Wilson da Silva
Bio
Wilson da Silva is a science journalist in Sydney | www.wilsondasilva.com | https://bit.ly/3kIF1SO
Stories (41/0)
The Microchip That Changed the World Turns 50
THE WORLD CHANGED forever on November 15, 1971. And hardly anyone noticed. China had just been admitted to the United Nations, Apollo 15 astronauts had driven the first lunar rover on the Moon, Amtrak began intercity passenger services, Pink Floyd dropped their sixth studio album, Meddle, and Stanley Kubrick’s dystopian film, A Clockwork Orange, was released.
By Wilson da Silvaabout a year ago in FYI
A Candle in the Dark: 9 Rules for Combating Bulls#!t
VISITING STONEHENGE is a magical experience: you can’t help but be influenced by its iconic status as one of the world’s most recognisable ancient monuments. But the stone circle also radiates a kind of mystical aura of its own.
By Wilson da Silvaabout a year ago in FYI
Why the Future is Quantum
BELOW THE SIZE of atoms, the world functions strangely: particles can be waves, waves can be particles, and particles can jump vast distances without traversing space. Yet, these strange phenomena, known as quantum mechanics and discovered just over a century ago by academics, are now embedded in technologies we take for granted, like computer memory, lasers, and solar cells.
By Wilson da Silva2 years ago in FYI
Venom: Nature’s Deadliest Weapon
STUDYING VENOM is a risky business. Ask Bryan Fry: he’s been bitten by venomous creatures 27 times — mostly by snakes on land and at sea, and by box jellyfish and stingrays. He’s also amassed 23 broken bones, 400 stitches and three concussions, once breaking his back in three places and spending months in hospital relearning to walk.
By Wilson da Silva2 years ago in FYI
Touchdown, Take-Off: Inside a Jumbo Flight
FORTY MINUTES before scheduled take-off of this Qantas Boeing 747–200, the technical crew arrives: the captain, the first officer (or co-pilot) and the flight engineer. Each carries a thick, ring-bound folder, the Quick Reference Manual, with a slew of instrumentation and safety checks they will perform over the next half-hour.
By Wilson da Silva2 years ago in FYI
Louis Pasteur: Portrait Artist Turned Medical Giant
LOUIS PASTEUR never really wanted to study science: in fact, he had long harboured the dream of being an artist. Yet he went on to change medical and veterinary science, his experiments establishing the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurisation and revolutionising the way disease was treated.
By Wilson da Silva2 years ago in FYI
Holocaust Survivor, Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist ... and Playwright
FOR A HANDFUL of the world’s best scientists — those suffering from nobelomania– October can be a tense month. That’s when, annually and over a three-day period, a small number are named as the exalted masters of their discipline — winners of the three science Nobel Prizes. First, Physics is announced, then Chemistry, and lastly, Physiology or Medicine.
By Wilson da Silva2 years ago in FYI
