I can’t count the number of times I have been asked by patients if carrots really can improve their eyesight. I think some are looking for carrots to be a magical cure for their refractive error. They want to eliminate their need for glasses and want carrots to give them perfect 20/20 vision. While proper [...]

If it stinks, it’s chemistry—that’s one memory trick some smart-aleck high-school students might recommend to identify the core sciences. But chemistry goes far beyond noxious fumes. It serves as the backbone of our modern society and is essential for a sustainable future and an improved standard of living for all.   To bring that message [...]

I will be in Chicago this week attending science events aimed at grown-ups. If you don’t know the city, check out this tilt-shift video. Incredible! What started as a trip to view the work-in-progress film about cold fusion called “The Believers” (see my post), has become a bit of an adventure. I will briefly fill [...]

“Seriously, it doesn’t matter how many times you ask me. I’m never going to remember where he said he was going. I don’t even know why you’re still here.” “I just don’t believe you.” “Have you looked in his house yet? That’d be the first place I’d look. Under his bed or something, I don’t [...]

What makes a Nobel Prize winner? There’s several suggested factors: Perseverance? Good luck? Good mentors and students? Here’s one possible factor that I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams; chocolate consumption. Chocolate consumption tracks well with the number of Nobel Laureates produced by a country. At least that’s what a paper published in [...]