Looking at the Invisible

This week at CERN, the Organization for European Nuclear Research, near Geneva, Switzerland, nuclear physicists may have discovered the Higgs boson, first theorized to exist back in 1964.  Using the Large Hadron Collider, in operation for just two years, they smashed protons together at high velocity and found a particle that had never been observed with past forms of technology.  Based on their initial calculations, it is thought to be a transient manifestation of the cosmic soup that gives mass to the elementary particles.

If confirmed, this discovery will herald a new era in our understanding of the Universe, focusing on the dark energy and dark matter that, combined, make up over 95% of its content.  Indeed, the visible stars, planets, comets, asteroids and interstellar dust make up less than 1% of the Universe, with intergalactic gas accounting for 3.5% or so.  This week, we caught our first glimpse of the dark side and took our first step toward understanding the dark energy that is causing the Universe to expand at an increasing rate.

For most of us, the details of the Higgs boson discovery are difficult to understand.  Those who prefer to concentrate on the simplistic dogma of their chosen religion will dismiss the news as scientific heresay; after all, bosons are not mentioned in the Bible.  But for those hungry to understand the complex nature of our Universe, this discovery promises a new world of adventure.

A Stubborn Ridge

The dome of high pressure that has parked itself over the Heartland for the past two weeks shows no sign of abating.  Rather than drifting off to the east, it has backed into the Southern Plains; unfortunately, those of us in the lower Missouri and Mississippi Valleys remain within its grip.

Beneath this atmospheric ridge, the air is sinking and drying out, producing excessive heat and retarding cloud formation.  Storm systems are shunted along its outer rim, exacerbating drought within the dome while fueling violent weather at its periphery (as we saw in the Upper Midwest and Mid-Atlantic region last week).  On the positive side, this stubborn ridge may ignite the Monoon Season across the American Southwest, pulling in moisture from both the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico as clockwise winds stream along its western rim.

Those of us caught within its boundaries can expect another week of hot, dry weather, with afternoon highs near 100 degrees F.  Beyond prolonging our personal discomfort, this dome of drought is taking a toll on forests and crop fields across the Heartland, stressing natural ecosystems and posing a serious challenge for farmers and ranchers.  Unless relief arrives in the form of a potent Canadian front, it may take a hurricane to dislodge this ridge.

The Heart of Champions

As the Olympic Trials wind down and national teams prepare for London, it is clear that there is something special about Olympic athletes.  Like others in their respective sport, they are talented and hard-working individuals who enjoy a good deal of support from family, friends and colleagues.  Yet, these Olympians seem to harbor traits that set them apart.

Despite their success and self-confidence, few (if any) are arrogant or egotistical.  Rather, their achievement reflects their competitive spirit, their courage in the face of adversity and, perhaps most importantly, an unwillingness to concede defeat.  This latter trait, which might be defined as heart, is found in all champions, from race horses to long-distance runners to heavyweight boxers.  When the margin of victory is razor thin or when endurance plays a major role, heart is especially vital.

Of course, this trait is not confined to sports.  While some owe their success to good fortune, most champions of human society possess this same competitive spirit; facing obstacles that discourage their rivals, they have the heart to persevere.  Heart is, indeed, a human trait which seems to require a delicate mix of genetic, familial and cultural factors.  Alas, in most individuals, it never reaches full expression. 

The Season of Insanity

Humans, tropical creatures that we are, have a healthy respect for winter,  Not naturally equipped to survive its wrath, we take shelter from winter's storms and tend to hibernate for much of its course.  While the cold, dark season may be depressing for some and does induce its fair share of injuries, winter keeps us on our guard and, for the most part, out of trouble.

