A new study about whether it’s safe to eat dropped food — specifically watermelon, gummy bears, and buttered toast — neglects to mention the two Ig Nobel Prizes that figure into its doings. The new study is: “Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food — Is the five-second rule real?,” by Robyn […]
Scientists with action-hero names: Hudson Freeze
Another scientist with an action-hero name is Hudson Freeze, Ph.D. Or, phrased alternatively: Hudson Freeze, Ph.D, is another scientist with an action-hero name. Dr. Freeze says (on his website, and presumably elsewhere): “Getting a cure is pretty difficult, but it starts from doing research. It starts from understanding the basic processes, the scientific processes, the physiological […]
Slime moulds and French motorway planning (new study)
Toshiyuki Nakagaki, Atsushi Tero, Seiji Takagi, Tetsu Saigusa, Kentaro Ito, Kenji Yumiki, Ryo Kobayashi of Japan, and Dan Bebber, Mark Fricker of the UK, were jointly awarded the 2010 Ig Nobel Transportation Planning prize for using slime mould to determine the optimal routes for railroad tracks. See: ‘Rules for Biologically Inspired Adaptive Network Design’ in […]
Yoga-with-goats research opportunity
A rare opportunity presents itself to conduct research on yoga with goats. The No Regrets Farm, in Oregon, is conducting sessions of yoga with goats. Researchers interested in pursuing this are advised to get in touch with the farm’s director. Opportunities exist elsewhere, too. This video could be the basis for an entire PhD thesis: […]