“Beer is now cheaper than gas,” the sign outside the local pizza place reminded me during lunch. If you own a car, it probably hasn’t escaped your notice that gas prices have been ticking steadily upwards at an alarming rate. The nationwide average is now $3.61, a 55 cent increase from last year.
And […]
Archive for the 'Science' Category
According to a new study from the University of Chicago, Americans grow happier as they grow older.
So that’s good news for people who are aging - which is, you know, all of us. But at the same time, I can’t help but be skeptical. How does this study hold up against cliches which are deeply […]
I don’t usually like to make generalizations about cities, but I do have a fondness for surveys, and New Yorkers have a reputation for being opinionated. Researchers from Yale and Columbia asked a thousand New Yorkers from all five boroughs to give their opinions for a survey on climate change. Here are some of […]
Transforming cities into bicycle utopias
Published February 25th, 2008 in Human World and Science. 2 CommentsThe mayor of London this month announced his plan to put 6,000 bicycles for hire on the streets - and create a “cycling and walking transformation in London.”
The plan follows on the heels of Paris’ success with “Velib” (a play on “velo” - bicycle, and “liberte” - freedom), which introduced over 10,000 bikes to […]
Energy issues: Where shall we point our fingers?
Published February 12th, 2008 in Human World and Science. 4 CommentsAt the end of last year, the International Energy Agency sounded the alarm on China and India’s developing power sector.
“China’s and India’s surging fuel consumption poses a growing challenge to the world’s energy systems and, unless curbed, will strain global oil trade, push up prices and lead to substantially higher carbon dioxide emissions in […]
Holiday gift guide - science included!
Published December 17th, 2007 in Bizarre and Science. 1 CommentWondering what to get the science enthusiasts on your list? Wonder no longer. For in my own enthusiasm for science, I have cruised the internet, searching far and wide for only the most excellent science gifts, which I have brought to you, in this handy guide with a specific gift for each and every science […]
A new dinosaur is born every day
Published December 12th, 2007 in Bizarre, Earth, Animals and Science. 1 CommentAt least it seems that way to me, and my highly advanced dinosaur-news radar. This week, Earth & Sky featured not one, but two dinosaur shows. Just today, two brand-new dinosaurs appeared on the fossil scene.
A long-necked dinosaur, the Glacialisaurus hammeri, was pulled out of the ice and rock of Antarctica almost a decade ago. […]
Early on in my creative writing education, I learned that there are only four types of human conflict:
-Man versus Man
-Man versus Society
-Man versus Self
-Man versus Beast/ Nature
This was all easy and convenient, until I started writing about science. Science, it seems, is always in conflict, or causing conflict, or analyzing types of conflict. Such is […]
Is green energy possible for the energy-poor?
Published November 8th, 2007 in Human World and Science. 4 CommentsThink that the “green” trend is steering the planet towards a renewable, energy-independent future? Don’t be so sure, said a sobering report from the International Energy Agency yesterday.
“The trends in energy demand, imports, coal use and greenhouse gas emissions to 2030 in this year’s World Energy Outlook are even worse than projected in WEO […]
Science of the paranormal
Published October 31st, 2007 in Bizarre, Body & Mind and Science. 10 CommentsCould paranormal phenomena be proven - through science?
Dr. Dean Radin believes so. He’s devoted his scientific career to investigating common human experiences that seem to transcend ordinary science. Radin works in a field of human psychology called parapsychology - the study of ostensibly paranormal psychological phenomena.
It’s not as strange as it sounds. Radin […]