Observations
Masks and Emasculation: Why Some Men Refuse to Take Safety Precautions
They think it makes them look weak, and avoiding that is evidently more important to them than demonstrating responsible behavior
Blogs
Observations
How a Landmark Physics Paper from the 1970s Uncannily Describes the COVID-19 Pandemic
Phil Anderson’s article “More Is Different” describes how different levels of complexity require new ways of thinking. And as the virus multiplies and spreads, that’s just what the human race desperately needs...
Observations
The Fight against COVID-19 Threatens to Cause Collateral Health Damage
The pandemic is no excuse to abandon chronic disease management and prevention
Recent Posts
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New HIV strain originated in gorillas
Chimps are not the only animals that can harbor and introduce HIV into human populations, according to a new report. A 62-year-old woman, who recently arrived in Paris after living in Cameroon, is thought to be the first human to carry a strain of HIV originating in a gorilla...
Opportunity rover finds possible meteorite on Mars
The indefatigable Opportunity rover, still motoring across the Red Planet five years into its mission, recently came across what may be a large meteorite sitting on the Martian surface.
Balance of power: Wind fluctuations complicate energy distribution through grids
When temperatures rose into the triple digits in the Pacific Northwest last week, breaking local heat records, electricity use also skyrocketed. Most grids can handle such events, but there was a problem in this case, Reuters reported...
Power-hungry supercomputers going green
Speed and power have long been the most important criteria when judging a supercomputer's worth as a number-crunching lab workhorse, but energy efficiency is fast catching up.
Quiet year for twister research in Tornado Alley
The 100-plus researchers who set out earlier this year on the biggest scientific twister hunt in history have returned with few tornado tales to tell.
Tool kit dropped from space station is orbital junk no more
A tool bag lost by a spacewalking astronaut in November appears to have met its end after more than eight months in orbit. The chief scientist at NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office says the tool kit should have reentered the atmosphere this morning...
Solar power purchase agreements, aka let someone else deal with the paperwork for you
Editor's Note: Scientific American 's George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels and taking other steps to save energy in 60-Second Solar .
Black kids aren't getting enough vitamin D, study says
Too much television and too little milk means that black children are not getting enough of vitamin D, a new study says. Known as the “sunshine vitamin” because it can also be obtained through sun exposure, Vitamin D can stave off rickets, improve bone health, and possibly prevent colds, heart disease and diabetes...
Drilling deep into an ocean fault
For the first time, researchers have been able to drill deep (more than 1,600 meters) into an ocean fault zone.
The expedition team, onboard the Japanese research ship Chikyu, is searching for answers in the depths of the Nankai Trough about why the previously active fault has locked up in the past several decades—and what type of activity might be likely in the near future...
Mexico City develops health care plan to lure tourists
The Mexico City government announced a plan this week to boost tourism in response to the negative impact of the H1N1 “swine” flu. The city will pick up medical costs for any guest who gets sick while visiting...
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