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When you are sitting at the start line of a race, looking towards the finish line, sometimes it seems a heck of a lot further away than it should. Turns out that how my body is feeling may be affecting how far away I see the finish line. Jessica Witt is a cognitive psychologist at … Continue reading
How could I not read about a bit of DNA called R2d2. But it turns out this DNA does not share any of the personality of its namesake (a droid from the original Star Wars movies). R2d2 is a piece of DNA found in mice. It contains multiple copies of a specific gene (Cwc22). When … Continue reading
It was a little disconcerting when the garlic in my potato salad turned bluish-green the other day. What had caused it, and was it safe to eat? The flavour of garlic is created by a few different sulfur compounds and some enzymes (an enzyme is something that affects the speed of a chemical reaction). Basically, what … Continue reading
The Zika virus is spread via mosquito bites and usually results in a mild illness that includes fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes (conjunctivitis) (CDC). However, preliminary data from Brazil shows a connection between rates of pregnancy complications including microcephaly and Zika virus infections. First, it is important to note that this is still preliminary data. … Continue reading
So at the moment I am teaching about momentum and impulse in my physics class. I really like these topics because they have so many real life applications that are easy for students to see. I’ve talked about car crashes, air bags, and crumple zones. I love bringing in a variety of different sports from … Continue reading
I remember being in junior high when my skating coach asked me why it was important to pull your arms and legs in when doing a spin. I responded by talking about surface area and resistance. It was a little more technical detail than she was expecting. If I had a choice for my science … Continue reading
I don’t like dark chocolate and I don’t really suffer from migraines. But, I have heard enough people make the connection between chocolate and migraines and caffeine and migraines that I decided to do some investigation. What intrigued me from the start is that a number of headache medications use caffeine as an active ingredient. … Continue reading
As a reaction to the mass consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday people around the world started Giving Tuesday. Last year it included 68 different countries. So we all know that giving helps other people, but can we actually help ourselves by giving? There is a lot of research to indicate that there are … Continue reading
Okay so someone in my family grated their fingerprint off. That’s right, it was enough of a chunk that they had to take the piece of fingertip to the hospital with them. So, will it grow back? Yes, but it might have a scar that becomes part of the fingerprint. Fingerprint mutilation seems to be a … Continue reading
I posted a couple weeks ago about allergies and parasites. More research on the allergy front indicates a possible mechanism to prevent, at least some, allergies. There is a lot of research going into probiotics these days. They have been linked with all sorts of health concerns as a possible means of prevention, or at … Continue reading
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