Common Sense
Unlike Luke Skywalker, maybe you can’t feel the force. But can you see it? Listen to this Loh Down on Science episode to find out.
The smell of old people
When most people talk about “old people smell,” they’re complaining about something unpleasant. But in a new study, scientists report that the scent of the elderly isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s rather pleasant, at least compared to the intense odor of a middle-aged man. Volunteer judges used words like “earthy” or “mild” to describe
The smell of old people Read More »
Candy on the brain
The next time you find yourself craving a sweet, irresistible piece of candy in someone else’s hands, remember this: You can’t help it. Your brain is built to covet. Read more at Science News for Kids.
Candy on the brain Read More »
Bringing down the trash
The density of junk orbiting the Earth is at or near a critical value beyond which this man-made debris will self-perpetuate, forming many smaller pieces that are even more of a problem.I wrote this article for Physics World about the latest ideas about how to bring down the trash.
Bringing down the trash Read More »
Meat from scratch
If all goes according to Mark Post’s plan, he will appear on television in October and devour a hamburger that costs about twice as much as most houses do in the United States. Yes, as Charlotte the spider might have written, that’s some burger. “It’s not something you’d flip every day on the barbecue,” admits
Interrupting cancer’s travel plans
Randy Watnickʼs pursuit of a better drug against metastatic cancer began late at night in early 2005. His infant daughter had woken up in tears at their home in Newton, Mass., near Boston. The molecular biologist climbed out of bed, scooped up the sobbing baby, and helped her get back to sleep. Normally able to
Interrupting cancer’s travel plans Read More »
Flipping Icebergs
Icebergs look like towering, frozen mountains that drift through water. Their peaks may soar hundreds of feet above the surface and large ones cover as much area as major cities. When one of these blocks of ice flips over, it causes a great splash. In recent experiments at the University of Chicago, scientists have calculated
Descartes’ Decipherer
Erik-Jan Bos, a philosopher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, unearthed research gold with an Internet search. In putting together a critical edition of René Descartes’ correspondence, due out in 2014, he discovered a stolen, never-before-published letter from the seventeenth- century French philosopher and mathematician. In the run-up to Descartes’ 416th birthday on 31 March,
Descartes’ Decipherer Read More »
You can’t copyright pi
The mathematical constant pi continues to infinity, but an extraordinary lawsuit that centred on this most beloved string of digits has come to an end. Appropriately, the decision was made on Pi Day. On 14 March, which commemorates the constant that begins 3.14, US district court judge Michael H. Simon dismissed a claim of copyright infringement
You can’t copyright pi Read More »
Worlds beyond the solar system
Once upon a time — about 20 years ago — kids in school learned about nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The Nine orbited the sun, and they were the only planets that mattered. Any others existed in the imagination of children or in science fiction books and movies.
Worlds beyond the solar system Read More »