The Groundhog Day Syndrome

The Groundhog Day Syndrome

This feeling is known to everyone, it does not discriminate.   Most people do however learn to adapt to the overwhelming emotions ( perhaps exclusively negative ) that are inherent in this…
Journalists, scientists and new media

Journalists, scientists and new media

As a journalist I have seen many misunderstandings not only in the field of science. The relationship between journalists and other kind of professionals, for example medics professionals, is…
Mapping The Dunes Of Titan

Mapping The Dunes Of Titan

Titan's vast dune fields, which may act like weather vanes to determine general wind direction on Saturn's biggest moon, have been mapped by scientists who compiled four years of radar data collected…
ADHD Linked To Abnormal REM Sleep In Children

ADHD Linked To Abnormal REM Sleep In Children

A study in the March 1 issue of  SLEEP suggests the presence of an intrinsic sleep problem specific to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and supports the idea that children with…
Pride and Piltdown

Pride and Piltdown

Tomorrow is Sunday, and as I prepare to mount my plastic pulpit I will take as my text the introduction to Chapter 5 (Complex Numbers) of A Survey of Modern Algebra by Birkhoff&Mac Lane. …
Old Cells Work Differently Than Young Ones

Old Cells Work Differently Than Young Ones

The agglutination and accumulation of proteins in nerve cells are major hallmarks of age-related neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease. Cellular survival thus depends on a…
Will We Say ‘Dirty’ Tomorrow?

Will We Say ‘Dirty’ Tomorrow?

To the historian, English is a fascinating language.  Unlike most of the languages of Europe, it underwent an almost complete makeover following the Norman invasion (1066 and All That).  As…
Kitchen Science: Homemade Ginger Beer

Kitchen Science: Homemade Ginger Beer

My grandfather had a special room in his cellar for the various presses and casks he used to make his notoriously mouth-wrenching red wine.  I have friends whose microbrew apparatus takes up the…