Bet on chance
When people think about strategy, they’re oftentimes looking for that one “silver bullet” which is the 100% correct and best answer. This is despite the fact that it is sometimes 100% valid to use random chance to make a decision. Well, it turns out that bacteria have figured this out as well, as researchers have [...]
An electric eel’s version of Energy Star
It never ceases to amaze me the extent to which nature beats man to the punch when it comes to coming up with innovative solutions. There’s a reason, after all, that so much of engineering is biomimicry. One cool example of nature coming up with a solution to a problem humans rea dealing with is [...]
Why Comics? Why SciFi?
There’s no denying it. Comic books and science fiction have more than their fair share of “only for geeks.” While I would be hard pressed to deny who I am, I will say that my love for science fiction goes far beyond just pure escapism. Now, I could talk about how I think comic books [...]
Wolfram|Alpha reaches out to students
In educational circles, there’s always a philosophical debate between those educators who favor allowing their students to use tools like TI-89’s or computer algebra-capable software like Mathematica and those who don’t, with those favoring their use citing the ability of the tools to expand the scope of the curriculum, and with those opposed worried about [...]
“Creative” Marketing
I’ve criticized Singapore-based Creative before for overhyping their Zii chip with their vague promises like “stem-cell computing” and a name that eerily conjures up a very popular game console from Nintendo (here and here) . Well, the hype keeps coming, they have now released specs for their first “stem cell computer” (whatever that means), a [...]
Universal perspective
I recently made a post over at Bench Press on a series of images which really helps to give some perspective on just how large the universe is:Breathtaking, isn’t it? For more gorgeous pictures (and a sense of just how small you are in the grand scale of things), check out the post at the [...]
Everything You Want to Know About Antigen Processing
It’s been a while since I’ve worked in a lab, but I remembered always being fascinated by the “tell all” posters which were on the lab walls which laid out everything in a cell/system pertaining to a specific concept in biology. What appealed to me about them is that they conveyed a the complex and [...]
Technology can give you a boost
Why should we study science & technology? Because it can enrich our lives. Case in point: bra’s that lift your breasts when you’re sexually aroused/attracted to someone you’re talking to (HT: The Sun). And of course, a visual representation of how it works (even though I’m quite sure this isn’t quite how it works): [...]
Swine flu 101
Given the extreme panic that some people have in response to the news on the swine flu outbreak, I was going to post a quick set of common questions & answers on Swine Flu, but found that the amazing David Bradley over at Science Base has already done that. I’ve copied and pasted most of [...]
It’s just a little bit of G-T-C-A…
I may never run another molecular biology reaction in my life, but if I do, I will probably push my lab to buy a PCR machine from Bio-Rad . First, my college roommate and Benchpress-partner Eric pointed me to this amazing video a couple of months ago: Flash forward a few months and Eric points me [...]
