I know I’m going to ruffle some Ithacan feathers by saying this, but I don’t see the point in the anti-GMO movement. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some fresh fruits and vegetables. Going home is disappointing because the farmers’ markets in Connecticut generally suck, and I enjoy supporting local businesses by shopping at... Continue Reading
While everyone is enjoying the nice weather that finally decided to come to Ithaca, it’s also important that we remember to take advantage of the warm nights to catch some of the celestial events this year. The two main events this week won’t be easily seen from here, one due to skyglow and the other... Continue Reading
For the most part, our pre-college education of colonists was all about the light-hearted, if not fluffy, side of history. We learned about the first Thanksgiving with everyone sitting around the table all happy with their mashed potatoes and turkey. We learned about how the Native Americans taught the settlers how to plant the Three... Continue Reading
For the most part, we can’t control our genes. No amount of hair dye will make me anything other than a natural blonde, no amount of stretching will make me any taller, and no contacts or glasses will make my natural vision any better because that’s what the combination of As, Ts, Cs, and Gs... Continue Reading
When people hear the world “archaeologist,” the image of a pith-helmeted historian tiring under the desert sun with a brush to uncover a perfect and complete T. rex skeleton. While full skeletons are a rarity, these scientists have found some neat collections, including the grave of what might have been an ancient queen, and they’ve... Continue Reading
DNA is some pretty cool stuff. If you think about it, it’s something as simple as some sugar, some phosphates, and a few different rings made of carbon and nitrogen. Sounds pretty elementary, but consider that this combination creates what is essentially the family heirloom cookbook that contains all the recipes to produce, say, a... Continue Reading
Kids today have so many more opportunities than I did in school. I never got to bring my science fair projects down to DC to present to the president. Then again, my projects were pretty terrible: one involved slamming Lego boxes together in the tub to mimic plate tectonics and tsunamis, and the other involved... Continue Reading
Since the ending of the space shuttle program in 2011, NASA has turned to private companies to begin delivering cargo – and eventually astronauts – to the International Space Station. California-based SpaceX and D.C.-based Orbital Sciences have collectively received $3.5 billion from the space agency to send supplies to the ISS. Today, Orbital Sciences successfully... Continue Reading
Dinosaurs themselves may no longer roam the earth, but many of their relatives are still around today as birds, including birds and members of the Crocodilia family. Fish from the order Coelacanthiformes were thought to have gone extinct during the mass event that wiped out the dinosaurs until one was caught in the 1930s. Since... Continue Reading
Friday has become synonymous with happy hour, when workers retire to their favorite watering hole and enjoy a cold one with friends. The booze serves as a reward for working through the 40-hour workweek, but recent studies suggest that the taste beer itself, and not the alcohol, can trigger the brain’s reward system as well.... Continue Reading
