Creepy or cool? Portraits derived from the DNA in hair and gum found in public places

on 2013/05/05 in Articles, Biology & Chemistry, Culture & the World

It started with hair. Donning a pair of rubber gloves, Heather Dewey-Hagborg collected hairs from a public bathroom at Penn Station and placed them in plastic baggies for safe keeping. Then, her search expanded to include other types of forensic evidence. As the artist traverses her usual routes through New York City from her home in Brooklyn, down sidewalks onto city buses and subway cars—even into art museums—she gathers fingernails, cigarette butts and wads of discarded chewing gum.

Why do we kiss?

on in Biology & Chemistry, Culture & the World, Lectures, Psychology & Health

The scientific study of kissing is “philematology”

The times and troubles of the Scientific Method

on 2013/05/04 in Biology & Chemistry, Lectures, Physics

Science is working tirelessly night and day to disprove its own theories about how the universe works (or at least, that’s what science thinks it’s doing). Hank tells us a quick history of how we came to create and adopt the scientific method and then gives us a vision of the future of science (hint: it involves a lot more computers and a lot less pipetting).

A 40-year plan for energy

on in Culture & the World, Environment, Lectures, Technology

In this intimate talk filmed at TED’s offices, energy innovator Amory Lovins shows how to get the US off oil and coal by 2050, $5 trillion cheaper, with no Act of Congress, led by business for profit. The key is integrating all four energy-using sectors—and four kinds of innovation.

Europe’s hypocritical history of cannibalism

on in Articles, Culture & the World, Psychology & Health

From prehistory to the present with many episodes in between, the region has a surprisingly meaty history of humans eating humans.

Telepathy is easier than you think

on in Culture & the World, Lectures, Psychology & Health

Some have proposed using quantum entanglement (the invisible umbilical cord that exists between objects) as a form of telepathy. But there are much more practical ways of achieving telepathy that already exist.

How to speak chemistrian

on in Biology & Chemistry, Lectures

Learning to talk about chemistry can be like learning a foreign language, but Hank is here to help with some straightforward and simple rules to help you learn to speak Chemistrian like a native.

Herschel closes its eyes on the Universe

on in Articles, Astronomy, Technology

Herschel has made over 35 000 scientific observations, amassing more than 25 000 hours’ worth of science data from about 600 observing programmes. A further 2000 hours of calibration observations also contribute to the rich dataset, which is based at ESA’s European Space Astronomy Centre, near Madrid in Spain.

For some species, you really are what you eat

on in Articles, Biology & Chemistry

Animals naturally synthesize a pigment called melanin, which determines the color of their eyes, fur (or feathers) and skin. Pigments are chemical compounds that create color in animals by absorbing certain wavelengths of light while reflecting others. Many animals can’t create pigments other than melanin on their own. Plant life, on the other hand, can produce a variety of them, and if a large quantity is ingested, those pigments can sometimes mask the melanin produced by the animal. Thus, some animals are often colored by the flowers, roots, seeds and fruits they consume.

The science of terrorism

on 2013/05/03 in Culture & the World, History, Lectures

Science can help create understanding where there is none, but is it possible to study and understand terrorists if we’re too busy doing everything we can to stop it? Terrorism is notoriously difficult to study because governments constantly subpoena scientists lists of contacts, making source anonymity impossible.