Tag Archives: science

Authority, Superstition, Progress

Authority, superstition, and misapplied technophilia (it’s a real word) rate at least one post each: but that’ll wait until another day. Days. This time I’ll take a quick look at all three, and then say why I don’t believe in … Continue reading

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Right-Handedness and Evolving Jaws

At least one Homo habilis was right-handed, about 1,800,000 years ago. It’s the earliest evidence of handedness in humanity’s history. So far. Our jaws may have started out as armor plate, not gill arches. Paleontologists found a second Silurian placoderm … Continue reading

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Sweet Potatoes, Genes, and Long Life

One woman decided to take a road trip after learning she had a terminal illness. Another switched careers. Both choices make sense, given the circumstances. This year’s World Food Prize goes to a team who developed a new sweet potato, … Continue reading

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Alchemy, Science, Life, and Health

(“I find that nothing’s ever exactly like you expect….” (Professor Richard Lazarus, “The Lazarus Experiment,” BBC)) A mad scientist’s lot is not a happy one. All he wants is to redefine being human: and the next thing you know, he’s … Continue reading

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Elastic Brains and New Tech

Maybe ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,’ but apparently the adult brain isn’t nearly as rigid as scientists thought. I’ll be looking at neuroplasticity, the idea that brains can change; research that may lead to better neural interfaces; … Continue reading

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