Summer, on the other hand, that carefree season of vacations, picnics and outdoor recreation, is welcomed by most humans and its dangers are too often ignored.  But, contrary to what many believe, the summer heat causes far more deaths than does the winter chill.  The elderly, stressed by excessive heat and too often housed in poorly ventilated apartments, are the primary victims; ironically, young, healthy athletes are the other group at risk.  Driven on by macho coaches and drill sergeants or by their own sense of immortality, they work out or engage in sports on summer afternoons and, as we observe every year, some fall victim to heat stroke..  There is a popular misconception that exercising in the heat, drenched in sweat, is a more effective way to lose weight or to get in shape than is exercising during cooler parts of the day.  This, of course, is false and such behavior invites disaster.

Despite these admonitions, repeated throughout the summer by news and weather reporters, many will ignore the warnings and our current heat wave will be the last for some young athletes.  We may be designed for the tropics but there are limits to our capacity to dissipate heat.  Staying well hydrated is important but common sense is our best means of protection.

Life in the Universe

Current scientific evidence indicates that the Universe is 13.7 billion years old and that the galaxies formed 12 billion years ago.  Yet, our home star, the sun, is less than 5 billion years old, the Earth  formed just 4.6 billion years ago, unicellular life did not evolve on our planet until 3.6 billion years ago and we humans did not appear until 130,000 years ago.  Countless suns, their solar systems and the life that inhabited their planets likely evolved and disappeared long before our own sun and planet came into existence.

Among the 100 billion galaxies and trillions of stars that stretch across the ever-expanding Universe, there are surely millions of other planets that sustain life which, in many if not most cases, has progressed farther along the evolutionary tree than has life here on Earth.  In other words, it is almost a certainty that many human-like civilizations inhabit this Universe, most of which are more advanced than our own.

It is understandable that religious persons might find these rational facts too threatening to contemplate but it is disconcerting to hear scientists and scientific journalists question whether life exists elsewhere in the Universe.  Sitting here on our smallish planet that circles a modest-sized star on an outer band of a massive galaxy, it is absurd to suggest that we might be the only intelligent beings that inhabit the billions of galaxies.  The Universe surely teems with life and it is only our irrational self-importance that keeps us from embracing that fact.

Desert Heat in the Midwest

Records are falling across the American Midwest this week as the first major heat wave of the season invades our region.  High pressure over the Southern Plains, combined with a high pressure dome over the Southeast, has ushered in the hot, dry air; afternoon highs should top 100 degrees F in most areas.

In part, the extreme heat reflects the dryness of the air, as Gulf of Mexico moisture is kept at bay by the blocking high across the Southeast.  Dry air is more dense than humid air and is thus capable of reaching higher temperatures.  Indeed, winds are from the west-southwest and it feels more like Phoenix than Miami across the Heartland.

This heat wave will be slow to break as cloudless skies permit the intense sunshine to heat up the roofs and roadways in our towns and cities; this heat radiates into the air overnight, keeping the morning low well above average.  In addition, it will likely take a strong cold front to displace this high pressure ridge and none are forecast over the coming week.  For now, we'll confine our outdoor activities to the early morning and evening hours, hide from the afternoon sun and dream of October.

Industrial Obesity

Not long ago, we humans could not help but get plenty of exercise.  We had to hunt and spend long hours in the fields to obtain our food.  We had to chop wood to heat our homes and carry fresh water from the well or the river.  Travel was by foot or horseback and almost any task involved physical labor.  Perhaps most significant, we did not have televisions or computers to keep us inactive and entertained for hours at a time.

While many studies have demonstrated a higher rate of obesity in westernized countries, much of the focus has been on the dietary changes associated with our mechanized cultures.  But, while the excessive intake of sodas and cheeseburgers and donuts should raise concerns about our nutrition, it is, in my opinion, a less significant factor in the modern scourge of obesity than is our sedentary lifestyle.

Today, almost every technological advancement is designed to make our lives easier.  We may take our morning or evening stroll to get some exercise but most of our day is spent in cars, elevators and desk chairs.  Even farmers and construction workers have a wide range of machinery and tools that limit their physical labor.  Then, at the end of the day, exhausted and stressed, we plop in front of the television for several hours of mindless entertainment, getting up for a snack during commercial breaks.