This Saturday — tomorrow! — night, the Earth will pass through a cloud of debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet, resulting in a fantastic display of meteors streaking across the sky (or through the atmosphere, if we want to get technical). Known as the Perseid meteor shower, this celestial show is like Christmas for space nerds, and I’ll definitely be heading out to the country to see it. Want to nerd out with me? Here are six tips and tricks for having the best stargazing experience! Keep reading »
Tag Archives: science
Study Looks At Doctors Using Steroid To “Prevent” Lesbianism
- What in the what now? American doctors have been using a non-FDA-approved steroid called dexamethasone to try to “prevent” lesbianism, bisexuality and intersexuality (i.e. both male and female genitalia) in fetuses. Pregnant women are given the steroid if their fetus is seen to be at risk for something called “congenital adrenal hyperplasia,” which results in the development of “masculine” traits in female fetuses. Perhaps intersexuality is something that could be biologically prevented — although whether it is ethical to do so is a whole can of worms I’m not going to get into here — but what’s this about preventing people’s sexual orientations? You can read more about the dexamethasone study published last month in the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry here. [Queerty]
- An Iowa health official has rejected a ban on funding for abortions in the cases of rape and incest. [Think Progress]
- A Christian summer camp in Texas trains high school kids on how to be effective anti-abortion activists. [New York Times]
- s.e. Smith at Tiger Beatdown on why we should stop using the phrase “free birth control” when talking about health care reform. [Tiger Beatdown] Keep reading »
5 Things You Need To Know About Bobak Ferdowsi, AKA NASA’s Super Hot “Mohawk Guy”
So, how awesome was the successful landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars last night? As incredible as it was to watch space exploration happening live, we must admit we were a bit distracted–along with the rest of the nation–by a certain technician in the control room with a mohawk and immaculate bone structure. Turns out his name is Bobak Ferdowsi, and he’s the Flight Director on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission. Yesterday, he was a relatively unknown NASA employee; today he’s America’s dreamboat. So let’s get to know Mr. Ferdowsi a bit better, shall we? After the jump, five Mohawk Guy facts you should know… Keep reading »
Mr. Wizard Was Kind Of A Dick
Yeah, yeah, Mr. Wizard, Nickelodeon’s resident science guy, taught us all lots about how electricity worked, and gravity and all kinds of other stuff. But seriously? Sometimes he could be kind of jerky –I mean, he spent his life hanging out with 8-year-olds so it’s not like I blame him. This hilarious video shows us clips of some of Mr. Wizard’s bitchy behavior. [YouTube]
Life Dream Status: Someday We Might Speak Dolphin
Dolphins are like humans in a lot of ways: they have sex for pleasure, mingle with different social groups, and enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror. They also spend a lot of time talking to each other in whistles, clicks, and pulses (coincidentally, this is how many of us communicate with our best friends). So here’s the million dollar question: will we ever be able to crack the dolphin language code? Scientists are hard at work studying dolphin vocalizations, a task which is as challenging as it is fascinating. George Dvorsky over at i09 sums up what they’ve learned so far… Keep reading »
Sexed-Up Science PSA Fails To Attract Potential Female Scientists
Women hold less than 25 percent of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs within the field, and are less likely than males to work in a STEM occupation. But while I understand that there is a severe lack of women within the science field, this PSA out of the European Union of what my days would be like as a female scientist looks anything but appealing. Keep reading »
Emma Stone Loves Science, Regrets Skipping College
“[The studio] took us to these labs and this was the first time in my life that I’ve really been very angry about not going to college, because I went to these labs and I was fascinated! I knew what they were talking about. I was learning about regeneration. We looked at stem cells that they wired to beat like a human heart…
I asked, ‘What do I need to do to intern?’ You need to be a college graduate. And I was like, ‘But I know what you’re talking about! I can learn!’ It made me so upset. It’s like joining the Peace Corps, you have to be a college graduate. It sucks! I can learn, I can learn, I swear. So I really got so interested in biology, that was one of the most exciting parts of this process, learning about medicine and regeneration and stem cells; all of it expanded my mind in so many different ways. Now I’m going to take a biology class.”
– Emma Stone, who stars as brilliant, beautiful girl-next-door Gwen Stacy in the upcoming blockbuster “The Amazing Spider-Man,” discovered the amazing world of science while prepping for her role, and apparently she might be showing up in a Bio 101 class soon. Yep, just when we thought we couldn’t love this woman more, she starts talking nerdy. Listen to Emma and stay in school, kids! [i09]
Addicted To Facebook? Answer These 6 Questions To Find Out!
Many of us will ‘fess up to being a little Facebook-obsessed. Maybe we update our status a little too often or scroll through the newsfeed during boring dinner parties, but is it possible to actually be addicted to Facebook? Norwegian researcher Cecilie Schou Andreassen thinks so, and she’s devised a questionnaire to support her theory. Take the Facebook addiction test, after the jump! Keep reading »
Love As Hard As You Can For 5 Minutes
Warning: This video may inspire a serious case of the squishes. Stanford hosted something called the “Love Competition,” in which participants of all ages had five minutes to love someone as hard as they possibly could. During the love sessions, contestants’ brain activity was mapped and whoever’s brain reflected the highest neurochemical experience of love was declared the winner. What was most interesting to me were the different ways each person reacted to loving that hard for five minutes –their experiences were vastly different, but equally intense. I was especially inspired by Kent and his wife Marilyn’s wisdom about romantic love. Marilyn thinks “love is about helping the other person evolve.” But the undisputed star of this video is seven-year-old Milo who said, “Love is a feeling you have for someone you have feelings about.” Out of the mouths of babes. So, who do you think won? I’m not telling. You’ll have to watch to find out. [Buzzfeed]
Scratch And Sniff Newspapers Deliver All The News That’s Fit To Sniff
Newspaper readership is decreasing every day, but perhaps more people would be snapping up papers if they were able to smell the headlines instead? If a recent scratch and sniff edition of the Telegraph is any indication, this trend might be catching on. As part of a bakery promotion, the front and back pages of the UK rag were infused with the scent of freshly baked bread. The printing press manager explains: “The scent’s contained in small capsules which are added to the yellow ink and as the pages move through the press … As the ink dries it locks in the scent, which is why you have to scratch it to release the smell.” Telegraph deputy editor Michelle Hurst says this could be “the biggest technological breakthrough for newspapers since color was introduced.” While it’s an undoubtedly nifty innovation, we’re not particularly eager to smell most news stories (“Sewage Plant Springs A Leak: Scratch Here To Get A Whiff!”). How about you? [Metro]
