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The most incomprehensible thing about
the universe is that it is comprehensible.
- Albert Einstein
The roots of education are bitter, but
the fruit is sweet.
- Aristotle
May 20, 2004
Who Needs Sex?
By Scott C. Anderson
Is there another way to mix genes besides sex?
An intriguing idea percolating through the scientific
community has the power to upend a lot of biology, genetics and
evolution. For that reason, scientists are treating it delicately.
They are poking at the theory (because they must), but from a respectable
distance. The idea, called "horizontal gene transfer,"
makes a terrific sci-fi premise – but it may also be true....
Click
here for the rest of the article.
May 5, 2004
The Mathematics of the Internet
By
Scott C. Anderson
The Internet can
be viewed as a graph, and that means you can do math with it.
The Internet is connected by links that point to other
web pages that have links, etc. If you look at the links as "edges"
and the pages as "nodes," you can view the Internet as
a giant graph. A graph can be manipulated by the rules of mathematics
and that means you can do some very clever things. This article
describes one of those clever things...
Click here for the
rest of the article.
April 16, 2004
A Baby’s Hair
by Scott C. Anderson
The first animal cloning was performed with a baby's
hair and tweezers.
Hans Spemann was in a foul mood as he rearranged his
blankets. The beginning of the twentieth century should be vastly
more exciting than this, he thought. Being swaddled in a lounge
chair on the sanatorium porch was not his idea of a glorious way
to ring in the new century. Getting tuberculosis was damned inconvenient,
and the recovery was almost as bad as the disease. He hoped the
book he had just bought would keep him from going comatose....
Click here for the rest of the article.
March 22, 2004
Observing the Deep Sky
by Chuck Fuller
The deeper you look into space, the more amazing
the view.
 People
often ask, “What do you look at with that telescope?” Well, of course
there are the moon and planets, not to mention all those stars.
But it turns out that the sky is packed with interesting objects
of many types – nebulae, clusters, galaxies, and more. We call them
“Deep Sky Objects” because they physically reside far outside of
our solar system, and even outside of our own Milky Way galaxy.
There are thousands of such objects within reach of modest amateur
telescopes, and many would argue they are the most interesting and
beautiful objects to observe...
Click here for the
rest of the article.
February 16, 2004
Understanding Telescopes
By Chuck Fuller
Buying a telescope can be overwhelming. This article
will help ease the pain.
 The
primary goals of this article are to explain how telescopes work,
what the major types and categories are, and how you can best choose
a telescope for yourself or a budding young astronomer in your midst.
We’ll look at some baseline principles, the major types of optical
systems, mountings, manufacturers, and of course, what you can actually
see and do with any given telescope...
Click
here for the rest of the article.
January 22, 2004
The Mad Cow Jumps Over the Moon
Mad cow disease
has led to an extraordinary new view of learning and memory.
By Scott C. Anderson
 The
genesis of our national mad cow obsession is a fascinating story
of adventure, discovery, ghoulishness and even happy endings. The
story starts in 1955 with young Carleton Gajdusek, ten years out
of Harvard, who was constantly on the lookout for new and unusual
diseases. He found a remarkable one in New Guinea...
Click here for the
rest of the article.
December 20, 2003
Natural Complexity
Simple chemistry
can provide some surprisingly complex shapes.
By Scott C. Anderson
 Living
things are so extraordinarily complex, it's hard to imagine how
the happenstance mechanics of Darwinian theory could have brought
them into being. We know that the natural order of things -- loosely
speaking -- is to get old, break down and turn to crap. So how is
it that mere protoplasm has been able to organize itself so successfully
that there has been an unbroken chain of life on this planet for
over 500 million years?
Click here for
the rest of the article.
December 16, 2003
Electrifying News
A long-held theory
comes to a shocking end.
By Scott C. Anderson
 Many
young people who study science come away with the impression that
all the important questions have been answered, and that it would
be difficult or impossible to contribute to such a well-researched
body of knowledge. But it ain't necessarily so...
Click here for
the rest of the article.
October 20, 2003
We Know What You're Thinking
Scientists can see your thoughts. You won't believe
what's on your mind.
By Scott C. Anderson
You no longer have to go to Madame LeFoni's to have
a mind-reading session. Scientists can read your mind too, at least
a little. And what they see when they look into your mind is, well,
thought-provoking...
Click here for
the rest of the article.
August 10, 2003
Ears Looking at You, Kid
Some people see with their ears and hear with
their eyes. These “crossed wires” may expose the workings of the
brain.
By Scott C. Anderson
Have you ever had the feeling that the person you’re
talking to has a loose wire or two in their brain? Turns out, you
might be right. An amazing cross-wired brain syndrome called synesthesia
(for joined sensations) may explain a lot of weirdness and poetry
in the world – at the same time that it sheds light on so-called
normal brains...
Click here for
the rest of the article.
August 2, 2003
Small Talk
Turns out, bacteria can communicate. Are they
talking behind our backs?
by Scott C. Anderson
 A
few years ago, Bonnie Bassler discovered something fishy about the
bacteria she was studying. Actually, they were already pretty fishy,
since these diminutive critters lived in the bodies of deep-sea
fish and squid. Weirder still, these bacteria could glow a most
beguiling moonlight blue...
Click here for
the rest of the article.
May 7, 2003
Aristotle's Chickens
Aristotle came close to discovering stem cells
more than two thousand years ago. Will we have to wait another two
millennia for a therapy?
By Scott C. Anderson
 Aristotle
strode slowly in the shade of the covered walkway, gesturing as
he spoke. In his wake was an excited group of young students, straining
to hear his every word. "Welcome to the Lyceum!" he shouted, spreading
his arms expansively at the surrounding campus...
Click here
for the rest of the article.
March 15, 2003
Time for a Colonoscopy?
If you're over 50, it's time to get this important
test.
By Scott C. Anderson
Dave Weis works as a branch manager for an industrial
wholesaler in Minnesota, but on his days off, you can find him on
the golf course. When he turned 50, he joined the professional senior
golf tour. Together with the James E. Olson Foundation (JEO), the
tour has been promoting colon cancer awareness for the last three
years. Dave learned that Olson, the former chairman of AT&T,
died from colorectal cancer a scant four weeks after his diagnosis.
That tragic story, along with his doctor’s recommendation, was all
the provocation he needed: he signed up for a colonoscopy...
Click here for
the rest of the article.
February 15, 2003
A Light Touch
Because astronauts
like to eat salad in space, life is getting easier for bone marrow
transplant patients. An enlightening story of serendipity.
By Scott C. Anderson
NASA is justifiably proud of its Technology Transfer
Program, which spins off its space-age inventions -- from Tang and
Teflon to rechargeable batteries – for use in the private sector.
But they recently outdid themselves with a remarkable “healing light”
that is starting to make life much easier for patients with hard-to-heal
wounds, including those who have had bone marrow transplants (BMTs)...
Click here for
the rest of the article.
January 5, 2003
The New Bone Marrow Transplants
Today’s Bone Marrow Transplants are saving the
lives of cancer patients in unexpected ways.
By Scott C. Anderson
By the time he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic
leukemia, (CLL) Michael Billig’s cancer had already taken over 90
percent of his blood. His doctors lost no time in getting the 43-year-old
into chemotherapy...
Click here for the
rest of the article.
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