The Science of Star Wars

Photo credit: JD Howell

Is it possible to create a lightsaber? Could the Force ever be a reality? ScienceSeeker editor and McMaster University PhD student Thanassis Psaltis explores the real science behind the fictional Star Wars universe.

Since the first Star Wars movie opened in 1977, children the world over have been channelling their inner Obi Wan Kenobi – trying in vain to move objects using the mystical power of the Force.

While it may not be possible to levitate the TV remote using Jedi powers, science tells us that, in fact, there are forces that bind the galaxy together, planets that resemble those found in the Star Wars universe, and that it may – theoretically at least – be possible to build a lightsaber.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. According to Thanassis Psaltis, a first-year PhD student in experimental nuclear astrophysics, Star Wars is full of interesting science.

To mark this week’s release of the latest installment of the Star Wars saga, Psaltis who is supervised by Alan Chen, a professor in McMaster’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, recently explored the science of Star Wars in a unique show he created and presented at McMaster’s W.J. McCallion Planetarium:

Ten science talk tips for the holidays

by Gaia Cantelli, PhD

Credit: Dennis Crowley, used via Creative Commons licence

The holidays are upon us, with people everywhere beginning their annual migrations to be with family for a few days of eating, drinking, exchanging presents and catching up. However, most people will also have relatives whose views are radically different from theirs – and seem to bring them up at the most embarrassing time possible. If you are a scientist yourself, or simply a science enthusiast, one of the most challenging breeds of embarrassing relative is undoubtedly the science-denier. You want to help them, while at the same time you probably don't want to argue under the Christmas tree. Here are some of my best-tested top-tips for dealing with your festive nightmare.

What can scientists do with hijacked sperm? How can you avoid 'purchase regret'? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of December 11-17 2017 #sciseekpicks #scicomm

The mysteries of stars and comets, modern-day evidence for evolution, and the latest insights on how we think. These are among the topics covered by picks the ScienceSeeker editors have made of their favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise. Here is the full round-up of the Science Seeker Editors’ Selections for the past week:

Cassiopeia is a furnace that makes elements. 

• Edible Food Packaging May Cut Down on Waste by Erica Curles at SciWorthy
• Hijacked sperm carry chemo drugs to cervical cancer cells by Alice Klein at New Scientist
• DNA Snapshot Helps Drexel Researchers Uncover Diseases Lurking in Ambulances by Britt Faulstick at Drexel News Blog
• How to Avoid "Purchase Regret" By Conor Artman, Joseph Sherlock, Dan Ariely at Scientific American
• Chemistry Advent 2017 by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest
• Chandra Reveals the Elementary Nature of Cassiopeia A at ChandraBlog 
• Ask Ethan: Why Don’t Comets Orbit The Same Way Planets Do? by Ethan Siegel at Starts With a Bang!
• Simulating Physics by Sonia Fernandez at The University of California Santa Barbara Current
• Artificial Intelligence is Killing the Uncanny Valley and Our Grasp on Reality by Sandra Upson at Wired  
• Podcast of the week: Face Recognition and Identity with Brad Duchaine and Matteo Martini at Science for the People
• Positive parenting gets “under the skin”, showing up years later in the cortisol response by Alex Fradera at British Psychological Society Research Digest
• Scientists Can Now Inject Information Directly Into The Brains Of Monkeys by Daniel Nelson at Science Trends
• Are Bird Feeders Driving Evolution Of Longer Beaks In British Tits? by GrrlScientist 
• Saving Sumatran orchids from deforestation, one plant at a time by Sean Mowbray at Mongabay
• ‘A different dimension of loss’: inside the great insect die-off by Jacob Mikanowski at The Guardian
• ‘A vicious cycle towards extinction:’ Hunting and trade can push even abundant wildlife populations to the brink by by Mike Gaworecki at Mongabay
• Rising Sea by Tamino at Open Mind

Check back next week for more great picks!

