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Author Archives: Sharon Neufeldt
Navigating the Language of Chemicals (Introduction)
A simple Google search for a product or service usually unleashes a flood of sources both denouncing and celebrating it. The chatter accompanying food, health, or beauty products/procedures is often intimately tied to the science of chemistry. Unfortunately, most consumers … Continue reading
Posted in Brazilian Blowout, Chemistry Basics
13 Comments
Blinged-Out Fat Blob Nanotrucks for Targeted Drug Delivery
Targeted drug delivery is a popular area of research that melds together the disciplines of chemistry, medicine, and materials. The basic idea is to develop ways to give a person a and somehow get that medicine to go to exactly … Continue reading
That’s what kids used to do for fun?
In stark contrast to the Bieber-obsessed Wii-playing youth of today (and I mean that in the nicest way possible), here is a direct quote from an article written in the 1920’s: “More and more the students are learning science out … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Fun Stuff
17 Comments
Blood Vessel Growth Inhibitors Mediate Negative Side Effects of Chemotherapy
Doctors and researchers have observed an improvement in the survival rate of cancer patients when they are given a combination of a chemotherapeutic drug (cancer-killing drug) and an antiangiogenic drug (a drug that inhibits the growth of new blood vessels). … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Medicine
5 Comments
Through the Looking Glass
Someday in the distant future, I hope to be able to explain my own research project to my parents without making up lies about how I’m curing cancer. Perhaps if they understand my chemistry a bit, they won’t feel the … Continue reading
Posted in Chemistry, Chemistry Basics
18 Comments
A Scientific Limit to (Male) Sexiness
For most animal species, males must compete with one another to win the attention of a female. This competition can involve active sparring – for example, bighorn sheep will sometimes clash heads over a lady sheep. For other animals, such … Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Genetics
8 Comments
Brazilian Blowout’s New Formula, sans Methylene Glycol
It’s been a while since we heard news about Brazilian Blowout, the controversial hair straightening treatment that brings up the philosophical question “What does it mean to be formaldehyde?”
Posted in Brazilian Blowout, Chemistry
99 Comments
Can’t Read Minds? Blame The Testosterone.
Wearing your heart on your sleeve is merely an adage, but most people do display their emotions – even if unintentionally – on their faces. Women tend to be better than men at reading other people’s subtle facial cues, especially … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
5 Comments
Now THAT’s Hot: A salsa-inspired post
For the Super Bowl this year, I made one my favorite recipes – fresh salsa. Someone with on their hands could write an entire textbook chapter about the chemistry of salsa, but here’s a little Cliff Notes version. Warning: it’s … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
6 Comments
Organic Chemistry Lessons, Courtesy of Hippo et al.
Animal secretions (gross) often contain molecules that perform clever functions. Here are a few examples, accompanied by morsels of chemistry facts.
Posted in Biology, Chemistry, Chemistry Basics
Comments Off on Organic Chemistry Lessons, Courtesy of Hippo et al.
Grow That Big Brain You’ve Always Dreamed Of, With Just 3x Per Week
Whether you’re young or post-young, there’s no time like the present to get into an exercise routine. Besides helping with weight loss and improving cardiovascular fitness, more and more evidence suggests that aerobic exercise can delay – and even reverse … Continue reading
Posted in Brain Stuff, Running Etc.
2 Comments
Periodic Table of the Stock Market
While researching investment choices for my new I’m-trying-to-be-a-responsible-adult Roth IRA, I eventually grew impatient with analyst predictions and just started searching for interesting ticker symbols.
Posted in Chemistry, Fun Stuff
8 Comments
Study Suggests New HIV Therapy
Human bodies are naturally equipped with elaborate defense mechanisms to squelch intruding microorganisms. But some viruses, like HIV, are able to slip under the immune system radar and set up permanent residence in a human host. Exactly how this feat … Continue reading
Posted in Viruses
3 Comments
Salting the Roads – More Complicated Than It Sounds
I grew up in a HOT climate (below), where we didn’t have to deal with the kind of weather that we have right now in most of the country. Back home, occasional road signs near overpasses nonchalantly suggest that “Ice … Continue reading
Posted in Chemicals Among Us, Chemistry, Current Events
1 Comment
An Amoeba Is More Fiscally Responsible than Most Americans
A new study reveals that even – those squishy little single-celled organisms – know how to save up for a rainy day. Scientists at Rice University have discovered that some members of a like to save up food for when … Continue reading
Posted in Biology
3 Comments
Pandemic Disorder Threatens Public Health*
A widespread disorder affecting a staggering number of citizens in developed countries, including the U.S., has recently been brought into the spotlight.
Posted in Chemistry, Communication, Fun Stuff
Comments Off on Pandemic Disorder Threatens Public Health*
My Beverage Tastes Better Because I’m a Chemist
I bought some ginger tea a little while back, but it turned out a little disappointing. Despite steeping the tea for longer than the prescribed 5–10 minutes, I could barely detect any of the characteristic spicy flavor that I was … Continue reading
Posted in Amateur Research, Chemistry
14 Comments
Performance Anxiety? Try Writing About It.
Choking under pressure can happen to the best of us. Students with test anxiety often perform below their abilities, and baseball pitchers can let ruin a perfect game.
Posted in Education, Psychology Stuff
1 Comment
If Earth’s Spin Speeds Up We’ll All Get Fat and Uninhibited
Almost all plants and animals have an internal “clock” – called a circadian clock – that synchronizes our biological rhythms with Earth’s cycle of day and night. Conveniently, our biological clocks are best at synchronizing to a 24 hour day, … Continue reading
Posted in Brain Stuff, Happiness, Physiology
8 Comments
If James Cameron Did Chemistry
Chemistry has a lot of smart researchers, but no names or faces that the Average Joe would recognize. The field needs a hero but, as Chembark points out, what chemist has the time to be a spokesperson? Research in the … Continue reading
Posted in Chemistry, Fun Stuff
9 Comments
