For those of you who are interested in Brion Gysin's Dreamachine, the following was borrowed from our friends at Wikipedia: In its original form, a dreamachine is made from a cylinder with slits cut…

Ivan Oransky, managing editor of Scientific American online, was one of the judges for Nikon's Small World contest: "Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of serving as one of several judges for the…

In today's world, humans are at the top of the food chain. We have almost no natural predators as there are few animals that rely on humans as prey. Pathogens are the only exception. Viruses,…

Ah, the tanning booth - a cancer-causing security blanket for high schoolers headed to spring break in Mexico and prom. (Not that I have a bias.) Sunless tanning lotions and sprays exist, of course,…

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. As part of the commemoration of this event, the space shuttle Endeavour brought a version of it up to the…

Those mortifying accidents. Stephen J. Dubner unleashed a pent-up flood of guilt and shame from readers of his New York Times column. Ever written an email, then sent it in haste … to the wrong…

Bluntly speaking, we are more likely to cooperate in a group when those who don’t get punished. “Darwin had a blind spot. It wasn’t that he didn’t see the role of cooperation in evolution. He just…

That irritating co-worker you’re stuck sitting by (again!) sees a decidedly different side of you than your best friend does. That’s because you have many people inside of you (no they’re not…

You, too, may laugh in amusement at these Candid Camera style “experiments.” Yet, ruefully, I acknowledge that I might conform within minutes… well seconds? Also, see this other well-known (among…

We instinctively experience situations as individuals or as part of a group.  As David Brooks suggests today, the world is divided into those with an individualist or a collectivist mentality.…

Neuroscientist Tania Singer and her team recruited volunteers to play a game. Some were asked to play by the rules. Others were instructed to ignore them. To not play fair. After all participants…

I had this video forwarded to me, and have to say that initially I was stunned. "Man!  This pilot is one lucky guy!"  But then I immediately began to wonder, why didn't I see this on the…

You might say I am fond of Sweden and its Nobel Prizes. Now that the Mars500 shortlist includes also a Swede, there implies another delight: The Swedish Biogas might save the…

There are many beneficial aspects to reading and writing blogs about science. I have found that they are often much better than news feeds (which generally are uncritical repetitions of press…

The latest Tangled Bank is up. Go visit Candid World to find some great, recent biology blogging.

Is there anything that Google can't do? An article in the NY Times ("Google Uses Searches to Track Flu's Spread") by Miguel Helft reports that Google may be able to detect outbreaks of influenza up…

There's no question that the World Wide Web is a much different beast today than it was during the election of 2000.   Yes, it was even then a communication medium but it was primarily a way to…

Actually, today it's tea because I need to go easy on the caffeine. Here's what's interesting in science around the web this week: Where did hobbits come from? Not the hobbits in the Shire, but Homo…

My feeling about science news reports is decidedly mixed. On the one hand, I read most of the main news services in order to keep up with research outside of my own discipline. On the other hand, I…

This is the fourth essay from Brian Taylor's lowbrow explanation of the concepts facing the modern enlightened.  So far, using plain language, typical story-like reflections and humor he has…