In this blog post, we’ll explore the principles by which blockchain uses distributed ledgers, cryptography, and consensus mechanisms to record information and make it difficult to forge or alter, as well as its potential applications in various fields, including finance. Bitcoin originated as a digital currency system proposed by an individual or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto...
What is the relationship between the uncertainty principle, qubits, and quantum computers?
In this blog post, we’ll start with the uncertainty principle—a core principle of the microscopic world—and explore how qubits and quantum computers process information. Interest in the “small world” is growing by the day. It’s been a long time since terms like “micro” and “nano” became familiar to us through science-related news. Various fields—including chemical and biological...
Why do parents and children look alike? How does gene expression give rise to traits?
In this blog post, we’ll explore the principles behind how parental traits are passed down to children, as well as the process of gene expression—from DNA replication and transcription to the role of RNA and protein synthesis—and examine how technologies that regulate gene expression are being utilized in life sciences and medicine today. If you’ve spent time with your father or mother...
How does tetrodotoxin, the poison found in pufferfish, paralyze the human nervous system?
In this blog post, we’ll examine everything from the formation and accumulation of tetrodotoxin—the highly toxic substance found in pufferfish—to how it acts on nerve cells, the symptoms of poisoning, and how to safely consume pufferfish. In the past, there were frequent incidents where people lost their lives due to improper consumption of pufferfish. One such case was reported as...
How Can We See Invisible Airflow? Understanding the Principles and Applications of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
In this blog post, we’ll explore the basic principles and analysis process of computational fluid dynamics (CFD)—which uses computers to calculate and visualize the invisible flow of air and water—as well as its relationship to wind tunnel testing and examples of its application in the automotive and sports industries. When you see lines representing the airflow around a soccer ball, you...
What will a trip to bathe in starlight reveal to us?
In this blog post, I’ll share the excitement of a night sky brimming with stars—experienced during an astronomy trip to Baekma Hill in Cheorwon, far from the city lights—as well as the reflections on existence and life that came to mind while gazing at the universe. While it’s nice to write a travelogue after returning home and reflecting on past memories, it’s best to write it while the...
How has the future Nam June Paik envisioned been realized in today’s social networking services?
In this blog post, we’ll start with the “Information Superhighway” and the concept of two-way communication that Nam June Paik imagined, and explore the birth and evolution of social media and social networking services (SNS), the characteristics of leading platforms like Facebook and X, and the new business models and social impacts created by SNS. “Someday, everyone will have their own...
What is the relationship between a ship’s resistance and speed, and how can ships move faster and more efficiently?
In this blog post, we’ll explore everything from the principles behind how ships generate thrust to move forward, to the characteristics of various types of resistance—such as frictional resistance and wave resistance—that hinder a ship’s speed, and finally, methods for reducing these resistances to operate more efficiently with less energy. The modes of transportation we use in our daily...
Could laboratory cloning using embryonic stem cells be a clinically safe and effective alternative?
In this blog post, we will examine the basic principles of embryonic stem cells and the clinical and technical challenges involved in the laboratory cloning process, and explore how induced pluripotent stem cells and transdifferentiation technology might serve as alternatives. What are stem cells? Dr. Hwang Woo-suk’s stem cell research, published in ‘Science’ in the past...
What is radiation, how does it affect our bodies, and how should we manage it?
In this blog post, we’ll explore everything from the differences between radiation, radioactive materials, and radioactivity to the units of radiation dose, its effects on the human body, and the basic information you need to know to properly understand radiation. Although public concern about the dangers of radiation has risen significantly in the wake of past nuclear power plant...