Science models of the world are useful, but we know they're wrong (they're only models)

New Books in Physics and Chemistry: Grace Lindsay, "Models of the Mind: How Physics, Engineering and Mathematics Have Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain" (Bloomsbury, 2021)

Episode webpage: https://newbooksnetwork.com

Media file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9061519438.mp3?updated=1742396295

#science #maths #physics

China is carrying out the solar revolution at scale. Here panels float on a reservoir in northwest China. This is just one of many massive solar power plants. The photos look like something out of science fiction:

https://www.theatlantic.com/photography/archive/2025/07/photos-china-solar-power-energy/683488/

Meanwhile Trump is fighting solar and pushing coal. The Chinese call him 建国同志, "Comrade Jianguo". Literally this means "Comrade Building the Nation". It's a joke about "Make America Great Again". It hints that Trump is actually helping China.

TIL about the super cool phenomenon of supercooled freeze pop popsicles when my son took one out of the freezer in a still liquid form and we watched it crystalize after he squeezed it. Physics is amazing!

#science #physics