Science Affliction #12
Welcome to the triumphant return of Science Affliction! I know I said last week that I wasn’t going to make my story fodder posts just about science anymore, but you know what? Science is freaking awesome. So we’re going to stick with that, but if I happen to see some cool artwork or other inspirational stuff I’ll add it in too, because I make the rules! Anyway, without further ado we’ll get to the science. eins) A link I should have posted a long time ago. AstroPics has some of the most wonderful HD images of space on the internet. If you can look at Wally...
Read MoreScience Affliction #11
Here’s your weekly science stuff! Number 1 is a bit of depressing news on the global warming front. We may see a complete collapse of the Arctic sea ice shelf within four years. To cheer you up a bit from that, number 2 is a look at several plants in an MRI. Very awesome! Number 3 is a story about how we may find a better pain killer in the most unlikely place, a black mamba’s mouth. The world really is just awesome. In number 4, French bees invade a Mars factory, eat some M&Ms and then produce blue honey. No, that’s not fiction, I promise. Number 5 is all about how yo...
Read MoreScience Affliction #10
Let’s get right to the science. 1) Some of you may remember my rant from last year denouncing the Council of Europe’s stance on wireless emissions (if not, here’s a link). Today’s first story from ScienceDaily is yet another study that shows no correlation between wireless and the supposed health problems some people say they cause. 2) A bit of cool mad sciencery that will hopefully help explain how life came about on our pretty blue marble. 3) Enjoy this stunning time lapse video of Joshua Tree National Park that was posted at io9. 4) Warp Drive? Why yes, I’ll...
Read MoreScience Affliction: Rebooted
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these but some recent news has convinced me that I should start it up again. When Curiosity landed on Mars I stayed up way too late into the night to make sure the cutest little laser-wielding robot ever landed safely.What I remember most was what one of the folks in the JPL said right after they confirmed a safe landing, “Let’s see where our Curiosity takes us.” Cheesy as hell, sure, but it gave me goosebumps. I’m not sure if I’ve said it on here, but to my mind curiosity is the most underrated human trait. I...
Read MoreScience Affliction #8
Hello darlings! Another unthemed edition of Science Affliction for you this week. 1) Livescience.com has an article about how the internet is changing how we remember things. I find this really fascinating. In essence, the studies suggest that people who frequently reference the internet remember locations of information rather than the information itself. 2) Filed under really freaking cool is a post about glowing mushrooms at io9.com. What I thought was neatest about these shrooms is that they glow constantly, unlike animals that only fluoresce periodically. 3) If you’re at all the...
Read MoreScience Affliction #7
For Science Affliction this week, I’m going to broach only one subject. The big, beautiful hunk of gray jelly called the brain. Here’s why: I have a science crush on David Eagleman. I was first introduced to him a few months ago via a TedTalk he did. (It’s 22 minutes long, but so worth a watch or listen when you have the time. He talks about what’s in between everything and that’s really all I can say without rambling for a long time.) Mr. Eagleman is a neuroscientist who has a ton of interesting stuff to say about the jiggly bits between your ears. Recently, he...
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