Kraven, a Crossbow, and the Conservation of Momentum
Maybe you’ve seen the trailer for the upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie. Maybe you have thoughts. While comic fans are dissecting costumes, accents, origin, and more, one thing stuck out to me: the crossbow scene right around the 2:30 mark. The character comes in...
Cosmology with Galactus: The Big Bang
Galactus. The fact that you read that name and don’t get a knot in your stomach is one reason you know you’re living in “our” universe rather than the Marvel Universe. The other way you know that you’re not living in the Marvel Universe? Our universe. Literally. It...
Doc Ock v Spider-Man: What’s an Apex Predator?
In Amazing Spider-Man #30, Doctor Octopus makes a claim to Spider-Man that needs some clarification. While wrapped up in a battle with Spidey, Ock says, “Don’t be ashamed of your fate Spider-Man. You’ve been harvested by an apex predator.” Okay - just so we’re clear...
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LIFE SCIENCES
Six Science Takeaways with Jurassic World
Over the course of 29 years and six movies, Jurassic Park has changed how we look and think about dinosaurs. It’s rekindled interest in the creatures from those of us who thought our dino days were behind us, and sparked a love for them among many millions of fans....
Science Class: Patsy Walker & Lichtenberg Figures
Real quick - new Iron Man series by Christopher Cantwell and Cafu. Issue #3: Korvac is back. As part of that reveal, both Iron Man and Patsy Walker (aka Hellcat) got hit by a massive bolt of lightning, directed at them by the aforementioned Korvac. How bad was it? ...
A Little Virus 101…
Despite all of the world’s focus being on one (or two) viruses at the present moment, it may be easy to think there are only a handful of different types around. Yeah - that’s really not true. Volume-wise - there are an estimated 1031 viruses on earth. That’s a...
Into the Brain with the Atom!
The Atom can shrink. It...goes with the name, I guess. Over the decades, there have been several “Atoms” in DC Comics’ stories. A quick rundown starts with Al Pratt in the Golden Age (who couldn’t shrink, but was short and packed an “atomic” punch), to Ray Palmer...
CHEMISTRY
Getting Elemental With Batman: Chemistry and Dark Knights: Metal
Nth Metal. Promethium. Dionesium. Electrum. Batman-ium. These are the five metals - the “five impossibly heavy metals” or, if you prefer, the five divine metals of the DC Universe. They’re also the five metals that Batman was treated with in Dark Knights: Metal that...
Batman’s New Element: Batmanium?
It’s not every day that the periodic table of the elements is featured in a comic book, let alone a Batman comic. This time, the once-in-a-rare while event happen in Batman #45. In the storyline, the now Mohawk-wearing (former Commissioner) Jim Gordon is now Batman,...
The Flash’s Cell – What is Carbyne?
On this week’s episode of CW’s The Flash, “Escape from Earth-2,” the Flash (Earth-1’s Barry Allen) was Zoom’s prisoner, held inside a cell with transparent walls that he couldn’t escape. By the way, the episode is still available to watch at The CW’s website. Zoom...
It Has Science: Chemistry with the Hulk!
The Hulk has always had my attention, especially in recent years when the science has been played up and inserted into plot elements. Bruce Banner is a physicist, after all – and in comics, “physicist” often means, “knows everything about all kinds of science.” I’m a...
TEACHING WITH POP CULTURE
You Should be Watching: Cells at Work
Okay - we're totally behind the curve here, but we should talk about Cells at Work. It showed up on Netflix last September and probably flew under the radar of a lot of the adult Netflix audience, but probably not its otaku fanbase. Apologies to said fanbase who are...
COVID Curriculum: Resources and Ideas for Teaching STEM in Pandemic World
One way or another, school will start again this fall. But I’m not here to talk about that this time. As a public school STEM teacher (chemistry and physics), I’ve seen the plans for schools to re-start in fall, from the most magical and optimistic to the more...
Using Comics and Superheroes to Teach Math
Teaching math is an art. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I did it for 32 years (I recently retired) and I’m here to tell you that if you’re in front of a classroom in the old-fashioned way, the “sage on the stage” as it were, you’d better have a rhythm like a...
