Monthly Archives: December 2010

New Year’s Resolutions for Graduate Students

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

The most popular New Year’s resolutions aren’t always practical for graduate students. Often we need to set the bar a little lower

Posted in Fun Stuff | 2 Comments

Class Action Lawsuit Against Brazilian Blowout

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

I’m still on Christmas break, with minimal internet availability, but here’s a tidbit of news about Brazilian Blowout. Courthouse News Service reports today that a class action lawsuit was filed against Brazilian Blowout

Posted in Brazilian Blowout, Chemistry | 2 Comments

Christmas Chemistry!

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

Here’s a random assortment of holiday cheer, with just a hint a big dollop of chemistry nerdiness.

Posted in Chemistry, Fun Stuff | 1 Comment

Trespassing Viruses Will Be Killed on Contact

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to start thinking about the flu!

Posted in Chemistry, Medicine, Viruses | 3 Comments

Awkward Conversation

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

Q: What’s the opposite of a pick up line?

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Updates on the Brazilian Blowout Front

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

(To catch up, see this, this, this, and this earlier post.) Update 1. Yesterday, it was announced that the company behind Brazilian Blowout (GIB) is suing Oregon OSHA

Posted in Brazilian Blowout | 4 Comments

Sleepy Bees Waggle Sloppy

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

For humans, sleep deprivation has a negative impact on performance in many areas, such as motor and communication skills.

Posted in Biology, Brain Stuff, Communication | 8 Comments

Highest Impact Factor… Wikipedia?

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

In college, I remember being told to never cite Wikipedia as a reference when writing up an essay or report. Literally anyone (and their mom) can contribute to Wikipedia, so believing its content is an exercise of faith in collective … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication | 4 Comments

Update: ACC’s Position on Formaldehyde

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has issued a statement about the formaldehyde/methylene glycol “controversy”. You can read a summary of the statement here, and the full statement here. Here’s a couple of key quotes:

Posted in Brazilian Blowout, Chemistry, Current Events | Comments Off

I Can Has Science Hair Straightener?

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

My apologies, I really do not want to turn this into a Brazilian Blowout Blog. However, I am super swamped this week and am writing on borrowed time, and Brazilian Blowout keeps falling into my lap. The last week and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazilian Blowout, Chemistry, Current Events | 2 Comments

Really, We’re Doing This Again?

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

More drama on the Brazilian Blowout front. (For a recap from last time, see here.) For whatever reason, a BB spokesperson emailed me again this weekend with another press release,

Posted in Brazilian Blowout, Chemistry, Chemistry Basics, Current Events | 7 Comments

Alien Life and the Periodic Table

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

A “new” life form was documented in a Science article released yesterday. OK, so it’s not exactly alien life: it was found in California (Earth) and, technically, its unusual characteristics are kind of due to human interference. Regardless, these little … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Chemistry, Chemistry Basics | Comments Off

Brazilian Blowout and Formaldehyde

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

Having no reason to do my hair since I’m in lab all day Having naturally straight hair, I don’t usually pay attention to trendy methods of hair-straightening. Until yesterday, that is, when a colleague pointed out a Fashionista article to … Continue reading →

Posted in Brazilian Blowout, Chemistry, Chemistry Basics, Current Events | 23 Comments