There is a little magic embodied in every bit of bread or cheese and every sip of beer and wine. That magic is microbial and, at least in the case of the bread, beer and wine, the microbe doing the magic is yeast, of a single species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, what one might reasonably call civilization’s [...]
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February 21st, 2012 |
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This article is the sixth and probably last article in a minseries of six articles (see the first, second, third, fourth and fifth articles here) about civilization, fungus, and alcohol. Very little is known about the beginning of the story of humans and yeast. Did it start in one place? Did it start in many? Did yeast independently [...]
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February 21st, 2012 |
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New research points to an ancient energy tradeoff that meant more fuel for brains, and less fuel for muscles. Recently while visiting the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., I found myself pondering the noggins of some very, very, old apes. Along one wall of the Hall of Human Origins — an exhibit [...]
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February 20th, 2012 |
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This article is the fifth (see the first, second, third and fourth articles here) in a miniseries of six articles that will be posted over six days about civilization, fungus, and alcohol. They found themselves, like any first creatures, lost. Without means, they were unable to survive by anything other than what was in the immediate surroundings. They [...]
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February 20th, 2012 |
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On March 1, 1962, thousands of people lined New York City’s Broadway. Some climbed into an unfinished building to use it as a makeshift grandstand. They all wanted a glimpse of a real life hero. In the back of a car driving slowly down the street sat John Herschel Glenn Jr., smiling and giving onlookers [...]
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February 18th, 2012 |
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This article is the fourth (see the first, second and third articles here) in a miniseries of six articles (yes, I added one) that will be posted over six days about civilization, fungus, and alcohol. The first four articles are already determined, but just how this series finishes up will be chosen by the comments and [...]
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February 17th, 2012 |
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This article is the third (see the first and second articles here) in a miniseries of six articles (yes, I added one) that will be posted over six days about civilization, fungus, and alcohol. The first four articles are already determined, but just how this series finishes up will be chosen by the comments and ideas [...]
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February 16th, 2012 |
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This article is the second (see the first here) in a miniseries of six articles that will be posted over five days about civilization, fungus, and alcohol. Sometimes scientists are asked if they have hobbies. What follows is an awkward pause. It is not as if scientists don’t have hobbies, it is just that their [...]
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This article is one in a miniseries of five articles that will be posted over the next five days about civilization, fungus, and alcohol. The first four articles are already determined, but just how this series finishes up will be determined by the comments and ideas of readers. Solomon Katz is an anthropologist. He worked [...]
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February 15th, 2012 |
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It starts with a soft, almost soothing, hiss, but it is not a comforting sound. The hiss — the sound of wind and snow grains sliding along the ground–is the prelude to a mighty symphony of noise, swirling snow, and danger. The snow symphony spawns whiteout (Fig. 1) and gridlock. When your work is studying [...]
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Extinction Looms for Rare Frog Species, Now Down to 1 IndividualA Science Miniseries: The Big Story of Alcohol, Civilization and a Little Fungus
And you can tell everybody, this is your mouse's song
Surprising Truths about How We Think and Act
Chestnut Tree Circadian Clock Stops In Winter
Fracking gets the NMA Taiwan animation treatment
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