Why is the brain of a murdering ex-NFL player important? Why are computer games big news for medicine? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of December 4-10 2017 #sciseekpicks #scicomm

Important findings in neuroscience, including how gaming can be useful; some cold hard food and drink posts for the Northern hemisphere winter; and some great arguments against the weird idea the Earth is flat. These are among the topics covered by picks the ScienceSeeker editors have made of their favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise. Here is the full round-up of the Science Seeker Editors’ Selections for the past week:

• How human memories are made by Elizabeth Finkel at Cosmos Magazine
• Brief Guide to the CTE Brains in the News. Part 1: Aaron Hernandez by The Neurocritic
• For teen boys at risk of psychopathy, laughter isn’t catching by Lucy Foulkes at British Psychological Society Research Digest
• Some adults with autism traits reject conventional sexual labels by Emily Anthes at Spectrum
• Could this be the first prescription video game? New data show it helps kids with ADHD by Rebecca Robbins at STATNews
• DeepMind AI needs mere 4 hours of self-training to become a chess overlord by Nathan Mattise at Ars Technica
• How Salty Foods Affect Hunger and Weight Loss by Monica Reinagel at Scientific American
• Making ice cream with liquid nitrogen - Growing ice crystals at Food Crumbles 
• Whispers of Light Reveal Secrets of Ultracold Water by Stephen Skolnick at Physics Buzz

Supercooled water freezes quickly. Credit: Physics Buzz

• Five Impossible Facts That Would Have To Be True If The Earth Were Flat by Ethan Siegel at Starts With a Bang! 
• The lost river and the Indus Civilisation by Sanjeev Gupta
• US government report finds steady and persistent global warming by John Abraham at Skeptical Science
• The world’s newest great ape, revealed a month ago, is already nearly extinct by Basten Gokkon at Mongabay.com
• Portable DNA analysis tool identifies species on site to help combat wildlife crime by Sue Palminteri at Mongabay.com
• Beetles in color! by Chloé at Pineapples and Whales
• Podcast of the week: Could we use rising sea water to flood desert regions? by Bob McDonald and Michelle Koppes at Quirks and Quarks
• Abandoned by their sponsors, Madagascar’s orphaned parks struggle on by Rowan Moore Gerety at Mongabay

Check back next week for more great picks!

Dogs or cats, which is smarter? How does Tinder hook its users? Find out in ScienceSeeker's picks of the best posts for the week of November 27-December 3 2017 #sciseekpicks #scicomm

How Tinder and other smartphone apps affect our brains; the surprising effects our diets can have on the environment; and lessons from nature on how to fight climate change. These are among the topics covered by picks the ScienceSeeker editors have made of their favourite posts within their respective areas of interest and expertise. Here is the full round-up of the Science Seeker Editors’ Selections for the past week:

• 
  It’s official: dogs are smarter than cats by Andrew Masterson at Cosmos Magazine
• Dogs Have More Brain Neurons Than Cats, New Study Says at Sci-News.com
• The Science And Psychology Behind How Tinder Works by Daniel Nelson at Science Trends
• Kid's Smartphone Addictions Cause Brain Chemistry Changes by Milla Bengtsson at Reliawire
• “Significant loss of neurons is a normal part of ageing” and other brain cell myths by Christian Jarrett at British Psychological Society Research Digest
• CRISPR and the Real World by Caroline Sferrazza at NeuWrite San Diego
• Quantum dots light up cancer with a little help by Jens Wilkinson at It Ain't Magic
• How to float your coffee creamer by Jennifer Chu at MIT News
• Flexing with Power by Erin Winick at Medium  
• The Mysterious Case of the Excess Positrons by Kendra Redmond at Physics Buzz
• How did ammonite fossils form? by Andy Brunning at Compound Interest

Image copyright Compound Interest, used under Creative Commons licence.

• Africa: So Many Species of Mammals- How is that Possible? by David W. Shaw
• You Might Be Wasting Food, Even If You’re Not Throwing It Away by Doug Boucher at Union of Concerned Scientists
• Catch-all fisheries are squeezing Asia’s seahorses by Sean Mowbray at Mongabay
• Blinded by the light: victims of the night by Fred Singer at Fred's Ecology and Environmental Tales
• Podcast of the week: TWiM 165: Pumping copper by Vincent Racaniello, Elio Schaechter, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson at This Week in Microbiology
• Cold-Dry Days Favor H7N9 Transmission by Michael Coston at Avian Flu Diary
• Scientists Look to Bali Volcano for Clues to Curb Climate Change by Alister Doyle at Scientific American

Check back next week for more great picks!