Physics Buzz

Reproducibility forms one of the cornerstones of physics; independent scientists need to corroborate a finding before it's widely accepted in the scientific community. But sometimes the window of observation only lasts for several hours twice every hundred years or so. That makes reproducibility fairly difficult. Earlier this summer, Venus passed in front of — or transited — the sun for the last time this century. While the astronomical event amazed viewers across the world, a group of physicists were re-creating an observation from over 250 years ago: the discovery of Venus' atmosphere. At the same time, they've stoked the fire in a debate over who first made this discovery. The entire Venus transit of 2012 in one image. Image courtesy of NASA.

When I visited South Korea last year, I saw firsthand just how much the country valued education. South Korean students have longer school hours than their U.S. peers. Many receive tutoring most days of the week. College libraries in South Korea are littered with touch screens and electronic archives. Since the late 1970's, higher education in South Korea – especially in science and technology fields – has exploded. Although only 5 percent of young adults attended college in 1977, over 80 percent of students attend college today in South Korea. Higher education is not an option – it's an expectation of almost every student. That's why I was surprised and slightly troubled to hear that textbook publishers in South Korea will be removing references to evolution from their high school educational materials. Biologists in South Korea claim that no scientists were consulted before the decision was made, according to Nature News .