Swine flu threat?
It’s always possible, of course, that this time it will be the terrible pandemic that is feared. But I wonder. When I did a search of this blog for “influenza,” for example, I came up with this post from the … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Science
Nailing jello to the wall
Life getting you down? Had enough of politics? Think spring. Think….jello, and nailing it to the wall. They said it couldn’t be done. But it can. Yes, it can! Follow the link to get the full story and all the … Continue reading →
The imprecise science of earthquake prediction
It seems impressive that the terrible earthquake in Italy was forecast by scientist Gioacchino Giuliani. Or was it? He predicted one in the general area but not the exact place, and he thought it would come a few days earlier. … Continue reading →
Larry Summers comes by it naturally—or is it nurturally?
I hadn’t previously been aware of these facts about controversial Harvard ex-President and current National Economic Council head Larry Summers: Born in New Haven, Connecticut, on November 30, 1954, Summers is the son of two economists, Robert Summers and Anita … Continue reading →
Lifting the stem-cell research “ban”
Google “did bush ban stem cell research?” and you get this gaggle of articles. Some of the titles announce that Obama has ended Bush’s stem cell research ban, while others refer to Bush’s policy as a funding ban. What a … Continue reading →
Obama’s energy proposals and your utility bills
If you ever had any doubt, it’s becoming more and more clear every day that Obama meant every single radical thing he ever said. Including that one about bankrupting the coal companies. Don’t recall it? Well, let me refresh your … Continue reading →
More things in heaven and earth
Evidence comes that the polar oceans, once thought to be relatively barren, are teeming with an “astonishing richness of marine life.” Many thousands of species found to be living in the water at each pole include many that have never … Continue reading →
You must remember this: a kiss isn’t just a kiss
Wendy Hill, a psychology professor at Lafayette College, is interested in kissing—the science of it, that is. Her research found that kissing (of the romantic variety) has a measurable effect on certain hormones: [Hill’s team] found that kissing reduced the … Continue reading →
The Lancet gives truth the shaft
It’s not been a real good week for The Lancet, the well-known medical journal based in London and New York. Remember the famous Iraq casualty study, researched by one Gilbert Burnham of Johns Hopkins, and published in Lancet’s pages back … Continue reading →
Tears, idle tears: we know not what they mean
We sometimes speak of having a “good cry,” reflecting the common assumption that crying when upset can lead to a release of tension and make us feel better. This NY Times article reports on research that indicates that this is … Continue reading →
Good marks for Freud?
Long-term psychotherapy, especially of the Freudian type, has gone out of style. Perhaps that’s because we’ve become more impatient these days. Or perhaps it’s due to the fact that psychotherapy seems more an art than a science, and an expensive … Continue reading →
The city is too much with us
This article mentions that the world has passed an important milestone: more than half its population lives in cities. That means that city life is having a greater and greater effect on our culture, bodies, and psyches. So there’s reason … Continue reading →