M.M. Green is not annoyed not by flies, but he writes about his annoyance at people who speak imprecisely about flies. “It Really Is Not a Fruit Fly,” M.M. Green, Genetics, vol. 162, 2002, pp. 1–3. (Thanks to Judy Lai for bringing this to our attention.) Green, at University of California, Davis, explains [AIR 15:5]: […]
Tag: Improbable Research Review
Mouse Allergens and the Presence of a Cat
Nature’s game of cat and mouse continues, with a newly discovered twist: “Housing and Allergens: A Pooled Analysis of Nine U.S. Studies,” Jonathan Wilson, Sherry L. Dixon, Patrick Breyss David Jacobs, Gary Adamkiewicz, Ginger L. Chew, Dorr Dearborn, James Krieger, Megan Sandel, and Adam Spanie, Environmental Research, vol. 110, no. 2, February 2010, pp. 189–98. […]
Old Books Up Your Nose
Many people notice the smell of old books. Some people study it, and even write monographs: “Material Degradomics: On the Smell of Old Books,” Matija Strlic, Jacob Thomas, Tanja Trafela, Linda Csfalvayov, Irena Kralj Cigi, Jana Kolar, and May Cassar, Analytical Chemistry, vol. 81, no. 20, October 15, 2009, pp 8617–22, DOI 10.1021/ac9016049. [AIR 16:2] […]
The Case of the Missing Worms
Research work may be glamorous, but… this study is evidence that sometimes it’s not easy: “Hepaticoliasis: a Frequent and Sometimes Fatal Verminous Infestation of the Livers of Rats and Other Rodents,” F.D. Weidman, Journal of Parasitology, vol. 12, no. 1, 1925. pp. 19–25. [AIR 15:4] (Thanks to investigator Wendy Cooper for bringing this to our […]