GODZILLA—AND CHANGING TIMES
SINCE ITS 1954 film debut, Godzilla has doubled in size, breaking all sorts of guidelines in evolutionary theory. It’s more along the lines of the Hollywood dictum that if one … Continue reading
LEAF MATHEMATICS
HOW COME THE common Japanese shrub Orixa japonica breaks all the rules of leaf arrangement? Basil, for instance, is decussate: Each leaf is about a quarter-turn, 90 degrees, from the … Continue reading
ON FRACKING, EGS, AND QUAKES
MOTHER NATURE DOESN’T take kindly to poking, even when administered with the best of intentions. Science has documented that the extraction of petroleum or natural gas by fracturing subterranean rock … Continue reading
CATS ARE SOCIALLY SMART—BUT ONLY IF THEY CHOOSE TO BE
SCIENTISTS ARE CONFIRMING what cat fanciers have suspected all along: Cats are just as smart as dogs. But I can imagine the cat saying, “As if I care…..” David Grimm’s … Continue reading
TIDBITS FROM AAAS
THE AAAS, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and its weekly Science magazine share knowledge with an audience broader than readers of pure scientific journals. These tidbits gleaned … Continue reading
RARE EARTH PRODUCTION—NIMBY
RARE EARTHS, DESPITE their name, are ubiquitous in mobile phones, computer hard drives, automotive catalytic converters, and other features of modern life. Back in 2016, “As Rare As… Earth?” here … Continue reading
WHAT DOES CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE TO DO WITH SEX?
THERE. NOW THAT I have your attention, I’ll cite “Atmospheric Scientists Join Pheromone Quest” by Kai Kupferschmidt, in Science, April 12, 2019. And, before we’re done here today, there’s an … Continue reading
