Just Plain WEIRD #2
Ida Wood, who lived for decades as a recluse in a New York City hotel, would have taken her secrets to the grave—if her sister hadn’t gotten there first. Herald Square circa 1907, when Ida Wood first moved into the Herald Square Hotel. …
Adding capsaicin, the chemical responsible for making chile peppers spicy, improved the efficiency of solar cells in experiments. A group of perovskite solar cells that have been treated with capsaicin. (Jin Yang) – By Alex Fox SmithsonianMag.Com 2021 Feb 02 – New research …
PETA alleged last year that its investigators found young monkeys were chained and trained to pick coconuts at multiple farms in Thailand. Following appeals from PETA and two PETA Asia undercover investigations into the use of captive monkeys, who are kept chained and …
The ugly message “Murder the media,” etched into a door of the Capitol by an angry mob of violent Trump supporters January 6, reflects the deep lack of trust in American journalism stoked by a demagogic President and his enablers over the last …
Scientists have developed materials that can propel themselves, such as this self-jumping polymer shell. Yongjin Kim, UMass Amherst – By Nick Lavars 2021 Feb 01 – Inspired by the way plants like Venus flytraps can snap closed and reset themselves, scientists have developed new …
Permafrost is thawing across the Arctic, releasing microbes and organic materials that have been trapped in the frozen ground for thousands of years. NOAA via Wikimedia Commons – Authors: Jessie Creamean, Research Scientist, Colorado State University – Thomas Hill, Research Scientist, Colorado State …
Deicing salts keep winter roads passable but do a lot of harm in the process. Gregory Rec/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images – By Monika Bleszynski, Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor, University of Denver 2021 Jan 29 – Many people associate a …
Unique physiology allows the Australian marsupial to produce square-shaped feces that may aid communication. Scientists believe the cube shape of the wombat’s poo may aid in communication, as spherical feces are more likely to roll away. Photograph: mlharing/Getty Images/iStockphoto – By Natasha May …
Every year, tens of millions of Americans collectively lose billions of dollars to scam callers. Where does the other end of the line lead? Photo illustration of a call center near Delhi, taken from a closed-circuit TV feed recorded by an anti-scam activist …
Our canine companions aren’t the only animals that may be capable of magnetoreception. A terrier fitted with GPS remote tracking device and camera (Kateřina Benediktová / Czech University of Life Sciences) – By Courtney Sexton SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Jul 27 – Last week, Cleo …
