Month: January 2013
The Moon and Jupiter
photography, space
The Moon meets Jupiter, the closest they will be until 2026
If the sky is clear and you can see the moon, you will see exactly this right now. The bright spot above the moon is Jupiter, the closest the both will appear to be until next time in 2026. I just took this picture from my own backyard in Toronto, fifteen minutes ago. Click the picture for full size.
The stars at night
photography
The stars at night
Night Dance
photography
Leaded Gasoline Linked to the Rise and Fall of Violent Crime
science, societyFor years the rate of violent crime has fallen in the United States. It’s good news, but experts have never been able to explain why crime rates spiked in the 1980s and 1990s but then dramatically dropped in the 2000s. Theories ranging from improved police techniques to the “crack epidemic” to the legalization of abortion have all been proposed by researchers, but none seem to quite fit the facts.
Now, researchers say they may have found the perfect scapegoat for violent crime: leaded gasoline.
If this is more than a simple statistical coincidence (the same kind that “links” the number of post offices with the number of alcoholics in a city for example), I can’t help but wonder what else will be uncovered.