#learn something new

[countrygypsywt]

[x-siren-song-x]

chien-shiung wu disproved a fundamental law of physics and the nobel committee pretended she didn't exist

let me tell you about the most disrespected physicist you've never heard of.

chien-shiung wu was born in china in 1912. her father was radical for his time — he believed girls deserved education and founded a school for them. wu thrived. she moved to the US in 1936 to pursue graduate studies in physics at berkeley. she never saw her parents again. they died during the turmoil in china while she was building a career on the other side of the world.

she became one of the foremost experts on nuclear physics. during the manhattan project — yes THAT manhattan project — she was recruited to help solve a critical problem with nuclear reactors. she fixed it. she was one of the few women involved and her contributions were quietly filed away while the men around her became famous.

but the real betrayal came later.

in 1956 two theoretical physicists — tsung-dao lee and chen-ning yang — proposed something wild. they suggested that parity — a fundamental symmetry law in physics that had been assumed true for decades — might not hold in certain nuclear reactions. basically they were saying the universe might not be symmetrical in the way everyone believed. it was a bold claim. but it was just theory. someone needed to prove it.

they went to wu. because she was the best experimentalist alive. they knew it. everyone knew it.

wu designed and conducted one of the most elegant and difficult experiments in the history of physics. she cooled cobalt-60 atoms to near absolute zero and observed their radioactive decay. the results were clear. parity was violated. a law of physics that had been treated as sacred was wrong. she proved it.

the physics world was shaken. this was a massive deal. one of those moments that reshapes how we understand the universe.

in 1957 lee and yang won the nobel prize in physics. the fastest nobel award in history at the time. they proposed the theory. wu proved it. guess who the committee left out.

chien-shiung wu.

the two men who said "hey what if this law is wrong" got the highest honor in science. the woman who actually demonstrated that it WAS wrong got nothing. not even a shared prize. not even a mention.

let that sit for a second. in physics, theory without experimental proof is just a guess. lee and yang's idea would have remained a hypothesis without wu's experiment. she didn't assist. she didn't support. she DID the work that made the discovery real.

and it's not like she was unknown. she was called "the first lady of physics." her colleagues respected her enormously. lee and yang themselves acknowledged her work was essential. but the nobel committee looked at three chinese-american physicists, picked the two men, and moved on.

she spent the rest of her career continuing to do extraordinary work. she became the first woman president of the american physical society. she received other awards eventually. but the nobel — the one that would have put her in textbooks forever — never came.

she once said "i wonder whether the tiny atoms and nuclei, or the mathematical symbols, or the DNA molecules have any preference for either masculine or feminine treatment." she knew exactly what was happening. she just kept working anyway.

wu died in 1997. her gravestone reads "she was one of the giants of physics." and she was. but the world made her fight for every inch of recognition while handing glory to the men standing next to her.

the next time someone tells you science is a meritocracy remember chien-shiung wu. remember that she broke the universe's symmetry and the system still couldn't see past hers.

[kogarashi-art]

Random questions that won't help you get to know your mutuals at all

@serialsforbellara tagged me for this one!

favorite shampoo (scent or type/brand)?

do you sleep with the light on or your doors closed? why?

hot or cold coffee/tea?

do you use the same username for all/most of your socials?

white shoes, yay or nay? why?

what song is stuck in your head right now? (if none, last one you remember listening to?)

would you rather watch three twenty minute episodes or a one hour movie?

would you still love the person that tagged you if they were a worm?

-------------

It tends to rotate a bit, depending on what I'm feeling like trying out when I go shopping. Right now it's Herbal Essences shampoo and Native conditioner, but I don't remember which scents. I want Native to start selling the shampoo and conditioner in their lilac scent, but as far as I can tell it's not available yet.

Light off (though we have a nightlight in the bathroom just to make it easier to see for mid-night bathroom runs). While I was still using a water-based diffuser as a cheap humidifier next to me, I left it on the red-only setting to be as non-intrusive as possible. The door stays shut when my husband's sleeping because otherwise the cat will walk all over his face in the middle of the night and wake him up. No, the cat doesn't do this to me (or if he does, I don't notice), so when my husband's out of town the door gets to stay open so the cat can come curl up on the bed with me.

I'll take my (herbal) tea either way. None coffee for me, thanks.

Yes, actually. (When just "Kogarashi" isn't available, it's usually KogarashiKaze.)

Nay to the white shoes. They get dirty fast, and then they aren't white anymore, they're just dirt-colored.

"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson, because that was the last one that came up on my playlist while driving my oldest kid home from college for the break.

Probably the episodes, because I can get up for snack breaks. Really depends on the show, though.

Absolutely. I'd make you a terrarium.

Tagging @chaosherald, @dags-over-caravans, @himluv, @mama-qwerty, @jadeandroses, and @lermisv4, if you want. :)

[medusiad]

Learn Something New!

September always gives me massive back-to-school vibes in the best way. So if you were a swot like me and kind of miss that whole thing, this list is for you. This list is also for you if you're just bored and looking to try out a new hobby any time of the year...

Move Your Body

Ballet

Yoga

Pilates

Solo Jazz Dance

Tap Dance

Belly Dance

Dance the Charleston

Get Artsy and Crafty

Knitting

More Knitting

Even More Knitting!

Nalbinding

More Nalbinding

Basketry

More Basketry

Embroidery

Quilting

Sewing

Natural Dyeing

Papermaking

Pencil Drawing

Drawing and Painting

Watercolour Painting

Charcoal Drawing

Ceramics

Make Some Music

Violin

Fiddle

Cello

Piano

Voice

More Voice

Guitar

Ukulele

Recorder

Flute

Get Outdoors

Basic Survival Skills

Hiking for Beginners

Backpacking Tips

More Hiking and Backpacking Tips

Map and Compass Navigation

More Navigation

Foraging

Food Preservation

[inbabylontheywept]

Is "Bumfuck Egypt" a Utah thing? On account of Egypt, Utah?

There’s an Egypt, Utah? I had no idea. In any case, no, I heard the term used back when I was growing up in Arizona.

[dinosaurwithablog]

I never knew that glitter tattoos were a thing, but they are!! Look at this stunning tattoo!! The use of dots of different colors really looks glittery and the use of light to highlight the piece is spectacular!! And they had to tattoo the stomach which is hard because the skin moves and it's painful for the person getting the tattoo to sit through it. There were a lot of challenges to overcome in this battle and I think the artists did a great job!!! This tattoo won the challenge! I agreed with the judges. It's glittery and I feel like I could just pick it up. It's phenomenal!! 😁😍I love Ink Master. I always learn something new watching it!! Here are some of the other tattoos...

These two captured the glittery effect very well....

These two, not as much, but they're still brilliant tattoos!!

[ken-katayanagi]

“I met Mentallis where I’ve met an alarming number of my friends-hunched over on the floor after just getting slugged for being a motor mouth.” - Ford Crueller, 1959

(Otto got into many a fight in college. Aromantic version of this under the cut.)

Aromantic Otto Mentallis canon foreva!!!!!