Physics Buzz

“Spider-Man, Thor, the Hulk, the X-Men. . . Okay, so I’ve created a whole caboodle of superheroes. But the important thing is, now it’s your turn.” —Stan Lee

The Golden Age of comic books stretched from the 1930s through the 1950s and overlapped with a time of unbridled optimism about the progress of science. People wanted to know about how the latest technology worked, and LOTS of people wanted to read comic books, so putting the two together seems like a no-brainer. Comic Book Plus is an amazing archive of public domain comics from this era. sprinkled amongst long forgotten titles like Lars of Mars  and  The Adventures of Captain Havoc and The Phantom Knight  are a plethora of scanned comic books about real science. They run the gamut. Some are illuminating, funny and really helpful while others are just weird, wildly inaccurate and are terribly dated. So, my list of the top seven public domain science comics worth reading are... 7- How Atomic Energy Works  Golly wilikers! Who wouldn't wanna learn how atomic energy works from a man in a fedora?! In all seriousness, this Bill Cosmo character is a bit over eager to tell little

The Physics Central team had another successful year at Comic-Con International in sunny San Diego, CA. We distributed thousands of our Spectra comic books , reaching an audience that may otherwise miss out on the fun and excitement of physics. We've collected some of our favorite photos from our time in the booth and exploring the weirdness of the exhibit hall. Take a look! One of our team members fell victim to the force. Image Credit: Mike Lucibella One of the more colorful characters to stop by our booth. Image Credit: Mike Lucibella Iron Man and his girlfriend stop by. Image Credit: Dave Ellis

The varied worlds of comic books, fantasy, cartoons, anime, video games and blockbuster movies will converge in San Diego later this week for Comic-Con International 2013 . We'll be there too, adding a little physics to the chaos of the convention. During the school year, we distribute our educational (yet fun!) comic books and demo kits to middle schools across the U.S. After receiving great responses from teachers and students alike, we decided to extend our reach to the annual Comic-Con audience. For the past few years we've been bringing our comic books, buttons, stickers, LED lights, and physics know-how to the busy San Diego Convention Center — the host of Comic-Con International . When we're not promoting our physics goodies at the convention, you can find us fighting crime and saving the day as evidenced by the image below from last year. The Physics Central team at last year's Comic-Con. Muscles are only slightly exaggerated. Image Credit and Copyright

Many science enthusiasts would agree that Nikola Tesla ranks among the greatest underdog heroes in the history of science. His story, particularly his acrimonious relationship with Thomas Edison, has resonated with many. But there's currently no museum in the United States to celebrate Tesla's great scientific achievements. Serbia's capital, Belgrade, hosts the most comprehensive Tesla museum -- a fitting location because Tesla's parents hailed from Serbia. But Tesla spent most of his career in the United States and eventually became a citizen in 1891. Also, he reportedly considered his U.S. citizenship to be more important than his scientific successes. So why don't we have a museum for him here? That's what Matthew Inman, the creator of the popular Oatmeal webcomic asked (note: In addition to being a big Tesla fan, Inman has a penchant for swearing). So he's decided to help a non-profit organization buy the land surrounding Tesla's last laborat

Superheroes, robot warriors and cartoon characters of all types have finally deserted the streets of San Diego, marking the close of Comic-Con International. The Physics Central team was busy all week handing out copies of our Spectra comic books about our original laser superhero. We still found some time to sneak away to a handful of the Comic-Con panels as well, and some of the panels even included some real science talk. In particular, one of my favorite panels was titled, "The Science of Science Fiction: Canon Fodder." Hosted by Phil Plait, the "Bad Astronomer" known for his popular blog, the panel included a mix of science advisers and screenwriters for major television and film projects. Writers for movies including Prometheus, Thor and X-Men First Class explained how they try to accurately portray science, create self-consistent universes for their characters, and tell a great story all at once.

On July 3, one of the summer's hottest blockbusters – The Amazing Spider-man – will hit theaters across the country. There's a lot more to the film than A-listers and special effects, however. Physics and quantitative biology are apparently "at the center of a few major plot points in the film," according to the University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota physics professor Jim Kakalios instilled some physics in the film by adapting a special equation for the filmmakers to use. Called the "decay rate algorithm," the equation referenced several times in the movie "relates to cell regeneration and human mortality," Kakalios said in a video released today. But the decay rate algorithm isn't simply a figment of Kakalios' imagination. In fact, it has been adapted from a frequently cited equation connecting the likelihood of death with age: the Gompertz Law.

Moviegoers crave imaginative storytelling and fantastic settings. But they also want movies to be believable, and that's where scientists play their part. Behind some of Hollywood's biggest movies—such as Watchmen, Tron: Legacy, and Star Trek—there's a team of science consultants that help directors create new worlds that remain (mostly) true to the laws of physics. And some of that movie magic has translated into exciting new technologies.

11 Year Old, Althea, Goes as Laser Super Hero, Spectra, for Halloween Photo courtesy of Kirsten O'Brien As Halloween creeps back into the shadows of October one PhysicsCentral reader and comic enthusiast shared her Halloween costume of 2011. This 11 year old from California, didn’t dress up like any regular super hero, no; she went as Spectra, the teenage girl with super hero powers of a laser.

The life story of Richard Feynman is one that in science circles is oft told, and many of his exploits are already the stuff of legend. His effusive personality coupled with his brilliant mind has earned him an almost mythical status in the annals of science. It takes an especially keen eye to be able to retell his well-worn tales in a way that’s truly new and innovative. Author Jim Ottaviani and artist Leland Myrick's new graphic novel Feynman stands out. It strings together favorite Feynman stories, and some less well known tales, into an intimate, sometimes hilarious and oftentimes moving portrait of the life of this Curious Character.

James Kakalios knows that he will be forever linked to the physics of Spiderman. When he started teaching a freshman seminar class in 2001 based on the physics of superheroes, he had little inkling that it would soon lead to a whole series of popular lectures, a popular book , and even a gig consulting on a major Hollywood motion picture. He jokes frequently that even if he were to win three Nobel Prizes, the photo of him surrounded by action figures would be his legacy. There is of course more to Kakalios than caped crusaders and comic books. In addition to teaching and directing undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota, he is also a condensed matter experimentalist. His work in disordered systems extends from the properties of amorphous semiconductors to neurological systems and the avalanche dynamics of sand. Kakalios’s book The Physics of Superheroes originated from an impulse and momentum problem he included on exams nearly fifteen years ago. He asked his students t