Articles written by David Shane

What is Helium

About me - David Shane

I'm a physics graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis. To make a living I use nuclear magnetic resonance to study potential hydrogen storage materials. The articles I write on Helium tend to fall into 1 of 4 categories.

1. Physics articles:

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Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Do people have absolute rights that all governments should protect?: 1 of 66
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.-That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men..."The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Indep... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Thoughts on God How do I know that God exists?: 4 of 75
How do you know that God exists? Maybe we had first better think about how you know anything. Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli, in their excellent "Handbook of Christian Apologetics", suggest three different (but related) ways of knowing something: by authority, by reason, and by experience. Let's consider what each of the thr... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Can information contained in the Bible be placed in the realm of absolute truth, or does it simply present us with fables and myths?: 3 of 37
C.S. Lewis, writing in "God in the Dock," said that "The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. The old myth of the Dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history." But most of us, of course, do not have such a liberal definition of "myth." I... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Should the state of Connecticut tax plastic bags at the grocery store?: 1 of 9
If certain state legislators have their way, Connecticut will become the first state to enact a tax on all disposable grocery bags, paper and plastic, at 5 cents a bag. Money raised by the tax would go to support recycling initiatives. Proponents say the state would be helped by the additional funds, and that the tax would ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Environmental Awareness The debate on legalizing DDT: 1 of 6
Malaria, from the Italian for "bad air," is an often-deadly parasitical disease carried by several different species of mosquito. According to the World Health Organization, in 2006 roughly 1 million people died of the disease, and 247 million were infected [1]. It is more common in "third-world" nations, and often thought of... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religion & Spirituality (Other) Can intelligent design be considered a science: 5 of 29
To decide whether or not intelligent design can be considered a science, two rather bigger questions must be answered. Namely first, what is science, and second, what is intelligent design?There are hundreds of definitions of science floating around, but we can capture the essential differences between them that matter for ou... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Constitutional & Contract Law Should a woman have the right to choose abortion?: 60 of 313
Once upon a time, there lived a mother with a son who loved to go caving. One day, while he was caving, there was an earthquake that collapsed the mouth of the cave. The son was trapped inside, and possibly dead. Rescuers rushed to the scene, along with the mother. Upon arrival, before they began their work, the rescuers aske... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics, News & Issues (Other) Water shortage: Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink: 1 of 5
"U.S. faces era of water scarcity," proclaims an article published by Circle of Blue. "Water Scarcity: The Real Food Crisis," says an article by Fred Pearce in Yale Environment 360. Meanwhile, governments around the United States and world pass laws to force water conservation, mandating low-flow faucets and showers, restr... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Law & Justice (Other) Should college campuses be gun-free zones?: 3 of 12
Two salient facts should guide our discussion. First, it is easy for most Americans to obtain a gun. It is legal for most, and we have many examples that show that for the sufficiently determined, even those who cannot obtain a gun legally can probably find a way. Second, college campuses are open environments. Anyone can ent... More..
Sciences > Physics Passenger airplanes and the theory of relativity: 1 of 4
Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" is commonly divided into two parts: "special relativity" and "general relativity," and each part results in different effects on your airplane ride. Broadly speaking, special relativity tells us that the laws of physics are the same in all reference frames in uniform motion. General relativit... More..