science

17Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

New Ways Scientists Can Help Put Science Back Into Popular Culture

How often do you, outside the requirements of an assignment, ponder things like the workings of a distant star, the innards of your phone camera, or the number and layout of petals on a flower? Maybe a little bit, maybe never. Too often, people regard science as sitting outside the general culture: A specialized, difficult topic carried out by somewhat strange people with arcane talents. It’s somehow not for them. But really science is part of the wonderful tapestry of human culture, intertwined with things like art, music, theater, film and even religion. These elements of our culture help us understand and celebrate our place in the universe, navigate it and be in dialogue with it and each other. Everyone should be able to engage freely in whichever parts of the general culture they c...

From The Number-One New York Times Best-Selling Author Of The Martian – An Incredible New Science-Based Thriller

8Feb

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BOOKS

From The Number-One New York Times Best-Selling Author Of The Martian – An Incredible New Science-Based Thriller

Project Hail Mary (Unabridged) By Andy Weir A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Martian. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ...

A Food Safety Researcher Explains Food Expiration Dates Don’t Have Much Science Behind Them – Here’s Another Way To Know What’s Too Old To Eat

24Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS, WHAT'S GOOD

A Food Safety Researcher Explains Food Expiration Dates Don’t Have Much Science Behind Them – Here’s Another Way To Know What’s Too Old To Eat

Florida’s outbreak of listeria has so far led to at least one death, 22 hospitalizations and an ice cream recall since January. Humans get sick with listeria infections, or listeriosis, from eating soil-contaminated food, undercooked meat or dairy products that are raw, or unpasteurized. Listeria can cause convulsions, coma, miscarriage and birth defects. And it’s the third leading cause of food poisoning deaths in the U.S. Avoiding unseen food hazards is the reason people often check the dates on food packaging. And printed with the month and year is often one of a dizzying array of phrases: “best by,” “use by,” “best if used before,” “best if used by,” “guaranteed fresh until,” “freeze by” and even a “born on” label applied to some beer. People think of them as expiration dates, or the...

Network Science Uncovers The Hidden Structure Of Community Dynamics – From In-Crowds To Power Couples

17Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Network Science Uncovers The Hidden Structure Of Community Dynamics – From In-Crowds To Power Couples

The world is a networked place, literally and figuratively. The field of network science is used today to understand phenomena as diverse as the spread of misinformation, West African trade and protein-protein interactions in cells. Network science has uncovered several universal properties of complex social networks, which in turn has made it possible to learn details of particular networks. For example, the network consisting of the international financial corruption scheme uncovered by the Panama Papers investigation has an unusual lack of connections among its parts. But understanding the hidden structures of key elements of social networks, such as subgroups, has remained elusive. My colleagues and I have found two complex patterns in these networks that can help researchers better ...

Just Remember The Story Of Philipp Lenard And Albert Einstein – When Science Gets Ugly

17Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Just Remember The Story Of Philipp Lenard And Albert Einstein – When Science Gets Ugly

Scientists are not always as scientific as many suppose. Recent well-publicized cases of scientific fraud prove that scientists can be as susceptible to the allures of wealth, power and fame as politicians, the group that enjoys the lowest public trust. Glaring recent cases have included falsified results in the development of an HIV vaccine and new techniques for producing stem cells. The dispute between Philipp Lenard and Albert Einstein sheds considerable light on the power of nonscientific concerns to sway scientists. NASA via Wikimedia Commons Such breaches prove that scientists do not always base their work strictly on rigorous experimentation, data collection and analysis, and hypothesis testing. In fact, scientists frequently disagree with one another, both as individuals and as ...

Gossip Gets A Bad Rap – The Science Of Gossip

4Apr

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Journalism

Gossip Gets A Bad Rap – The Science Of Gossip

Gossip gets a bad rap. There’s no doubt that the act of gossiping about someone can sometimes be damaging and negative. But there is such a thing as “good gossip” and the very act of gossiping can actually help the way we interact with each other. If we follow some simple steps we can take part in gossip without it ending in tears. Gossip is defined as talking about and evaluating someone when they aren’t there. But we can use gossip to learn about the rules of behavior in social groups and get closer to each other. It helps us do this by letting us learn important information without the need to actually talk to every group member. So gossiping is efficient and those who gossip can use this social currency to gain positions of power. But being a gossip also has a dark side. Gossips are ...

‘Bromosexual’ Friendships – An Emerging Science

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism, LGBTQ

‘Bromosexual’ Friendships – An Emerging Science

For a long time, friendships between gay men and straight men – what some now call “bromosexual” friendships – were uncommon. Homophobia was likely one reason; another was that straight men probably assumed they didn’t have much in common with gay men. But lately, “bromosexual” friendships have started to receive more attention, acceptance and interest. They’re being explored and depicted in movies, books and blogs. In October, The New York Times even devoted an article in their Style section to “The Rise of the ‘Bromosexual’ Friendship.” This sort of normalization is good news. But social scientists still haven’t studied the dynamics of these friendships: why they develop and how they’re maintained. We’re part of a team of community, evolutionary and social psychologists that has recen...

A Food Chemist Explains Sweet Science – The Difference Between Sugar, Other Natural Sweeteners And Artificial Sweeteners

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

A Food Chemist Explains Sweet Science – The Difference Between Sugar, Other Natural Sweeteners And Artificial Sweeteners

A quick walk down the drink aisle of any corner store reveals the incredible ingenuity of food scientists in search of sweet flavors. In some drinks you’ll find sugar. A diet soda might have an artificial or natural low-calorie sweetener. And found in nearly everything else is high fructose corn syrup, the king of U.S. sweetness. I am a chemist who studies compounds found in nature, and I am also a lover of food. With confusing food labels claiming foods and beverages to be diet, zero-sugar or with “no artificial sweeteners,” it can be confusing to know exactly what you are consuming. So what are these sweet molecules? How can cane sugar and artificial sweeteners produce such similar flavors? First, it is helpful to understand how taste buds work. Taste buds and chemistry The “taste map”...

Attribution Science Says Yes, Climate Change Is To Blame For Some Extreme Weather Events – Here’s How It Works

17Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Attribution Science Says Yes, Climate Change Is To Blame For Some Extreme Weather Events – Here’s How It Works

SCIENCE Xubin Zeng, University of Arizona Extreme rainfall and flooding left paths of destruction through communities around the world this summer. The latest was in Tennessee, where preliminary data shows a record-shattering 17 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, turning creeks into rivers that flooded hundreds of homes and killed at least 18 people. A lot of people are asking: Was it climate change? Answering that question isn’t so simple. There has always been extreme weather, but human-caused global warming can increase extreme weather’s frequency and severity. For example, research shows that human activities such as burning fossil fuels are unequivocally warming the planet, and we know from basic physics that warm air can hold more moisture. A decade ago, scientists weren’t able to...

Detecting Fake Science News – 6 Tips To Help You

17Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Detecting Fake Science News – 6 Tips To Help You

I’m a professor of chemistry, have a Ph.D. and conduct my own scientific research, yet when consuming media, even I frequently need to ask myself: “Is this science or is it fiction?” If what you’re reading seems too good to be true, it just might be. Mark Hang Fung So/Unsplash, CC BY There are plenty of reasons a science story might not be sound. Quacks and charlatans take advantage of the complexity of science, some content providers can’t tell bad science from good and some politicians peddle fake science to support their positions. If the science sounds too good to be true or too wacky to be real, or very conveniently supports a contentious cause, then you might want to check its veracity. Here are six tips to help you detect fake science. Tip 1: Seek the peer review seal of approval...