Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
The Brave New World of CRISPR
Can you imagine an elephant sanctuary in Siberia? Wheat that is practically immune to mildew? Microbes that eat plastic? These may now be possible, thanks to a new tool called CRISPR-Cas9 (or CRISPR for short) that gives us the ability to literally rewrite genetic code for just about anything on our planet that has DNA.
In Praise of Unsung Heroes
A major problem with studying history is you have to dig to get the real story. So much gets left out of the standard history books. One of my favorite examples is Rosalind Franklin, whose pioneering work in X-ray crystallography enabled James Watson, Francis Crick, and their colleague Maurice Wilkins to discover the structure of
The Next Hot Career Field
I think I know what a good career field will be in the future — flood mitigation. As the world’s climate warms and sea levels rise, more and more coastal areas are going to be in jeopardy. So people are going to be calling on experts to help them protect their property. If you live
Berlin House of One is Breaking Ground, Literally
Did you hear about the German priest, rabbi, and imam? It’s not a joke. In the city of Berlin, they are cooperating to build the first church-synagogue-mosque complex. There have been times in the past where a faith has moved into the house of worship of a different faith. For example, mosques in Spain were
Happy Birthday, Harry Potter
Catching up on the world, I just realized the first Harry Potter novel was published on June 26, 1997 in Great Britain. The British title was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; we know it as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I never understood the reason for the change, but we and the British
Maybe the Answers are on YouTube?
It seems like there is so much negativity and uncertainty in the world right now. In times like these, where do you turn for solace? I’ve been going to YouTube. Granted, you can find anything there (including more negativity), but I’ve been concentrating on the positive. Let me give you two quick examples. Combating racism
A Reminder of the Automobile’s Impact
Yesterday my hometown of Pleasant Hill, Ohio celebrated its sesquicentennial. (Actually I grew up on a farm five miles from the nearest town, but this is where I went to school, so close enough.) Looking at old pictures on display, some from over a century ago, brought back a lot of memories… and some surprises.
The Day I Met Officer Bruno
I just saw a Facebook post about how a police officer’s life was saved by his canine partner. http://tribunist.com/police/officer-ambushed-by-3-armed-men-he-pressed-the-button-to-release-his-k9-all-hell-broke-loose/?utm_source=SR This story gave me a classroom flashback. Several years ago, I had a morning job substituting at a local high school. Just before I left, I was asked if I could cover for a social studies
Some Personal Disney Memories
How big an influence has Disney had on my life? Uncle Walt was personally responsible for two of the most unusual experiences of my childhood. I remember my first Disney memory was watching the “Disneyland” TV show. It was an episode of Davy Crockett fighting Indians under General Andrew Jackson, so it must have been
Does Cuteness Give Babies an Advantage?
It certainly seems that being handsome/pretty is an advantage for adults, but what about babies? Can cuteness give them an evolutionary advantage? The latest research suggests yes, at the brain level, attractive infants seem to have a definite edge. In an article on the New York magazine website (http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/06/cute-babies-have-an-evolutionary-advantage-in-life.html?) — “Cuteness in offspring is a