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Author Archives: Sharon Neufeldt
Focus! (It Might Make You Happier)
One great talent that humans have, as compared to other species, is the ability to think about the past, the future, and the imaginary. We’re not restricted to simply thinking about whatever we see in front of our faces.
Posted in Happiness, Psychology Stuff
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The Future of Science?
Yesterday afternoon, the front headline of the New York Times online featured an article about science! Ten well-established scientists from a variety of fields were asked what they think 2011 will bring in terms of scientific advances.
Posted in Brain Stuff
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The Science Behind Barefoot Running
The much anticipated New York Marathon took place yesterday. News articles leading up to the event tended to focus on , but at least one article hit on a somewhat controversial (and scientific!) topic in the running community – the … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Physiology
5 Comments
Disabled Researchers and the Professor Paradox
This week’s issue of Nature calls attention to a recently awarded NIH grant to promote diversity in the scientific workforce. In particular, this grant will fund Purdue University’s new Institute for Accessible Science, which aims to understand the obstacles that … Continue reading
Posted in People
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Chemicals Among Us: Acetic Acid Top Ten Facts
Like acetone in a previous post, acetic acid is another common laboratory chemical that makes frequent cameo appearances in your home. Here are 10 – dare I say – “fun” facts about acetic acid that you may or may not … Continue reading
Posted in Chemicals Among Us, Chemistry, Fun Stuff
3 Comments
Deforestation for Food: Impact on the Carbon Cycle
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that replacing rainforests with parking lots would be bad for the environment. But what about clearing the natural flora in order to replant with a different type of vegetation?
Posted in Environment
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Just Enough to be Dangerous
As part of my endeavor to figure out how to explain what I do to non-chemists without resorting to lies and vague generalities, I sat down and thought about atoms and molecules. Though it was a big conceptual jump when … Continue reading
Posted in Chemistry, Chemistry Basics
2 Comments
Dissolving Bears and Limericks
Q: A bear from Yosemite and a bear from Alaska fall into a pool of water. Which one dissolves first?
Dad’s Bad Eating Habits Can Cause Metabolism Problems in Children
A recent study published in Nature reveals that a person’s risk of developing diabetes could be strongly influenced by their father’s bad eating habits back before he became a dad.
Top 10 Things You Did or Didn’t Know About Acetone
The majority of people know acetone only as it relates to removing nailpolish. Organic chemists like myself, on the other hand, would have a lot of trouble imagining life without acetone.
Posted in Chemicals Among Us, Chemistry, Fun Stuff
3 Comments
You Don’t Need Your Hippocampus to See the Future
Well, not see the future, but imagine it. Brain physiologists in the past have proposed that the hippocampus is part of the network of brain regions responsible for the ability to remember the past and imagine the future.
Posted in Brain Stuff
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Why Exams are Good For You
Although students tend to think that exams are merely an evaluation tool, a lot of research demonstrates that testing actually helps with the learning process. Researchers Pyc and Rawson published a short article in Science exploring why testing is beneficial … Continue reading
Posted in Education
2 Comments
Organic Chemistry, Jersey Shore Style
The cast of the strangely popular TV show Jersey Shore are known for their extreme obsession with tanning. Earlier this year, Snooki switched from tanning beds to using spray-on tans, citing Obama’s tanning tax and “friggin’ cancer”. Unlike UV light, … Continue reading
The Happiness Thermostat: Is it Adjustable?
Many things bring momentary pleasure, but it’s hard to assess what factors yield long-term happiness without doing a long term study. Well, the results of a very long-term study are finally in (published in ), and these results have the … Continue reading
Posted in Happiness, Psychology Stuff
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Current Events: Red Sludge
Last week a massive spill of red sludge from an aluminum production company in Hungary killed several people and destroyed a tremendous amount of property. Here’s a look at what this red sludge is and why it’s so bad.
Posted in Chemistry, Current Events
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Pass Me the Insulin, I’m Glowing Again
New technology could allow for continuous blood glucose monitoring by checking if a patch of your skin is glowing or not. A paper published in this week describes a development that sounds like a crazy idea… so crazy that it … Continue reading
Nobel Prize for Palladium!
The chemistry Nobel Prize was announced this morning, and my colleagues and I are thrilled that it went to some real organometallic chemists! Even better, they were honored for their use of my favorite metal, palladium.
Fun Molecule: Ethanol Puppy
I first discovered the ethanol puppy when I was a sophomore in college. While exploring the cupboards of a dingy office that I shared with the other lab TAs, I found this dusty old box with yellowed papers dating from … Continue reading
Posted in Fun Stuff
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Science Fiction Coming True
Science fiction fans have long been enamored with the idea of microscopic submarines that could navigate the human body. A recent publication in JACS demonstrates that this futuristic idea is not really so far off. Continue reading
Posted in Materials
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Mini-Drama of a Fungus: Cooperation and Sacrifice
Certain types of mushroom-looking fungi reproduce by shooting thousands of spores out into the air all at once. If they are lucky, the spores find an air current to ride far away to a new habitat, to start lives of … Continue reading
Posted in Biology
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