Filed under science

Language, Noun Gender, & Worldview

Fascinating research presented by Robert Krulwich on NPR this morning. Boroditsky proposes that because the word for “bridge” in German — die brucke — is a feminine noun, and the word for “bridge” in Spanish — el puente — is a masculine noun, native speakers unconsciously give nouns the characteristics of their grammatical gender. Have … Continue reading »

Proud Roommate!

I’m so proud of Marika! Rwanda: Hospital’s Design Keeps Fresh Air in Mind In the dark corridors and congested waiting rooms of rural hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa, tuberculosis can spread like a rumor in a small town. A patient who comes in with a broken leg might leave with a deadly disease.… The hospital’s construction … Continue reading »

Palm Pilot

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has finally done something important to advance the cause of justice. He has resigned. (NY Times, 8-28-07) Today’s Science Times has a nice bit of research on non-verbal communication, a linguistic bridge of sorts between the human world and our relatives. Palms up, the universal sign for a handout, is apparently … Continue reading »

Friday Cat Post

Robbie’s back stateside, and in honor of that, one amazing Friday cat. Science Times examines the first domestication of wild cats. Those smarty-pants meowsers went ahead and domesticated themselves when they figured out that humans were beginning to store grain, which in turn was beginning to make mice available. Meow!

As if I weren’t already afraid enough…

First thing this morning, I read about parasites that make rats and possibly humans do really crazy things to get nearer to cats. Thanks for the creep-fest, Science Times. If that was not enough, I later found this site, thanks to another link from …this recording. Their link led to finger-sized animals, in one of … Continue reading »

America, It’s Finally Opening

A few years ago, my good friend Taylor Baldwin told me about a museum under construction in Kentucky. Sponsored by Answers in Genesis, the museum is none other than a natural history museum grounded in the premise that the earth is 6,000 years old. Displays therefore include Adam and Eve, just after the fall, cavorting … Continue reading »

Science Times: Egg Donors

The ads in the Brown Daily Herald always freaked me out. Couples were posting ads looking for attractive Ivy League women — often even including desired SAT score ranges, heights and weights — offering anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 for egg donations. I knew these ads were aimed at women just like me, faced with … Continue reading »

Science Times: NYT’s Excuse for Raunch?

I have become convinced that the New York Times Science section, featured on Tuesdays, is the paper’s outlet for all-out raunchiness, albeit generally of the animal variety. From yesterday’s “A Lonesome Tortoise, and a Search for a Mate“: By coating her hands in the genital secretions of female tortoises and gently stroking him, she managed … Continue reading »