Category Archives: Biology

Chipotle saves spherical pigs from Science

If one of your New Years’ resolutions is to eat healthier, more sustainable food, contemplating the evils of industrial food production and re-reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma might help you reach that goal — and you might want to post this … Continue reading

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Myopia

“I fear that the character of my knowledge is from year to year becoming more distinct and scientific; that, in exchange for vistas wide as heaven’s scope, I am being narrowed down to the field of the microscope. I see … Continue reading

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Helping a young postdoc help elephants

Shermin de Silva just finished her PhD. Now she wants to continue her research on Asian elephants, the lesser-studied cousins of African elephants. Her goal? To understand how local farmers and elephants live together. Shermin has raised half of her … Continue reading

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Dresses patterned like wings

From the archives at Trend De La Creme: pieces from Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 collection, “Plato’s Atlantis,” juxtaposed with moths. Critics described McQueen’s collection as reptilian: “short, reptile-patterned, digitally printed dresses, their gangly legs sunk in grotesque shoes that looked … Continue reading

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one-of-a-kind skeleton ring set

This unique sterling silver skeleton ring set by Shannon Conrad consists of two rings – one a skeletal hand, the other a radius/ulna pair. Together they form a skeletal arm reaching across your hand! One of a kind ring, available … Continue reading

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Conspicuous consumption, Design, Medical Illustration and History, Wearables, Wonder Cabinets | Comments Off

Holiday gift ideas for the BioE reader

It’s almost Cyber Monday! In our household, we do our shopping online, mainly because when we go to the trouble of renting a car, we have experiences like we did yesterday, when we were ticketed for lingering a full 32 … Continue reading

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Book reviews, Books, Conspicuous consumption, Design, Education, Ephemera, Frivolity | Comments Off

The Golden Age of Scientific Computing?

In a Friday session at the AAAS conference here in Boston, Dr. Chris Johnson of Utah’s Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute showed this short video encapsulating some of his team’s striking 3D imaging innovations. He also made what I think … Continue reading

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God is more than a flying brain

Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam From Paluzzi et al., Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 2007 For a few years, Nature Reviews Neuroscience stuck to a humorous theme in its cover art: everyday objects that mimic brains. A dandelion, spilled … Continue reading

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Please, don’t inhale the pig brains

Ok. . . apparently a new neurological disorder has been linked to the inhalation of aerosolized pig brains. According to the Washington Post, The 12 sufferers of the neurological illness — most are Hispanic immigrants — all work at or near the … Continue reading

Posted in Biology, Science | 1 Comment

Sneeze In Your Sleeve!

I’ve had the sniffles now for a few days, and as always, I feel self-conscious about where my germs are landing. This little tutorial combats wayward nasally-propelled microbes with the Sneeze-In-Your-Sleeve strategy. Very amusing – and it suggests another possible use for the tentacle arm.  … Continue reading

Posted in Biology, Education, Frivolity | 3 Comments