Do you have banknotes in your wallet? Yes? Chances are, there is cocaine on those banknotes.
Science express blog
Science express is my personal blog — so I get to choose the topic! I like to write about quirky research with relevance to everyday life.
5 unexpected reasons to slack off
Time management is the modern obsession. Conventional wisdom says that we should be squeezing every drop out of our lives. It’s all about productivity, success and doing more.
If this sometimes leaves you feeling a little weary and discouraged, take heart. Science offers strong arguments on why you should embrace slack. [Read more…] about 5 unexpected reasons to slack off
Pokémon Go for paleontologists
Imagine that you are walking through a rocky landscape. You spot a sign that this is promising critter habitat. Next thing, you have conjured up an amazing beast, never before seen.
Boosting the bug content of chocolate using 3D printing
3D printing is everywhere these days. Earlier this year, General Electric Co. announced that they’re developing a 3D printer for jet engine parts. It will be the largest of its kind. The printer works by fusing thin layers of powdered metal with a laser. At the other extreme, medical researchers are working hard to print body parts. A recent article in The Guardian asks if bioprinting could provide organs for transplants. Organ shortages lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.
Meat, of course, is a body part and scientists are printing that too. [Read more…] about Boosting the bug content of chocolate using 3D printing
Education, nationalism and better diplomacy
Paul Simon launches into “Kodachrome” with:
“When I think back on all the crap I learnt in high school/ It’s a wonder I can think at all.”
Of course, much of education is not intended to teach thinking. Quite the contrary. [Read more…] about Education, nationalism and better diplomacy
What can Koreans learn from the Happy Wren?
Last year, South Korea issued a tender for a new stereo system. Not any old stereo system either. The South Koreans offered US$16 million in exchange for sound audible 10 kilometers away. This was in retaliation to nuclear testing in North Korea. The plan? Play “Gangnam Style” on continuous loop across the Demilitarized Zone. Needless to say, North Korea has loudspeakers of its own. [Read more…] about What can Koreans learn from the Happy Wren?