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The Map of Life. Mapping mosses next?
Have you heard about the Map of Life? They just released their first demo version of the mapping program. The program integrates data on species distributions from a number of sources, such as, point...
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For less-religious Americans, compassion is a significant factor in prosocial...
Apologies if you saw this one when it came out last month, but it's an interesting study that really deserves a closer look! Laura Saslow (University of California at San Francisco) and colleagues...
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Nasty imported soil yields new weeds
Mrs. Phactor is death on weeds, and she knows the worst ones by name, reputation, and depth of rooting. An interesting thing happened as a result of refurbishing our lily pond. A load of topsoil was...
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Cyanide producing plants
A reader asks the Phactor: "I understand some plants, seeds etc. contain cyanide. If ingested and the source of the cyanide is not immediately known, can any test determine the specific source of the...
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The origin of Schmallenberg Virus and the need for more surveillance.
Last week we finally got the answer to where Schmallenberg virus came from. At least genetically speaking that is (we still don't know from what geographical region it was nor whether it had been in...
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Bacterial fuel cell turns sewage into juice
Everytime you flush or put something down the sink disposal, energy is going down the drain. BOD stands for biological oxygen demand, the amount of oxygen needed to turn all those carbon molecules...
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Understand this?
It is no shame to admit that you have no understanding of particle physics. An old episode of Big Bang Theory had Sherman and his girl friend arguing about whose field of science was the more all...
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Good news, everyone! Drink coffee and live longer and better!
Not that this information actually means anything to the addict, but it appears that not only is the modest imbibing of coffee not harmful, caffeine may actually help you live a longer life. Back when...
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The protein makes the poison: Dancing fruit flies and terfenadine
"Chemophobia" is the name of the exasperating phenomenon in which every material substance is branded as a "chemical" and made to look dangerous irrespective of context. Since everything in the...
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The Mushroom Tree
The familiar field mushroom Agaricus arvensis, photographed by Fred Stevens. Autumn being the height of mushroom season, it is appropriate that mushrooms should be my subject today. Recent years have...
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David Merritt and June Barrow-Green at Milano
The next Monday (28/05/2012) will be a great day for science in Italy. Indeed the astrophysicist David Merritt and the mathematician June Barrow-Green will be at Milano for two distinct talks. Merritt...
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Man or Myth: the Jesus Story
There is a debate currently being waged regarding whether Jesus was a real person or simply a myth. This blogosphere debate was sparked by the publication of Bart Ehrman's newest book "Did Jesus...
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Endurance record?
My dear younglings, you will probably find this not only remarkable, but an unbelievable record of endurance, one that only someone of some age could achieve, and by no means all of us. Yes, so here...
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Octopuses Host a Masterclass on Hiding
When you're surrounded by an ocean full of potential predators, the best way to avoid seeing the inside of one's stomach is to make sure none of them see you in the first place. Octopuses and some...
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Friday Fabulous Flower - Goat's beard
Some plants struggle along, and then for one of a variety of reasons you move them, and voila, they prosper. And so it was with this species of goat's beard (Aruncus dioicus). After struggling along...
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Yuck!
I found this in a small box of antibiotics in the cold room. It's mycophenolic acid that had somehow eaten through the foil ring (blue) that held the bottle's rubber seal in place. I had no idea...
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Weighted towel
a good #towelday by @ulaulaman The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple and safe means to secure a beach towel or blanket to the ground in the wind. A second objectis to make...
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Helping a reader with a dandelion experiment
Shannon writes: "So, while thinking about the effectiveness of other commonly recommended methods (pulling, eating, bleaching, salting) I thought, why not just remove all the leaves? Over and over...
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Music to my ears!
It's 91 F (32.8C) today, and tomorrow promises to be hotter. Even though the spring was early, our herb and kitchen gardens are late. So naturally, hot weather arrives to better assist us in...
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Repetitious magic rituals are thought to be more effective
Magical rituals - routines designed to bring about a real-world effect, like curing disease or cursing a rival - have been part of human society since as far back as anyone can tell. So, as a species,...
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