Euphorbia tirucalli L.: Family: Euphorbiaceae Genus: Euphorbia Species: tirucalli, insulana Common names: English: Indian tree spurge, Milk hedge, Petroleum-plant, aveloz, milk bush, pencil tree,…

Matter annihilates antimatter, mostly resulting in light (no, not “pure energy”, whatever that is supposed to be). Matter and antimatter can also come into existence together via a process that is…

Everyone has heard of hindsight - where the context of past events is much clearer in memory than they were at the time - but a new study of the blindsight phenomenon, where a person is cortically…

In my late teenage years I grew fond of Scientific American. Although language caused a barrier, and while I could digest and understand only some of the articles, the popscience presented opened my…

As I had announced in my blog, I spent four days in Oslo before Easter, visiting museums with my kids and my fiancee, and enjoying the place -new to all of us. Oslo is a relatively un-interesting…

What happens when genomics and synthetic biology labs get together?  Anti-science people flip out.  Because, you know, anti-science hippies think scientists are inhuman crazies without…

As almost every parent of an autistic child knows, there is no shortage of books out there on autism, but true gems are rare. Eileen Riley-Hall’s new book Parenting Girls on the Autism Spectrum…

A few months ago, I read Electric Universe by David Bodanis (ISBN 1400045509).  There are two chapters on radar during the Second World War, #7 dealing with Britain’s defences and #8 dealing…

“Viewing a stressful soccer match more than doubles the risk of an acute cardiovascular event.” This disturbing conclusion was published in a 2008 study based on data regarding 4,279 Bavarian…

If you get into a Ph.D. program, are you there to learn and do research, like an academic, or are you there to earn a wage, like a corporate researcher?  Basically, are you still a student or…

If you get into a Ph.D. program, are you there to learn and do research, like an academic, or are you there to earn a wage, like a corporate researcher?  Basically, are you still a student or…

A dramatic sea-level rise occurred at the onset of the first warm period of the last deglaciation, known as the Bølling warming, approximately 14,600 years ago. This event, referred to as Melt-Water…

Periodically it seems that the subject comes up regarding human colonization of space and then all manner of problems and difficulties are discussed with various people taking their respective sides…

Usually, when the majority of reporters in a newsroom rallies around coverage of a single story or event something really big is breaking. Maybe a mass shooting, a tsunami, or a terrorist attack. Or,…

Usually, when the majority of reporters in a newsroom rallies around coverage of a single story or event something really big is breaking. Maybe a mass shooting, a tsunami, or a terrorist attack. Or,…

Countries with a higher per capita gross domestic product (GDP) are more likely to have searches for information about the future than information about the past, according to an analysis of Google…

Sand is so fundamental it seems simple - like a magnetic field, just because an industry is built around something doesn't mean we understand it - but granular material like sand is actually tricky…

"This gum prevents ice crystal formation and also creates the smooth, silky sheen in shampoos. As an additive gum is used extensively by cosmetics, textile, health and paper industry for retaining…

It's baseball season.  That means some time this week you are sure to witness the following; a pitcher hits a player with the ball.  The opposing pitcher retaliates by hitting another…

Every few years, an international test is given and American students finish in the middle of the pack.  They went up during the 2000s but American kids have never been at the top -…