Woolsthorpe Manor was Newton’s early childhood home and many of the drawings that he etched into the plaster walls have been preserved. Newton returned here when Cambridge University closed due to the plague, performing many of his most famous experiments in the bedroom upstairs, most notably his work on light and optics. The house is furnished with 17th century decor to give a sense of what life must have been like during that time. Some of the instruments similar to those he used in his optical experiments are displayed in the room where he developed his theories of colour and light.

Woolsthorpe Manor is also where Newton claimed inspiration for the theory of gravitation while observing an apple fall from a tree. This apple tree, or a descendant, still grows in the orchard in front of the manor house.

There is also a very nice hands-on science centre in an old barn which presents many of the ideas that Newton developed while living here. I forgot my camera; these pictures were taken on my mobile phone. I figured out how to connect via bluetooth to download the pictures from the phone. Overall, it was an enjoyable, inspiring afternoon.

Cass Sackett, a U.Va. physicist, is one of a growing number of scientists hot at work in this coldest field of physics. He freezes atoms in their tracks, locking them in place at a billionth of a degree above absolute zero (about minus-459 degrees Fahrenheit), so he can make them do what he wants, within the laws of physics, of course. Understanding those laws, particularly quantum mechanics, is the realm in which he works.

You can read the full interview here and watch his video below.
here

UPDATE:  you can listen to Cass on his local public radio station.  link.