Monthly Archives: August 2011
museum tourist: yarn edition
From the British Museum in London, I bring you a lady spinning fleece into yarn: The label says it was made in Athens around 490 BC. Some people who make their own yarn still spin this way, with a drop … Continue reading
neuron measurements
For the August issue of the HHMI Bulletin I wrote about how neuroscientists try to measure all those little electrical impulses going around in the brain and figure out how we think. Read it here.
museum tourist: Dulles
See? SFO isn’t the only airport with exhibits. This hallway in the C Terminal at Washington-Dulles used to have pictures of planets, but now it’s photos of D.C. Kind of nice photos. If you want to see them, buy yourself … Continue reading
museum tourist: SFO museum
A museum…in an airport? What? That’s crazy! Ok, actually, it’s not crazy. There’s a little Air & Space Museum photo exhibit at Dulles that I’ve seen twice and never blogged about. But the San Francisco airport really goes all out. … Continue reading
smartypants elephant
My friend Brian Vastag just wrote a story about some research on Kandula, the awesomest elephant at the National Zoo. (This was based on a journal article, so some other people wrote the story this week, too.) Kandula was born … Continue reading
museum tourist: WV Geological Survey Museum
Look, it’s the West Virginia Geological Survey Museum: It’s in a rest stop on interstate 68 just over the border when you’re driving west from Maryland. Ok, I don’t actually think this is the museum. I think it’s an advertisement … Continue reading
chimps share the wealth
Another new story for ScienceNOW – this one about chimps being generous. It’s been kind of a mystery of primatology that chimps seem to be quite generous and sharing in the field, but stingy in experiments. The authors of the … Continue reading
Dr. Bernadine Healy
I was sad to hear yesterday that a former colleague of mine died over the weekend. Bernadine Healy did basically everything. She was head of the NIH. She ran the Red Cross for two years, resigning after the controversy over … Continue reading
animal planning?
The tayra is a three-foot-long weasel relative that lives in Central and South America. Last week I wrote a story for ScienceNOW about how they cache unripe plantains, then go back and eat them when they’re ripe. Read the story … Continue reading
more on right whales
Like I said in yesterday’s story, North Atlantic right whales are already getting a lot of help to reduce their chances of getting killed by ships. At certain times of year, ships have to slow down when they’re going through … Continue reading