WEIRD SCIENCE
It’s what you do when faced with distress that defines your resiliency. By Sarah Sloat – This Sunday, I was thinking about what it means to be resilient. Research shows that most people consider themselves to be fairly resilient, but in reality, they …
Turning salt water into fresh water with the power of the sun. By Mike Colagrossi – New solar-powered desalination plant provides fresh water in Kenya. The plant is already able to support 25,000 people a day. As more water-scarce regions pop up worldwide, …
Estimates show most Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2100. By Yasmin Tayag – In 1978, the United States finally banned the dangerous pesticide DDT. Other nations soon followed, but after three decades of use, the damage had been done. The molecules didn’t just …
Fionn Ferreira will receive $50,000 for winning Google’s annual student competition. By Stephen Johnson – Google holds an annual science fair that’s open to students ages 13 to 18. Fionn Ferreira won for developing an effective way to remove microplastics from water. Microplastics …
By Rich Haridy – A new cell, found in adult human livers, is like a fetal stem cell, with the capacity to develop into mature liver cells and regenerate damaged cells in the organ. Credit: decade3d/Depositphotos). An exciting new study, led by …
By Rich Haridy – Researchers isolated a specific molecule in cilantro that was shown to underpin the anticonvulsant properties previously associated with the herb. (Credit: Dream79/Depositphotos). Cilantro, also known as coriander, has been traditionally used as a folk medicine for thousands of years, …
By Rich Haridy – Researchers have discovered the immune system can directly alter populations of certain bacteria in the gut that affect how dietary fats are absorbed. (Credit: animaxx3d/Depositphotos). An impressive new study from scientists at the University of Utah has described how …
Three experts explain the popular diet’s impact on aging and disease. By Alexandra Pattillo – Intermittent fasting: diet trend, Silicon Valley practice, religious ritual, and now, maybe, long-term health regimen? Intermittent fasting (IF) has been around for centuries but only penetrated the mainstream …
By Nick Lavars – Not a weird mushroom, but a solar steam generator that desalinates water using sunlight. (Credit: Yun Xia/Monash University). Current approaches to water desalination are tremendously expensive and energy-intensive, so the search is very much on for new technologies that can get …
“We are starting to have enough information about them to certainly be concerned.” By Sarah Sloat – American girls are now going through puberty significantly earlier than in decades prior, a trend that’s been linked to physiological and psychological risks. The various …
