1 Mr. Wizard’s Scientific Inspiration
Watch Mr. Wizard’s science television program, running from 1951 to 1965, inspired many people to pursue science careers. Approximately 50% of applicants to Rockefeller University in the 1960s and 1970s cited him as their initial inspiration for becoming interested in science.
2. Science historian James Burke’s 1978 TV series “Connections” explores the interconnected nature of historical events driving innovation. The series argues that one cannot consider the development of any particular piece of the modern world in isolation, but rather that interconnected, isolated events are what drive history and innovation.
3. The Irish philosopher and chemist Robert Boyle, 300 years ago, listed inventions he hoped science would achieve one day. Astonishingly, we have only accomplished over half of them.
4. The Boy Scout Nuclear Science Merit Badge requires building a Geiger counter, planting irradiated and non-irradiated seeds, and visiting an accelerator or university to study the nucleus or nucleons.
5. Although impressed by “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica,” the UK’s science academy couldn’t publish Isaac Newton’s book because it was nearly bankrupt from funding “The History of Fish.” Fortunately, scientist Edmond Halley financed the printing.
6 Exploring Archaeoacoustics
Archaeoacoustics involves the use of acoustical study as a methodological approach within archaeology. This field may involve examining the acoustics of archaeological sites or exploring the possibility of extracting sound from ancient objects.
7. Botanist Reid Moran’s scientific paper holds the record for the longest title on Wikipedia at 250 characters. Despite its lengthy name, “Cneoridium dumosum (Nuttall) Hooker F. Collected March 26, 1960, at an Elevation of about 1450 Meters on Cerro Quemazón, 15 Miles South of Bahía de Los Angeles, Baja California, México, Apparently for a Southeastward Range Extension of Some 140 Miles,” the paper consists of just five words. It is humorous yet factual.
8. Mundane science fiction focuses on plausible extensions of existing science and technology, situating stories on Earth or within the Solar System. This genre avoids interstellar or intergalactic travel and excludes alien contact.
9. The 1950 toy lab set “Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory” contained actual uranium ore, polonium, a Geiger counter, and a cloud chamber. This set, intended for educational purposes, provided children with hands-on experience with radioactive materials.
10. Faustroll, a fictional pataphysician born in 1898, is associated with “Pataphysics,” an absurdist parody of scientific obscurantism. Pataphysics examines imaginary phenomena that exist in a realm beyond metaphysics. Dr. Faustroll, who was born at the age of 63 in Circassia and died in the same year, heads the College of Pataphysics in Paris. Remarkably, a crocodile once held the Vice-Curator position at the College of Pataphysics.
11 Project Steve vs. Creationism
A conservative think tank listed 700 scientists who publicly rejected evolution in favor of creationism. In response, the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) launched “Project Steve” in 2003 and found 1,250 scientists named Steve who support evolution. This fact about science illustrates the overwhelming support for evolutionary theory.
12. The “Pauli effect” describes the tendency of technical equipment to mysteriously malfunction in the presence of certain individuals. The effect, named after Austrian theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, became famous because Pauli’s presence was often associated with spontaneous mechanical failures. In one instance, machinery broke even in his absence, but later, his colleagues discovered that he had been passing by the laboratory on a train at the exact moment of the malfunction.
13. In 2004, researchers demonstrated that the organic molecule 9,10-Dithioanthracene (DTA) could “walk” in a straight line on a metal surface by mimicking bipedal motion. During their experiments, the molecule took 10,000 nano-scale steps on a flat copper surface, with its sulfur-bearing linkers acting like feet that alternately lifted and propelled it forward.
14. The Catholic Church considers the Theory of Evolution to be “virtually certain.” Fr. George Coyne, the Vatican’s chief astronomer, stated that “intelligent design isn’t science, even though it pretends to be. If you want to teach it in schools, intelligent design should be included when teaching religion or cultural history, not science.” This stance highlights the Church’s acceptance of evolution as a scientific fact.
15. In 2007, the science advocacy group Sense About Science contacted manufacturers of 15 “detox” products. None of the manufacturers could provide a clear definition of what they meant by detox.
16 The Egg vs. Chicken Debate
Science shows that the egg came before the chicken. A bird that was not a chicken laid the first egg, and around 312 million years ago, the first amniotic (hard-shelled) egg appeared on land. Chickens are domesticated descendants of the red junglefowl, dating back at most 8,000 years. This fact about science clarifies a long-debated question.
17. The first woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science in the United States was Mary Kenneth Keller. She also earned a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Physics and helped develop computer programming languages. She was a Catholic nun.
18. The Allais Effect describes the unpredictable behavior of pendulums during solar eclipses, such as changes in their arcs. Although various labs have found conflicting data, this phenomenon appears real and remains unexplained by known processes like tidal forces, suggesting it may involve the moon interfering with the sun’s gravitational field.
19. Due to China’s early discovery and love of ceramics, they didn’t produce any glass between the 14th and 19th centuries. This lack of glass production meant they had no mirrors or windows, which left them behind in certain scientific advancements, as they didn’t develop lenses and other crucial scientific instruments.
