBT astronaut. 

Sally Ride continues to be an inspiration to this day. She blended science with humanities as an undergrad. She serves as a role model for both young girls and LGBT youth as her legacy lives on through Sally Ride Science. She is the epitome of strength and perseverance, and I look to her when I find myself faced with sexism. We will never forget Sally Ride. Dr. Sally Ride ensured that the world she left behind was better than when she came. We can all learn a lesson from her.

To read more about Women in Science, check out the links below:

Write to the Point Book Review

book reviews, News

Alright. I’m going to say it. Writing is hard. Sometimes I don’t know where to start. Or where to end. Or what to say in between. Usually, my solution is to read about it. Except a lot of writing books are textbooks. Or they’re bland. Or even worse, they’re pretentious. Some books talk of style and claim if you make grammatical errors, you’re a terrible writer and you’re going to fail. At least, that’s how they make me feel.

Luckily, I have found a book that doesn’t preach rules or make you feel bad: Write to the Point, and Feel Better About Your Writing by Bill Stott. This book is written for the young, insecure non-fiction writer. Bill Stott made me feel like I could be a successful writer, through this book alone. I already feel that my writing has improved after reading his book.

Stott is an English teacher, which gives him a unique perspective into the way writing his taught, and, therefore, the way the student thinks about writing. He talks about mistakes teachers make that, he claims, only bring young writers down. He is humanized as he admits his mistakes as a teacher and shares regret for some of his actions.

Stott tells the reader (a writer) to do things they already know how to do (no spoilers). Somehow hearing it said makes it seem so much easier. He points out common errors made by new writers. Not grammatical mistakes (although he does talk about those too), but organizational mistakes. He makes organizing a paper/article/book seem easy.

Write to the Point does talk about grammatical errors, but only briefly. They seem to be an aside at the end of the book. They are explained entirely through examples. I love this because without examples I cannot understand grammar rules.

I must mention that this book was written in 1991. However, you shouldn’t worry that it’s outdated. This book feels as if it was written yesterday. That is, except for the portion on what’s best to write on. If you’re like me, you might have to look up what a word processor is. Otherwise, it’s a non-issue.

If you want to write, but are intimidated or insecure, I would recommend this book to you. I often feel insecure about my writing, but this book reminded me that it’s okay to make mistakes. You can edit! This book is an easy, enjoyable read. It tells you everything you need to know. Get this book and get writing.

What’s the Deal with Palm Oil?

environment, News

It can be difficult to keep up with the best ways to be environmentally friendly. Recently, palm oil has been placed on the chopping block. However, the palm oil issue is not widely understood. This begs the question: is palm oil bad?

Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree, known as Elaeis guineensis to scientists. The oil palm tree is native to Africa but was brought to Southeast Asia by the British in the 1870s. Now, Indonesia and Malaysia produce 85 percent of the world’s palm oil. This is a huge percentage, especially for a place the tree isn’t native to. 

The use of palm oil is more widespread than many realize. Palm oil is in 50 percent of packaged products. It’s in everything from makeup to pizza dough to laundry detergent. And for good reason: palm oil can keep products at the right consistency, it can increase their shelf life, and it has no smell or taste. In addition, it can be used as a cooking oil, like vegetable oil. 

Palm oil is also used because it is harvested incredibly efficiently. According to the World Wildlife Fund, palm oil is 35 percent of the world’s vegetable oil, but only takes up 10 percent of the land. Other oils use up to 10 times as much land to get the same amount of oil. 

Palm oil is not inherently bad—quite the contrary. The basic facts make it seem great, like the perfect oil product. 

Unfortunately, palm oil is often produced in an inhumane or unsustainable manner. Many oil palm tree plantations use child labor. Others pay their workers so little it’s practically slavery. Furthermore, these plantations often replace rainforests, destroying acres upon acres of natural habitat. Many animals, like orangutans, are now endangered due to this activity. Cutting down trees requires a ton of energy, so many harmful hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere. This, in turn, warms the Earth. 

Massive deforestation. Source: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk

Luckily, palm oil can be sustainably harvested, and there are people who do so. Many small farmers make their entire living off of palm oil, which they are producing in an ethical manner. Boycotting palm oil would destroy these farmers’ livelihood and hurt their countries economies. 

To me, this means that it’s not on the consumer to fix the palm oil problem. It’s on the manufacturer. They must choose to only use sustainably produced palm oil. The consumer can encourage this by buying from companies that can guarantee they’ve done so. 

Palm oil is in far too many products to successfully boycott. Plus, palm oil itself is not the problem. It’s the harvesting. Clearly, it can be done in a sustainable manner, and it’s a shame it hasn’t been. 

