Is it unethical to create a synthetic cell?  Or is it simply a natural result of the progression of scientific knowledge and its application for technology that will be used to save lives or improve human health?  The blogosphere (and regular science journalists too)… Read full post »

Our government has many bodies in place to advise on science policy (see list below).  But those who actually cast the votes and put forth legislation, are sorely science-illiterate.  Its our job, as those who put our representatives in office, to ensure our congress is SCIENCE LITERATE.

Fo… Read full post »

May is Exercise Month - what the current research tells us

Time and time again, research shows us that exercise increases overall fitness, reduces incidence of disease, improves mood, and helps keep our glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in balance (preventing diabetes) - the f… Read full post »

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, as a sort of educational teaching day.  Its founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, hoped to show congress just how impassioned and concerned American citizens were in regards to environmental crises.  Today over 175 countries celebrate Eart… Read full post »

Photo by Icelandic photographer Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson. (and photo of the day on Science Daily - original: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orvaratli/4461539560/)

Currently in Iceland a 200-year dormant volcano is erupting.  The thick clouds of volcanic ash which began s… Read full post »

After much consideration, I am ready to proclaim that I believe we are in the midst of a food revolution.  The US is no longer the most obese country in the world (Australia beat us by gaining this notorious title in 2008), but we seem to have woken… Read full post »

Deep breath….. I am taking a rare step into the Macabre.  Inspired by Mary Roach’s Stiff and recent scientific evidence, I would argue that the perfect crime may some day be committed by a scientist.  Not that scientists are by nature drawn to criminal or… Read full post »

One of the most important lessons about science in society, is that coverage of scientific research publications by the scientific or lay press often leads to a distorted and inaccurate representation of the findings or the promise held by the data.  My intent in these regular &ls… Read full post »

  This week the New York Times posted this map:

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/03/14/nyregion/14hungergr.html?ref=nyregion

This may indeed be shocking news to many, that in the US (one of the most affluent nations in the world) we have communities where al… Read full post »

This week, Jenny McCarthy posted an article on the Huffington Post (a blogging site long recognized for its lack of scientific accuracy - see this OS blogger for many good examples: http://open.salon.com/blog/rahul_k_parikh), that once again tries to convince us  a former Playboy… Read full post »

If you're a techno-addict and always have your laptop, smart phone or iPod attached to you, then these podcasts, e-newsletters and smart phone apps are a must.  

For those new to this (although I doubt those in the blogosphere are not 'in the know'), podcasts are like radio shows available… Read full post »

Face it - this is the information age, and many of us are as titilated by facts and figures as others are about pornography.  However, sometimes even avid readers and lovers of information grow tired of analyzing tables of numbers, staring at line graphs, or reading paragraphs of dry statistics.… Read full post »

The votes have finally been tallied, after voting on many websites took place in early 2010.  The top science, technology, research and health stories of 2009 (and the decade, see below) have been posted online.  Here is a roundup of some of the best lists, and the bes… Read full post »

The frog, hallmark of the amphibian class, lives on land and water and breathes through its skin.  Therefore, disruptions to the environment, be they climate or pollutant related, are often discovered first in amphibians like frogs.  This has given the frog the unofficial des… Read full post »

As the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics come to a close tomorrow, I find myself reflecting over the past couple of weeks in amazement at what the human body can accomplish.  Feats of strength, agility, concentration, precision - why is it that some of us are better than other… Read full post »

It is an odd week for news of scientific findings.  New Scientist is reporting that spending time at high elevations, like mountain tops, could aide in weight loss.  And Science is reporting a potential reason why cannabis smokers may have slo… Read full post »

Of course, love is a real emotion.  Some say it is essential for life.  But how does the emotion manifest? And what about sexual chemistry: what causes that spark to fly between two people, sometimes immediately?  Can pheromones help a lonely heart to make… Read full post »

Can’t remember which football teams you’ve played for?  Forget who you defeated in that boxing ring?  Dementia pugilistica may be to blame.   Also known as Boxer’s syndrome, this type of Alzheimer’s Disease-like dementia is caused by… Read full post »

Yes, Pun intended.  As you tuck into that plate of nachos and roar with laughter over the creative advertising showcased between superbowl plays, keep Neuromarketing in the back of your mind.  These commercials may be more than just a laugh - they may be cleverly disguised a… Read full post »

Is it just me, or is the media obsessed with the G-spot lately?  Everywhere I look, I seem to find articles citing this study or that study, claiming the G-spot is an irrefutable part of female anatomy  or claiming its just a bunch of hooey. 

While I recently covered… Read full post »

Last night during Obama’s first State of the Union address, science was mentioned no less than three times.

To quote:

On international competition: “They're (nations like China, India, Germany) putting more emphasis on math and science.”

On Education: &ldq… Read full post »

Who says the cinema ignores the lives of scientists?  The recent film ‘Extraordinary Measures,’ based on the true events in the book The Cure by Geeta Anand, tells the story of how a desperate parent guides a scientific breakthrough to clinical trials, thereby saving his chi… Read full post »

In the first part of this series, I give you bite-sized summaries of some of the most provokative, ground-breaking, or downright odd scientific findings of the recent month.

The smell of mustiness emitted from flipping through an old book has been identified as a product of paper degradation.&… Read full post »

Recently a family member was diagnosed with testicular cancer; a young man (not yet thirty years old) who is (otherwise) in very good health.  Although I spend my days doing and reading about biomedical research, this episode has exposed the tremendous gaps in my knowledge about this type of can… Read full post »

 Earthquake devastation in Haiti (photo: Daily Mail UK)

Could the devastating earthquake in Haiti been acurately predicted?  Could preventive measures been taken, people evacuated, lives saved?

A friend posted this excerpt on their blog today, from an online Haitian n… Read full post »