Science, technology, engineering and math, aka STEM, are key areas of knowledge for the 21st century. Heck, they were key in the 20th century, too! Remember JFK and the moon challenge as well as his tribute to science on the 100th anniversary of the National Academy of Sciences? Recent scientific advances have not only made […]
Did you know that mnemonic memory techniques are 2,500 years old? Their origin is a legend, passed along by Cicero. Greek poet Simonides (c.556-c.468 BC) demonstrated a feat of recall that jumpstarted the theory. He had attended a banquet, where he presented a poem. Afterwards, he went outside, which saved him when the roof collapsed, killing the other […]
The first live radio broadcast from a trial was the Scopes trial in 1925. John Scopes, a Tennessee high school biology teacher, was convicted of violating the Butler Act, which prohibited teaching evolution in schools. His trial highlighted the divide between science and fundamentalist (literalist) religion in the United States. Flash forward to 2011: only one contestant in […]
Monsanto is shelving its genetically modified wheat due to consumer reluctance to embrace the product. CBC reports that those most opposed live in countries that buy wheat from Canada. Thus ends eight years of research into the latest “frankenfood.” Monsanto sought to create a crop that was resistant to disease by adding genes from soil […]
The Mac has long been the dominant platform in graphic arts and now digital movie-making. A research survey indicates that approximately 30% of life scientists now use the Mac, suggesting the platform is on a comeback in science. This is a different sub-set of science than that illustrated by the Virginia Tech super-computer, based on […]
The discovery that monkeys have been able to control a robotic arm via brain waves is slowly making its way from scientists to the popular press. In addition to the possible benefits for those who are paralyzed, the research has implications for manipulating items on a computer screen. More news: WAFF.com (Alabama); SanDiego.com (AP); Syndey […]