Don’t worry too much about palm oil. But if you are, consider buying from companies that can guarantee their oil is sustainable. You can check the Oil Palm Buyers Scorecard to see how your favorite brands hold up.

Mae Jemison: Astronaut, Doctor, Icon

Astronomy and Physics, Earth, News, women in science

In September 1992, the Space Shuttle Endeavor rocketed into space with astronauts and science experiments. This was a routine launch, containing a healthy mix of new and experienced astronauts. One astronaut, however, was making history. That day, Dr. Mae Jemison, serving as mission specialist 4, became the first African American woman in space.

Jemison was born in 1956 in Alabama but moved to Chicago at a young age. As a child, she was inspired by Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura. This, along with her parent’s encouragement, fueled her love for science and space. In addition to being remarkably bright, Mae Jemison was also a skilled dancer. 

At 16, Jemison entered Stanford University and earned degrees in Chemical Engineering and African American Studies, despite the fact she faced frequent racial discrimination from her professors. After graduation, she faced a tough decision: medicine or dance. Jemison chose to attend Cornell University and earned her Doctorate in Medicine. While in school, she worked at a Cambodian refugee camp and with Flying Doctors in East African . Later, she worked with the Peace Corps and the Center for Disease Control. 

Left: Mae Jemison’s astronaut portrait. Right: Jemison in space. Source: NASA

Inspired by other female astronauts such as Sally Ride, Dr. Mae Jemison applied to the prestigious astronaut program and was selected in the first group following the Challenger disaster. She flew to space on mission STS-47. Jemison conducted experiments focused mainly on life sciences, including one that involved observing tadpoles in zero-gravity.

Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.

Mae Jemison

A couple months after returning to Earth, Jemison resigned from NASA and returned to the medical field. She served on the World Sickle Cell Foundation’s board of directors. She founded the Jemison Group Inc. and a the Dorothy Jemison Foundation, named for her mother, which runs a science camp for children.

Jemison later worked as a professor of environmental studies at Stanford and as one of Cornell’s Professors-at-Large. She is an advocate for science education, especially among minority children. She then founded BioSentient Corp, which works with research she conducted aboard the Endeavor.

Mae Jemison in 2018. Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

In 2001, she wrote a memoir for children about her life titled Where the Wind Goes, which gives an glimpse into her time as a female student of color. In addition, she wrote multiple children’s books. The Dorothy Jemison Foundation won a prestigious award along with 500 thousand dollars. She also appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation (season six episode 24 if you’re interested) and was the first real astronaut to do so. 

The point is, Dr. Mae Jemison is an incredibly accomplished woman. She does anything she set her mind to. She is so much more than the 190 hours, 30 minutes, and 23 seconds she spent in space. She is a doctor, an advocate, and an author, and I am personally inspired by her perseverance, strength, and intelligence.

To read about more women in science, check out the links below:

The Universe in Your Hands Book Review

Astronomy and Physics, book reviews, News

One thing about astronomy that has always overwhelmed me is its complication. It seems like you need a degree to understand even the simplest literature. Luckily, there are more books about astronomy than ever before, and you need to know less than ever to understand them!

One of my favorite astronomy books is The Universe in Your Hand by Christophe Galfard. This book boasts its use of only a single equation: E=mc^2. There is no math involved. It is purely conceptual, written simply enough for anyone to understand. This book is not for physicists, which is ideal because I (along with many others) am not a physicist. It is the perfect book for the casual astronomy enthusiast as well as the young astrophysicist-to-be.

I love this book because it has calm energy. The book opens with you, the reader, on a beach looking at the stars. The scene exudes peace and relaxation. There is nothing like learning a difficult concept by having it whispered calmly in your ear. Galfard carries this serene energy throughout the entire book.

The Universe in Your Hand is written in second person, with the author referring to the reader as you almost constantly throughout the book. I realize that some people will be skeptical of this, but trust me, Galfard makes it work. You are making the discoveries that answer the questions of the universe. The reader realizes what is happening around them, then Galfard explains it. The reader feels like a part of the experience and is invested in the text.

The book covers everything: string theory, black holes, quantum particles, photons, the life cycle of a star, and so much more. It’s the perfect glimpse into physics without confusing formulas.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in astronomy or astrophysics. Many of my physics friends have borrowed and enjoyed my copy of The Universe in Your Hand. It is perfect for anyone who wants to read about physics but often finds themselves confused by the difficult math involved. You do not need a background in physics to understand this book. If you want to dip your toe into physics, this book is for you. If you are intimidated by the complexity of physics, this book is for you. If you are interested in a lighthearted scientific read, this book is for you.

My point is that this book is for anyone. It’s one of the most accessible scientific texts I’ve ever read. Don’t fear physics, just read The Universe in Your Hand