This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Gin in your genes? by Benjamin Plackett:
Scientists know that about half of alcoholism risk comes from your DNA, but which genes in particular are responsible, and why does it matter?...
Native invasive species? by Kate Prengaman:
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I learned about invasive species at a very early age- my mom would pay my sister and I a quarter a bucket to pull up garlic mustard that was spreading through the woods behind our house. She explained to us that the mustard didn’t belong there, it was an alien plant trying to take over our woods from the pretty native trillium and others. The logic was easy- remove the plant that doesn’t belong- it’s not pretty, and it makes your hands smell funny....
Our little blue marble by Justine E. Hausheer:
The Mars Rover Curiosity could not be more aptly named. As Scienceline’s own Miriam Kramer discussed a few weeks ago, that little robot is freaking amazing. Think about it. A few decades ago our parents watched the moon landing on television, but now you can watch a robot land on Mars from your miniature hand-held computer. Yes, your iPhone....
Book Review: The Emperor of all Maladies by Erin Podolak:
....Very rarely in a book review do I say that I think everyone should read a book. More often I recommend books with caveats that if you aren't interested in the subject matter, don't like nonfiction, have trouble staying focused, etc perhaps you won't enjoy a book as much as I did. I am recommending The Emperor of all Maladies for everyone, regardless of what you normally read or are typically interested in. This book, and Mukherjee himself, deserve every ounce of praise that has been heaped upon them. There is a lot of information in The Emperor of all Maladies, and depending on how and where you read it might take you a long time to get through. It will be worth it.....
Going green by Susan E. Matthews:
Walk through any grocery store in New York City and advertisements touting various food products’ eco-friendly credibility will bombard you. From locally grown to organically farmed to wrapped in recycled packaging, environmentalists have officially co-opted the food industry. So what’s the next industry that may be going green? ...
Women’s Wedding Jitters Might Actually Matter by Rachel Nuwer:
Ladies: if you’re having doubts about going through with a wedding, don’t ignore them. At least that’s the advice issued by a new UCLA study investigating the link between marriage misgivings and unhappy unions. The psychologist authors warn that doubt—especially among women—may be a sign that trouble awaits after “I do.”...
The Nazi Smoke and Mirrors Escape That Launched America Into the Space Age by Amy Shira Teitel:
We all know that Werner von Braun and his team of ex-Nazi rocket engineers built the massive Saturn V that sent Apollo astronauts to the Moon. But designing and building the mammoth rocket might not be von Braun’s greatest achievement. Before he could get to the US and build rockets for NASA, he had to find US troops in Germany that would bring him into the country. He managed it, with some clever ploys and a seeming sense of invincibility. And right under the SS’ nose...
Do dry soils attract rain? by Joanna-Marie Howes:
....Previous climate change theories have suggested that drier soils contain less moisture able to evaporate into the atmosphere, thereby reducing rainfall and making these areas increasingly arid. However, researchers from the NERC Centre of Ecology and Hydrology led by Chris Taylor have analysed images from storm-tracking weather satellites and conclude that on a smaller scale, the opposite is actually true. The study, published in Nature, obtained surface water and rainfall data from six continents over a decade which revealed that storms were more likely to occur over dry soils....
A Moving Perspective by Lauren Fuge:
Stop for a moment, and let me tell you the story of you. You were born in the heart of a star, in a brilliant white furnace that churned and trembled and dazzled the darkness. Every atom in your body was cooked in a stellar crucible as dense as fifty elephants crammed inside a thimble, and then, as its world raged and shook, the star tore open its own heart for you, exploding suicidal atoms far across the oceans of the universe—atoms that came to reside in you....
School tuna contains excessive mercury, environmentalists' report says by Brett Israel:
Canned albacore tuna purchased by U.S. schools contains more mercury than what government officials have reported, raising the risks for some tuna-loving kids, according to a new study from a coalition of advocacy groups....
Placebo: making evidence-based medicine bad for you by Eliot Barford:
The placebo effect is like a slightly embarrassing trick you play on someone who’s never heard it before. There’s no deception that makes a person look so gullible or so much of a hypochondriac as to bring them back to health with a treatment that does nothing at all....