Old food lingers on, in the memory and in print. AIR publishes a reviews of cafeterias at the world’s great research institutions. In 1996 our reviewer Stephen Drew visited the Whitehead Institute, where he encountered a meal. Read about it here.
Month: March 2004
Little Old People
When a Japanese scientist examined rocks under a microscope, he saw evidence that all modern living creatures are descended from teeny-tiny organisms very like the big ones we see (and are) today. He gave a name to these extinct ancestral species. He called them “mini-creatures.” … So begins this week’s Improbable Research column in The […]
Getting Girls in Science
How to get girls interested in science? It can be done. It has been done. A certain professor, writing under cover of a pen name, explains how here.
Puzzler Solution 10-1
Curious about the solution to the puzzler? See the solution that’s in the January-February 2004 issue (vol. 10, no. 1) of the Annals of Improbable Research. Find it here.
Pithy Intro to Flowing Hair
For a good, concise, pictorial introduction to the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS), savor the two-page spread that appears in the Special Beauty Issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. Read it here. Then go to the Club’s home page, which is here. If you know someone who should be a member, please […]
Control Meat Loaf
“What is a control meat loaf?” asks investigator Larry O’Hanlon. O’Hanlon encountered the phrase while reading absttracts from the July 2004 issue (vol. 67, no. 3 ) of the journal Meat Science. The abstract for the article “Quality characteristics of loaves from buffalo meat, liver and vegetables” explains that: Different types of loaves were evaluated: […]
Troy Shall conquer
In this era of “big science,” there are still individuals who do thoughtful, original research. They are unencumbered by official scientific credentials, academic bureaucracies, or government funding. Troy Hurtubise is a fine example of the breed. He works in the face of heavy skepticism, and with the prospect of humiliation by grizzly bears. … So […]
Studmuffin of Science Rumor
I teach at a school in Englewood Colorado, and I’d like your help with a rumor. My teammate’s daughter has heard that her science teacher was in the calendar “Studmuffins of Science.” His name is Timothy (TJ) Donahue, and he teaches at Cherry Creek High School. Can you help us verify this rumor either from […]
Nothing for Nano? No!
So far we have received no entries — not a single one — for our contest to choose the best limerick on the topic Nanotechnology and Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano We therefore declare the contest to be over. We feel that to end this contest without any winner would be an insult to Prime […]
Longer Brief History
A Briefer History of Time is now five years old. Eric Schulman’s 200-word classic article “The History of the Universe in 200 Words or Less,” expanded to book length, was published five years ago. To celebrate, the author has updated the history, and posted a free downloadable copy (in the form of a PDF file) […]