Facts of the Matter: Earth’s landscape constantly shaped by complex processes
The landscape is something we see every day. It is as familiar as a member of the family, yet we seldom think about how it got to be that way. Read more
Facts of the Matter
Richard Brill is a retired professor of science at Honolulu Community College. His column runs on the first and third Fridays of the month.
Facts of the Matter: Mirror neurons are essential to aiding human connections
Homo sapiens are fascinated to watch ourselves in mirrors, but we must watch others for models of how to behave. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Atmospheric rivers form with a boost from the vast Pacific Ocean
The Pineapple Express, a local name for the atmospheric disturbance that drenches the U.S. West Coast, is one of several atmospheric rivers, a relatively narrow region in the atmosphere that is responsible for most of the horizontal transport of water vapor outside the tropics. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Lubricating grease starts with oil and soap
Everybody knows what “greasy” means, even if only from that coating on your hands after downing a bucket of the colonel’s finest. But rendered animal fat is a different kind of grease from that used for lubrication. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Humans’ perception of color depends on numerous factors
Sunlight is the primary illuminator. Its spectrum is a familiar rainbow with maximum emittance in a color that most of us would call yellow-green. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Stars’ life spans defined by fusion and contraction
Stars have an average lifetime of 5 billion years, so we obviously cannot study one from birth to death. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Forces of nature ensure sand, all matter maintain their form
There is a universe in a grain of sand. Three of the four known forces of nature combine to hold together the nuclei of atoms and their electron clouds. Contained within the atomic and crystal structure of the sand and all atoms are all of the forces that exist in the universe. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Mirages help enhance view of sunset’s elusive green flash
Some say they have seen it, but most never have. Others say it does not exist, and yet others think they have seen it but really have not. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Water’s unique properties, phases continue to amaze
Clouds have a dual personality. On one hand, they form beautiful piles of fluffy white cumulus, flat sheets of stratus and feathers of icy cirrus, all of which entertain with spectacular yellow, orange and red sunrises and sunsets. Read more
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Facts of the Matter: Carbon-fiber technology can aid climate ambitions
Carbon is undoubtedly the most important chemical element on Earth. It is the element of life, the source of most of the world’s energy, the basis of plastics and the major industrial pollutant in the atmosphere. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Trans fats easy and cheap but hazardous to our health
Over the past 30 years, research has clearly identified the adverse health effects of trans fatty acids, most notably on coronary heart disease. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Fermentation occurs both in food and in our muscles
The chance that any one of us will consume some fermented food or beverage today is 100%. That is to say, it is certain. Bread, cheese, yogurt, beer and wine, cured salami, cocoa and pickled foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi are some examples of fermented products. Read more
Column: Southern Ocean finally gets official recognition
On June 8 people around the globe celebrated World Oceans Day. National Geographic magazine had a special reason for celebration: The frigid waters that flow around Antarctica have long been known as the Southern Ocean because its properties are relatively uniform throughout. Read more
Column: Isotopes have applications beyond radioactive dating
When we hear the word “isotope,” most of us would think of radioactivity. Radioactive analysis is the most commonly known form of isotopic analysis, but it is only a part. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Rocks and night sky provide evidence of magnetic field
Using nothing but a compass as a navigational tool, ancient mariners from China to Sumer navigated the world’s oceans. Even in the modern age of GPS, the magnetic compass is an unfaltering navigational tool for seagoing vessels, airplanes and hikers on the ground. Read more
Column: Humans continue to rely on salt for life, livelihood
Rock salt is a mineral, halite. It occurs in massive underground deposits on all continents. In its pure form it is sodium chloride, a crystalline substance composed of equal numbers of sodium and chlorine atoms. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Experts continue to seek ways to re-create sun’s fusion energy
Thermonuclear reactions deep in the sun’s interior consistently generate the same amount of energy as 2.5 billion 500-megawatt generators, the largest on Earth. In one short second the sun produces enough energy to power New York City for 100 years. Read more
Facts of The Matter: Annual date of Easter tied to equinox and full moon
The association of eggs and rabbits with Easter is not immediately apparent. Easter is a Christian holiday, and it is a celebration of fertility and rebirth, the modern continuation of ageless rites of spring that we have borrowed and adapted from ancient pagan rituals. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Solar activity better studied but remains unpredictable
The sun is the source of all life and almost all energy on Earth, and we live within its extended atmosphere, protected only somewhat against its variable and harmful output of streams of high-energy particles and radiation by a weak magnetic field and our own thin atmosphere. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Common, destructive free radical can be found in chemically pure water
The hydroxyl radical is the dominant oxidizing chemical in Earth’s atmosphere. It is also the most common and most active free radical present in human and other animal tissue, yet it is contained in chemically pure water. Read more
Facts of the Matter: Polar vortex gains notoriety as icy weather sweeps nation
The polar vortex is a permanent low-pressure system that surrounds the geographical north and south poles. “Vortex” refers to the circulation around the poles. The term also describes smaller vortices that occur within lobes of the primary vortex. Read more
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