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Stop eating your pet's food

Apparently people are eating their pet's food, and they're getting salmonella poisoning in return...

A scientific reference manual for US judges

Science and our legal system intersect frequently and everywhere - climate, health care, intellectual...

Rainbow connection

On the way to work this morning, I noticed people pointing out the train window and smiling. From...

Neutrinos on espresso

Maybe they stopped by Starbucks for a little faster-than-the-speed-of-light pick me up....

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Becky JungbauerRSS Feed of this column.

A scientist and journalist by training, I enjoy all things science, especially science-related humor. My column title is a throwback to Jane Austen's famous first line in Pride and Prejudice

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DeCAPitating puzzles, or ways to procrastinate

DeCAPitating puzzles, or ways to procrastinate

Jun 05 2009 | comment(s)

Not quite as scientifically challenging as Garth's Geek Off, but still a workout for the neurons. John Tierney's "Tierney Lab" column in the NY Times features DeCAPitated puzzles, like the one below:


For the first puzzle, identify the edited movies. Hint: The first one is “Stigmata.”

Too easy? There's more where that came from, including answers if you're really stumped.
New research on a really freaking weird animal

New research on a really freaking weird animal

Jun 05 2009 | comment(s)

Is it a pig? A rhino? A zebra? Heck if I know. But it's really freaking weird looking, that's for sure.

The headline in the NY Times article, "New Research on Malaysia's Odd, Elusive Tapir" caught my attention, mostly because I had no idea what the heck a tapir is. Still don't, really. The Wiki entry attempts to clarify:
Vaccines in the developing world

Vaccines in the developing world

Jun 04 2009 | comment(s)

Sometimes vaccines can eradicate widespread disease, like MMR, diphtheria, polio, smallpox. Sometimes they can mired in controversy, like the fight over whether they cause autism. In this case, it's the former.
Giggling gorillas

Giggling gorillas

Jun 04 2009 | comment(s)

It's a laughing matter - apes make "weird" sounds when they are tickled, and these "tickle-induced vocalizations" are akin to human laughter, according to a study discussed on NPR.

"The results suggest that the evolutionary origins of human laughter can be traced back at least 10 to 16 million years to the last common ancestor of humans and modern great apes," NPR says.

But humans and apes aren't the only ones with tickle-induced vocalizations.
Robert Provine, a neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who studies laughter, notes that dogs pant in a certain way when they're playing, and rats are known to chirp.
How to get more protein in your diet

How to get more protein in your diet

Jun 03 2009 | comment(s)

Mmm. Protein.



To a certain someone: I got there first this time! Thanks to Indexed.
How much is enough?

How much is enough?

Jun 03 2009 | comment(s)

When looking for an effect, be it cancer drugs, cognitive therapy, etc, how much is enough? Cancer drugs usually enter the market on basis of incremental benefit - extending someone's life by a few months, for example. Is the extra two or three months' worth of life, when compared with extra hospital bills, potential additional side effects, and other burdens worth it?