Chatbot Appreciation Day
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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?
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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?
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?
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
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
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!
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,...