26The Allais Effect
The Allais Effect describes the unpredictable behavior of pendulums during solar eclipses, such as changes in their arcs. Although various labs have found conflicting data, this phenomenon appears real and remains unexplained by known processes like tidal forces, suggesting it may involve the moon interfering with the sun's gravitational field.
27. The first woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science in the United States was Mary Kenneth Keller. She also earned a Master's degree in Mathematics and Physics and helped develop computer programming languages. She was a Catholic nun.
28. Science shows that the egg came before the chicken. A bird that was not a chicken laid the first egg, and around 312 million years ago, the first amniotic (hard-shelled) egg appeared on land. Chickens are domesticated descendants of the red junglefowl, dating back at most 8,000 years. This fact about science clarifies a long-debated question.
29. In 2007, the science advocacy group Sense About Science contacted manufacturers of 15 "detox" products. None of the manufacturers could provide a clear definition of what they meant by detox.
30. The Catholic Church considers the Theory of Evolution to be "virtually certain." Fr. George Coyne, the Vatican's chief astronomer, stated that "intelligent design isn't science, even though it pretends to be. If you want to teach it in schools, intelligent design should be included when teaching religion or cultural history, not science." This stance highlights the Church's acceptance of evolution as a scientific fact.
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31DTA Molecule's Nano Steps
In 2004, researchers demonstrated that the organic molecule 9,10-Dithioanthracene (DTA) could "walk" in a straight line on a metal surface by mimicking bipedal motion. During their experiments, the molecule took 10,000 nano-scale steps on a flat copper surface, with its sulfur-bearing linkers acting like feet that alternately lifted and propelled it forward.
32. The "Pauli effect" describes the tendency of technical equipment to mysteriously malfunction in the presence of certain individuals. The effect, named after Austrian theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, became famous because Pauli's presence was often associated with spontaneous mechanical failures. In one instance, machinery broke even in his absence, but later, his colleagues discovered that he had been passing by the laboratory on a train at the exact moment of the malfunction.
33. A conservative think tank listed 700 scientists who publicly rejected evolution in favor of creationism. In response, the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) launched "Project Steve" in 2003 and found 1,250 scientists named Steve who support evolution. This fact about science illustrates the overwhelming support for evolutionary theory.
34. Faustroll, a fictional pataphysician born in 1898, is associated with "Pataphysics," an absurdist parody of scientific obscurantism. Pataphysics examines imaginary phenomena that exist in a realm beyond metaphysics. Dr. Faustroll, who was born at the age of 63 in Circassia and died in the same year, heads the College of Pataphysics in Paris. Remarkably, a crocodile once held the Vice-Curator position at the College of Pataphysics.
35. The 1950 toy lab set "Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory" contained actual uranium ore, polonium, a Geiger counter, and a cloud chamber. This set, intended for educational purposes, provided children with hands-on experience with radioactive materials.
