Banner
Stop eating your pet's food

Apparently people are eating their pet's food, and they're getting salmonella poisoning in return...

A scientific reference manual for US judges

Science and our legal system intersect frequently and everywhere - climate, health care, intellectual...

Rainbow connection

On the way to work this morning, I noticed people pointing out the train window and smiling. From...

Neutrinos on espresso

Maybe they stopped by Starbucks for a little faster-than-the-speed-of-light pick me up....

User picture.
picture for Hank Campbellpicture for Heidi Hendersonpicture for Bente Lilja Byepicture for Michael Whitepicture for Patrick Lockerbypicture for Mark Changizi
Becky JungbauerRSS Feed of this column.

A scientist and journalist by training, I enjoy all things science, especially science-related humor. My column title is a throwback to Jane Austen's famous first line in Pride and Prejudice

... Read More »

 Blogroll
Back to the Future and scientific plausibility

Back to the Future and scientific plausibility

Jan 20 2009 | comment(s)

It is Back to the Future week at Overthinkingit.com, a fellow awesome science geeks blog.
Over the past week, the Overthinking It team has subjected the Back to the Future trilogy to a level of scrutiny it certainly deserves, pointing out a wide variety of paradoxes, inconsistencies, and unanswered questions regarding the series.
They discuss "obligatory complications surrounding causality in time-travel paradoxes to hoverboards which don't work above water to the continued reminder of the sheer mathematical improbability of Huey Lewis and the News." And oh yes, the bloggers say, there will be math involved.
Cancer Screening And Early Prevention: False Positives And True Negatives

Cancer Screening And Early Prevention: False Positives And True Negatives

Jan 14 2009 | comment(s)

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, according to Ben Franklin. But what if the prevention causes more harm than benefit? And what if the prevention doesn't prevent much of anything at all?
Stimulus package may help scientists too

Stimulus package may help scientists too

Jan 14 2009 | comment(s)

The economic crisis may actually help science. Cross your fingers - part of the stimulus package is tagged for expansion of the NSF, NIH and other entities.

From Science online:

Rational comedy for an irrational planet

Rational comedy for an irrational planet

Jan 13 2009 | comment(s)

Bay Area comedian Brian Malow has entertained both science-literate and lay audiences for more than a decade with science-centric stand-up humor in his show, "Rational comedy for an irrational planet," according to a San Francisco Chronicle article.
Illuminating The Problem Of Light Pollution

Illuminating The Problem Of Light Pollution

Jan 08 2009 | comment(s)

2009 is the international year of astronomy, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Galileo's observations of Venus, Saturn and Jupiter published in Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger).

Unlike numerous other scientific initiatives to educate the populace, I think this global effort may actually have some impact. Not only are there educational materials, but practical tips, movie clips, and a myriad of projects to draw in amateurs and experts alike. The initiative is also harnessing the power of the Internet, much like Obama did in his campaign, to spread the word.

Watch out, jerks everywhere: your time has come

Watch out, jerks everywhere: your time has come

Jan 07 2009 | comment(s)

I have a list of jerks already lined up for powering a space elevator, putting them in mortal danger of dying a painful death by plummeting elevator.
Carefully Timed Jerks Could Power Space Elevator
Disorganized jerks and procrastinating jerks need not apply. The BBC article continues:
The prospects for the space elevator have been shaken up with a simple prototype using a broomstick. The project could see a 100,000 km long tether anchored to the Earth as a "lift into space" for cheaper space missions.