STORING STUFF FOR MILLENNIA
HITTING THE “SAVE” BUTTON instills perhaps misplaced confidence. True, the stuff continues to exist somewhere or other. But can it be easily retrieved? And for how long? Robert F. Service … Continue reading
THE PALIMPSEST OF ARCHIMEDES PART 1
THE WORD “PALIMPSEST” MAY JOG THE MEMORY of longtime readers of this website: “Medieval DNA Sleuthing,” SimanaitisSays, August 7, 2017, described “A palimpsest is a piece of writing material, parchment, … Continue reading
BOUBA-KIKI: EVEN CHICKS CAN PLAY PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, WE LEARNED ABOUT ASSOCIATING shapes with made-up words, briefly spiky ones linked to “kiki,” blobby ones to “bouba.” Surprisingly enough, people around the world speaking different … Continue reading
BOUBA-KIKI: EVEN CHICKS CAN PLAY PART 1
BEFORE YOU BEGIN, PAIR THE MADE-UP WORDS “BOUBA” AND “KIKI” with these pictured shapes. Which is which? Images from science friday. As noted by the sciencefriday.com website, “The Bouba-Kiki Effect … Continue reading
HUT! HUT! PROTECTING ONE’S BRAIN PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE BEGAN GLEANING TIDBITS about the latest in football helmets. Today in Part 2, Adrian Cho delves deeper into “Softening The Blow,” AAAS Science, February 5, 2026. There’s also … Continue reading
HUT! HUT! PROTECTING ONE’S BRAIN PART 1
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, AUTUMNAL WEEKENDS were made—or ruined—by the performance of the Cleveland Browns football team. That was the era of Lou Groza, Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli, and … Continue reading
A.I.—COMFORT OVER TRUTH?
CONFIRMING MY RECENT COMMENT about A.I. “Support” Slop, J.L. Robinson writes, “A.I. Has Learned to Validate Instead of Inform,” Automotive News, January 26, 2026. By way of validation of his … Continue reading
CHERNOBYL MOULD MAY THRIVE ON RADIATION
THE HORRIFIC DISASTER OF CHERNOBYL may have a beneficial mouldy lining—thanks to the relatively recent discovery of radiotrophism. Just as plants thrive from the sun through photosynthesis, some moulds have … Continue reading
OUT OF AFRICA, KITTY-STYLE PART 2
Yesterday we began tidbits gleaned from Jonathan B. Losos’ “The Cat Diaspora Out Of Africa” and “The Dispersal of Domestic Cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 Years Ago,” by … Continue reading
OUT OF AFRICA, KITTY-STYLE PART 1
AAAS SCIENCE, NOVEMBER 2025, DISPLAYS A FASCINATING cover blurb belying that our cat pals—as you might guess—got here in their own good time. Here in Parts 1 and 2 today … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 