This Friday listen to the annual Ig Nobel Prize special (an hour of specially edited hightlights from the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony) on National Public Radio’s “Science Friday with Ira Flatow” program. Listen on the radio or on the web (The Science Friday web site has details about radio stations and times.) For we who […]
Guéguen’s big bust experiments
Professor Nicolas Guéguen finds significance, or at least fascination, in what might be called voyeuristic microscopy, watching how people react to mundanely noticeable sights and sounds. Many of his experiments involve young female confederates who are shaped or perfumed or who lay a hand upon strangers in particular ways. Generally, the test subjects who respond […]
Adventures of a new museum director
An acquaintance writes from the American midwest: You ask how is my new life as a science museum director? Let me pitch you an idea for a sitcom. It’s about a guy who’s hired to become director of a museum that’s already peopled with a cast of cartoonish characters. In the sitcom, the museum director […]
Romance stinks, and their uses
The DNA analysis at ScientificMatch helps you find a partner with physical chemistry. When you share the magic of chemistry with someone, you’ll realize some amazing effects — which, admittedly, often sound fantastical. We’ve identified six specific benefits of chemistry, which we’ll describe in detail — complete with sources cited. These sources (except for one, […]