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Who You Calling Ugly?
April 29, 2025
I recently wrote an article for Discover about ugly animals, using the blobfish as an example. The blobfish is the mascot of the Ugly Animal Society, an...
We really don’t know clouds at all
April 15, 2025
For those of you who don’t know, I live in the southeastern part of the United States. We have four nice seasons: fall, which can be delightful; winter,...
Not Julia Child’s Best Work
April 1, 2025
You may be familiar with Julia Child’s recipe for boeuf bourguignon, or perhaps, her wonderful puff pastry. But before she became the nation’s favorite chef,...
Glimmers
March 18, 2025
OK, so I was a bit of a Debbie Downer in my last missive. (And I appreciate all of you who responded with encouraging words.) You’ll be glad to hear that I...
On a serious note . . .
March 4, 2025
I often write about the lighter side of science, or cover weird aspects of it. Today, I’d like to address something serious. As you may have heard, science...
We Got Cows
February 18, 2025
When I was a kid, my grandmother used to tell a story about a tornado that roared through her family’s farm when she was young. The twister, she said, took...
Earth is getting warmer. Better grab your coat.
February 4, 2025
Want to hear something weird? A couple of weeks ago New Orleans got eight inches of snow. Want to hear something weirder? It might have been caused by global...
Words Enough and Time
January 21, 2025
Regular readers of this newsletter may remember when I expressed some dismay upon learning that one of my favorite weird facts was not in fact a fact.* Well,...
Time Travel
January 7, 2025
When you read this, the 2024 holiday season will be over and the new year duly rung in. But at the time I should be writing a new newsletter for you to read...
Santa's Evil Sidekick
December 24, 2024
Like most of us, Santa Claus has a mixed lineage. He’s the result of a jumble of ancient traditions, a lot of modern poems and stories, and at least one...
Read any good minds lately?
December 10, 2024
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for more than a few months, you may have worried that I’m obsessed with the idea that AI can read minds. That was the...
Bunkum, Bots, and Belief
November 26, 2024
You’ve no doubt heard some of the outrageous things chatbots say when kept on a long leash. Just this week I saw an article about a chatbot responding to an...
The Truth Is Out There
November 12, 2024
With the rise of social media, conspiracy theories have become so common that the classics — the Moon landing was faked; LBJ killed JFK; Paul McCartney died...
I vant to suck your blood
October 29, 2024
It makes sense that vampire legends were inspired by vampire bats. But that’s not what happened. Vampire bats were named after the legend, not the other way...
Super Chips
October 15, 2024
I always knew there was something deeply weird about those bright orange Doritos. But I had no idea they gave you superhero powers. They can’t make you...
Rats as Role Models?
October 1, 2024
If you’re a longtime subscriber to this newsletter, you may remember that I’ve mentioned some charming attributes of rats a time or two. For example, they...
Chatbot Appreciation Day
September 17, 2024
Do you say “please” and “thank you” to chatbots? Lots of people do. Okay, I do. But it always embarrasses me a little when I say “thanks” to the automated...
The Beauty of Science
September 3, 2024
The actress Hedy Lamarr was once called the most beautiful woman in the world. In 1933, she made a movie in what is now the Czech Republic. It was a pretty...
Grandeur on the Flip Side
August 20, 2024
There were a few silver linings to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those, for me, was that when I interviewed people for stories I was writing, they were...
Just What We Need: Coked-Up Sharks
August 6, 2024
Brazilian scientists reported last week that they found traces of cocaine in the muscles and livers of 13 sharks taken from coastal waters near Rio de...
Hot Summer, Sweet Wine
July 23, 2024
It has always amazed me how scientists who study climate change figure out clever ways to learn about past climates: drilling out ice cores; studying tree...
Happiness really may be a warm puppy
July 9, 2024
If you follow the news, you could probably tick off a dozen reasons people aren’t very happy these days: war, child poverty, impending environmental...
The average 20th century human? Not quite.
June 25, 2024
Thanks to social media, lots of people these days spend crazy amounts of time keeping the rest of us up to date on their thoughts, opinions, and totally...
We Need Your Urine
June 11, 2024
Researchers in Spain were having trouble with their attempts to regenerate oak forests. When they planted seed, mice and other small rodents were scarfing...
Heads or Tails?
May 28, 2024
When you hear the word ‘scientist’ you might imagine someone in a white lab coat bent over a bench littered with test tubes. Or maybe your idea of science is...
When the Weather Was a Joke
May 14, 2024
Weather is serious business. Getting the forecast right and getting that info to the public can often be a matter of life and death. And getting it right is...
When the Weather Was a Joke
April 30, 2024
Weather is serious business. Getting the forecast right and getting that info to the public can often be a matter of life and death. And getting it right is...
Johannes Kepler, Attorney for the Accused
April 16, 2024
Johannes Kepler was an astronomer and mathematician. He’s the dude who discovered that planets move not in circles, but in ellipses. Kepler helped convince...
Look Out Below!
April 2, 2024
Imagine that a chunk of ice the size of a cantaloupe fell on your head. Not a pleasant thought. But hailstones can get that big. In 2018 a hailstone that was...
Separated at Death
March 19, 2024
I can’t believe I missed this! They solved the mystery of the severed feet! In case you’re not up on this one, beginning around 2007, severed (or to be more...
That’s Magic, That Is
March 5, 2024
Most of us remember Isaac Newton mainly for two things: describing the three laws of motion and sussing out a universal theory of gravity. This pretty much...
What Lurks in the Heart of the Deep?
February 20, 2024
I recently read about the discovery of four new species of octopus in the underwater mountains of the Pacific Ocean near Costa Rica. The animals were found...
Now where did I leave my brain?
February 6, 2024
It seems that every time you pick up a scientific journal these days, you find another instance of humans underestimating other animals. But research in this...
If You Don’t Like the Weather, Move to Spearfish
January 23, 2024
It’s been cold, eh? But when it comes to weather, things can change — and fast. As the writer and humorist Mark Twain once said, “If you don’t like the...
Don’t Dis Cursive
January 9, 2024
I moved a lot (a lot) when I was a school kid. There were advantages and disadvantages to that. But mostly it was just weird. One of the weird things was...
Happy New Year!
December 26, 2023
I know this has been a challenging year in all kinds of ways, but I hope you found joy and peace in there somewhere! And I’m sending you all my best wishes,...
Wafflin’ Around the Christmas Tree
December 12, 2023
Those of you who celebrate Christmas and also care for the environment might be having a minor holiday crisis over your Christmas tree. Should you choose...
If we could control the weather …
November 28, 2023
These days we’re hearing a lot about geo-engineering — manipulating the weather — to help reverse some of the worst effects of climate change. No one really...
If you can read this …
November 14, 2023
I have some good news this week. Kids are reading!! A recent report from the American Library Association found that Gen-Zers buy and read an average of two...