Today we are celebrating my 100th post
on Share it! Science News. This blog has come a long way since that first post
on the discovery of the dinosaur Dreadnoughtus! Thanks for reading and making this possible!
I thought it would be fun to celebrate
100 by taking a look at other "100s" in science!
100 years ago this year, Albert
Einstein published his theory of general relativity.
The theory,
or just "relativity"
as it has come to be known in the physics world states: "that
all motion must be defined relative to a frame of reference and that
space and time are relative rather than absolute concepts". The
original general theory deals with gravity, and the second part of
the theory, special relativity (that would come later) deals with
uniform motion. Recently, the Hubble telescope took some images that
provide evidence for Einstein's theory, a nice 100th anniversary
present I'd say!
Another anniversary, maybe less famous, yet still
influential to science, takes place this year. Pyrex
glassware is 100 years old! In 1915 Corning Incorporated introduced a
line of borosilicate glassware for use in laboratories. This
glassware was low-thermal-expansion, meaning it could handle
temperature changes without cracking. This glassware also had many
uses in the kitchen and is still used in kitchens and labs today. Now
Pyrex sold in the United States is made of tempered glass, but in other parts
of the world it is still made of the more expensive borosilicate. I use this glassware at school and at home! You can enter to win some kitchenware at their 100th
anniversary website!
In fact, 1915 was a significant year
for science in lots of ways. Just to name a few:
- Pluto was photographed for the first time.
- Proxima Centauri, our closest star besides the Sun was discovered.
- The theory of Pangea was published.
- The term "fight or flight" was coined to describe animals response to threats.
- The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (the precursor to NASA) was established in the United States.
Other interesting science "100s"
- Have you ever wondered what the top 100 most cited scientific papers are? Check them out here.
- Did you catch Popular Science's Best 100 Innovations of 2014? If you missed these cool gadgets and inventions check it out here.
- How about Discover magazine's top 100 stories of 2014?
I'm very excited to make it to 100
posts! Glad you've been along for the ride, here's to more science to
share!
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