You know that you’re a giant ecosystem for the bugs that live on your eyelashes, and the bacteria that break down food in your gut. But did you know you actually have seasons? Your whole body, inside and out, is home to about 100 trillion living things. And a new study finds that some of [...]
Your good friend sloshes red wine on your carpet but never tells you. When you realize this, quick: How do you feel? Yes, that’s a test. It’s a test of your alexithymia. One of the coolest things about alexithymia is that it adds to my hypothesis of eponymy. Eponyms are things named for themselves. Like, [...]
On occasion I have tried to shake off the winter coma with an extra pot of caffeine. But in the interest of efficiency, what (besides the little pills my Dad used to carry everywhere in case he got stuck in a country, vehicle, or city block that couldn’t meet his needs) is the most concentrated [...]
I have often thought it would be nice to have an elf. They’re apparently agreeable, and obviously winter-hardy. And, according to new science, those tiny hands are incredibly sensitive. In the off season you could have them weave you a carpet. This is a funny little piece of research: The bigger the hand, the duller [...]
In mid-sentence yesterday I realized I have no idea what fish do in the winter. The ones that don’t go to Acapulco, I mean. The ones with no ability to generate their own body heat. Those sad, sad fish. Well, the first thing I discover is that ocean fish don’t care what season it is. [...]
I recently took a sip of water so cold it spun me back to the pond of my youth. One corner was late to freeze up, and we’d skate near, then slide forward on our bellies to get a drink. And as we looked down through the ice we could see things moving. Of course [...]
Let’s face it — even if a rat is wearing protective head gear when he’s skiing or riding his Harley, there is still a chance he could sustain a brain injury. The good news? A simple injection of human stem cells speeds the healing of their brain cells, and helped restore normal rat behavior! Rats [...]
I just did a webcast thingy on my ancient book The Secret Life of Dust. That book will never die. It’s still selling well in Korea. The most recent publisher is Turkey. Anyway, I took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, and remembered all the adorable wildlife that makes its home in the carpet. Consider [...]
Oxytocin made headlines a few years ago when some scientists found that puffing it up your nose makes you more trusting of your fellow man. Now we learn that the same hormone can prevent you from being a stress mess. These seasonal stories just keep coming at me. Oxytocin should have made headlines earlier. It [...]
Dang. Once upon a time being human conveyed some priviledges. Now the club is getting awfully, uh, crowded, with tool users and language speakers. One doesn’t feel quite the same sense of exclusivity when seated next to an octopus. He’s the latest tool user, and he’s a beaut! Octopi have enjoyed a special reputation among [...]