EVENT: Picture a Scientist Discussion with TSO & a/perture Cinema
We here at The Science Of are thrilled to announce we’ve teamed with our local independent theater, a/perture cinema for a live discussion about Picture a Scientist with three local scientists. An Official Selection of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, the synopsis of...
PHYSICS
Starship’s Windows: Sci-Fi Materials Meet the Real World?
The violinist performs in front of a mesmerized audience. Her gown flows as she bows her instrument, notes reaching every ear. But she isn’t in a concert hall. She’s floating in zero gravity aboard SpaceX’s Starship, Elon Musk’s vision of a reusable transportation...
The (Useful) Things We Left Behind – Retroreflectors
The moon shines at night, but some parts of it shine better than others - the retroreflectors we left behind. Okay - quick physics refresher. When visible light hits things it will do, general one (or combos) from the following list: Light can be absorbed: The...
Chernobyl and Marvel’s Dracula: The Science of Containing a Disaster
Meanwhile, as if things weren’t bad enough, over in Marvel’s Avengers, vampires have taken over Chernobyl. Okay - more specifically, they appear to have taken over the New Safe Confinement structure which safeguards the remains of Reactor 4, which exploded in 1986. ...
How Tall Are These Guys Again? Hobbs, Shaw and Forced Perspective
Take a look at this picture from The Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw above. What jumps out to you? Okay, yes, those are the two stars, Dwayne Johnson (left) and Jason Statham (right). What about it? Both are seriously tough guys. Yeah, but Johnson is 6’...
SPACE
Scienceish Lesson: Hawks in Spaaace!
If you’ve been around here for a while, or even if this is your first stop, it’s pretty obvious - we’re all about blending pop culture and science. Hawkman and Hawkwoman (the Katar and Shayera Hol versions from Thanagar) have always had science fiction in their DNA....
DC’s Source Wall and the Edge of the Universe
DC Comics’ Source Wall has had a rough go lately. Because of the use of the “tenth metal” in Dark Knights: Metal #6, the Wall was broken open. But what’s beyond it? And is there something like it in our world? For decades, the specific of what lay behind the Source...
Why No Cubical Planets, Superman? Me Am Sad Bizarro-World is Here!
Good-bye. This is not an article about Bizarro and Bizarro-World, and not about Bizzaro’s best friend, Superman. Okay - one of those things is true. Or un-true. Or...something. Yeah, let’s not talk in Bizarro-ese anymore. As Superman himself says, “Bizarros aren’t...
Satellites Falling: Justice League’s Watchtower and Tiangong-1
The Justice League satellite is falling. And so is one in the real world. One is a dramatic device being used to explore ethics in a fictional world, and the other is something that will probably be entering our atmosphere in a week or so. Why do things in space come...
TECHNOLOGY
The Boys & Science: Do Metamaterials = Invisibility?
I probably need to get this out of the way right off the bat: If you’re a STEM teacher, you probably don’t want to use the new Amazon Prime series The Boys for any type of lesson. At all. Based on the Dynamite comic series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it’s...
Black Panther’s Favorite Metal – Vibranium!
If you live in the Marvel Universe, vibranium makes the world go ‘round. Okay – not literally, but it’s a major player in the Marvel Universe, both comics and cinematic. Thanks to most vibranium in either Marvel Universe being found in the Black Panther’s home nation...
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TOP STORIES
Kraven, a Crossbow, and the Conservation of Momentum
Maybe you’ve seen the trailer for the upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie. Maybe you have thoughts. While comic fans are dissecting costumes, accents, origin, and more, one thing stuck out to me: the crossbow scene right around the 2:30 mark. The character comes in...
Cosmology with Galactus: The Big Bang
Galactus. The fact that you read that name and don’t get a knot in your stomach is one reason you know you’re living in “our” universe rather than the Marvel Universe. The other way you know that you’re not living in the Marvel Universe? Our universe. Literally. It...
