Bits of S & T

From the Author: As an engineer, I have always been interested in Science and Technology. Towards the latter part of my career, I found myself drawn to a variety of science-related topics. For instance, my interest in cosmology got a boost after I read Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time; and my interest in DNA started with a chapter on Genetics in my daughter's high school textbook. These diverse fields are quite removed from my own field of expertise, which is aerospace engineering.My engineering background meant I was able to probe deeper into a subject, beyond what one normally reads in news reports. As I read more on each of those topics, I realized that I would likely to forget many of the details I had learned a few years down the road. That was when I started writing these short notes with the intention of preserving my own memory. From time to time, when I shared some of my writings with a few close friends of mine, they encouraged me to consolidate these notes into a book. Since the topics covered herein spread over a wide spectrum, I had a hard time coming up with a title for the book. Eventually, I settled on the present title: Bits of S&T - Science and Technology. The word "Bits" is actually quite appropriate. When I embark on the study of a specific subject, I search the internet for relevant information, be it news reports, popular science articles, government publications, or even scientific journal articles, then try to fit the bits and pieces together to enable myself a better understanding of the subject. I am hoping the reader will reap similar benefits. The book is not meant for a reader to read from cover to cover. Each note is essentially independent of the others. Treat it as a magazine and pick whatever strikes your fancy.