Category Archives: Biology

Cannibalism, Then and Now

Posted on May 16, 2007 by cicada

Where else but in the blogosphere could one learn that the medieval practice of consuming powdered human corpses has experienced a questionably legal (and questionably real) renaissance? A testimonial from the Modern Man-Eater website: “My bones were just plain getting … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Blogs and Blogging, Frivolity, Science | Comments Off

That explains it

Posted on May 13, 2007 by cicada

Why I’m always posting to this blog in the middle of the night: I’m a mutant. Oh, I can’t make such an irresponsible overstatement. This is just a mouse study, and we have no idea if it applies to humans. … Continue reading →

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There’s a dinner on my spider

Posted on May 9, 2007 by cicada

dinner, salad, and dessert plates Laura Zindel Laura Zindel Ceramics My friend Lorraine alerted me to this amazing ceramic tableware by Laura Zindel. Zindel says: I believe that some objects can carry a personal history through a family from year … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Frivolity, Wonder Cabinets | 6 Comments

Antikamnia: memento mori in advertising

Posted on May 3, 2007 by cicada

Illustrations for Antikamnia Chemical Company Calendars, 1900 & 1897 Louis Crucius, ~1890 BibliOdyssey turned up this wicked advertising campaign by turn-of-the-century pharmaglomerate Antikamnia Chemical Company. The calenders were targeted at medical professionals, not the average consumer, for whom I presume … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Frivolity, Museum Lust, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 5 Comments

The gig’s up!

Posted on May 3, 2007 by cicada

Skulls found in man’s apartment | Chicago Tribune Uh-oh. I seriously hope the authorities aren’t going to start confiscating skulls, because I have one too. And yes, I boiled mine on my stove. That’s what you do to get a … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Museum Lust | 2 Comments

It’s the Dumbo of the deep!

Posted on May 2, 2007 by cicada

Dumbo Octopus From The Deep, by Claire Nouvian www.thedeepbook.org Collision Detection posted this link to a French film of deep-sea organisms. I don’t know if it’s the hypnotic French narration, or the freaky organisms, or that fact that I went … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Cephalopodmania, Film, Video & Music, Science | 2 Comments

Duck decoys for science

Posted on May 2, 2007 by cicada

Proof that biology is so much weirder than anything I could ever make up: To test her hypothesis, Dr. Brennan plans to team up with a biomechanics expert to build a transparent model of a female duck. She wants to … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Frivolity | 1 Comment

Whose fault is fat?

Posted on May 1, 2007 by cicada

A few months back, Slate ran a tongue-in-cheek story on caloric restriction, a controversial diet plan which sharply reduces total caloric intake. It was entitled “My Starvation Diet: I’ve cut back to 1,500 calories a day. Will it help me … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Books, Science | 3 Comments

Stem Cell Videos

Posted on April 23, 2007 by cicada

Via biosingularity, four excellent short stem cell videos from YouTube. If you teach the stem cell topic, this could be quite useful to you in class! The portrayal of the morula – blastocyst stages and the differences in gene expression … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Education, Film, Video & Music, Science | Comments Off

Dope vitality and sets up the moral! What were we waiting for?

Posted on April 22, 2007 by cicada

Smiley at happytherapy.com I first encountered a reference to Smiley aromatherapy products in Jane magazine, which raves in typical Jane-ish style: Tech-y jargon aside, the scientists behind this blew right on past aromatherapy by isolating scentless molecules that react in … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Frivolity, Science | 2 Comments