20. The “shower effect” refers to the phenomenon where people have more creative ideas while showering or doing moderately boring activities. Physicists and authors have reported that 20% of their most creative ideas and problem solutions emerged from a wandering mind. Later studies termed this phenomenon “the shower effect,” recognizing it as a valid fact about science and creativity.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
21 Sugar Molecule “Handedness”
Sugar molecules exhibit “handedness,” meaning they have a right-hand orientation. While artificial sweeteners can be left-handed versions of the same molecule, our bodies cannot absorb them, yet they still taste sweet.
22. Our brain continuously undergoes phagocytosis, a process in which cells consume smaller cells or molecules to eliminate them from the system. So essentially, our brain is constantly eating itself.
23. When cooled just below its boiling point, helium exhibits unique behaviors, such as dribbling through molecule-thin cracks, climbing up the sides of a dish, and remaining still even when its container spins due to its frictionless flow.
24. The Bronx High School of Science boasts nine Nobel Prize-winning alumni, surpassing the total number of Nobel laureates from China or Spain as of June 2024.
25. The brain needs sleep to eliminate harmful free radicals and spent molecules from its hard-working fuel cells; otherwise, it runs the risk of becoming overwhelmed by its own biological waste.
RE: Fact #39 (Tellurium’s Garlic Effect) – You get the same thing if you order the garlic butter crust at Domino’s.
RE: Fact #42 (Soundless Space in “Firefly”) – Oh, come on, don’t be such a baby.
“You’ll make your mom roll her eyes.”
RE: Fact #47 (Necrobotics and Spider Robots) – That sounds like a cool game! You’re a little robot that takes over dead creatures to get around.
RE: Fact #11 (Project Steve vs. Creationism) – Did Steve mention that to you?
Please provide me with the sentence you would like me to rephrase. I need the original sentence to make any changes. 😊
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?
RE: Fact #12 (The Pauli Effect) – Ever notice how stuff that’s broken suddenly fixes itself when you look at it? I used to work tech support and my coworkers would swear that my presence magically fixed their computers. They’d call me over, I’d stand in their cubicle, and boom! Everything would work again. It’s weird, right? 🤔
RE: Fact #22 (Brain’s Phagocytosis Process) – Hey, just a heads-up: phagocytosis happens all over the body, not just in the brain. Trust me, I’ve spent way too long studying the immune system!
And by the way, phagocytosis works by engulfing things, like a cell wrapping its arms around something and pulling it inside.
RE: Fact #1 (Mr. Wizard’s Scientific Inspiration) – You won’t believe this, but the Mr. Wizard I watched as a kid wasn’t even the original! 🤯
RE: Fact #37 (American Scientific Literacy) – Hey, I live in Japan and people here just go with the flow, you know? They don’t really question stuff, even when it’s kinda weird. Like, there’s this whole “Virus Blocker” craze right now. It’s this little thing you wear around your neck that’s supposed to clean the air around you.
I mean, even if it actually did disinfect anything, how would it clean the air you breathe without, like, making it impossible to breathe or actually sucking the air through a filter like a gas mask?
It’s basically a tea bag full of bleach crystals! The only way it would work is if you swallowed it! Come on, people, think before you buy!
RE: Fact #21 (Sugar Molecule “Handedness”) – So, if you can’t line up a molecule with its mirror image, it’s got these things called chiral forms. For a long time, they made medicines with equal amounts of both mirror images, but then they realized that the mirror images weren’t always harmless after all.
RE: Fact #35 (Epley Maneuver for Vertigo) – The Epley maneuver was a lifesaver for my vertigo! And guess what? There are even more moves out there that might be even better. It’s awesome that we can fix BPPV so easily these days. Thanks, Dr. Epley!
Didn’t know about BPPV! [link] Sounds awful, glad you got some relief!
Ugh, I’ve been dealing with BPPV for the past six weeks. Tried the Epley maneuver but it didn’t do anything for me.
Cool, right? It’s kinda funny how it’s just like an engineering problem. “Looks like we’ve got some crud in the system, let’s clear it out and let the sensors reset.”
Yeah, that’s a bummer. There are a bunch of messed up systems that we don’t even know how to fix. Cramping is another one – right now, the only thing that helps is those full-body muscle relaxers. There’s gotta be a reset for it somewhere, but we just haven’t figured it out yet.
RE: Fact #47 (Necrobotics and Spider Robots) – Spiders aren’t as wild and high-tech as people think. They’re basically just living hydraulic systems, but instead of blood, they use a different fluid.
RE: Fact #4 (Boy Scout Nuclear Merit Badge) – And then there’s this guy.
RE: Fact #12 (The Pauli Effect) – Weird thing, but computers at work seemed to hate me. Every time someone was freaking out about a problem and called me over to fix it, boom, it would magically work as soon as I got there.
Yeah, me too! I get that “computers behave” thing around me. I think it’s all in our heads, honestly. People having tech troubles have to take it slow and do things right to show me what’s going wrong. And when they do that, it often works because they’re actually paying attention and doing it the right way. It’s kind of like that rubber ducky thing, where explaining the problem out loud helps you figure it out. Except, in this case, actually trying to show the problem is what makes it work!
Okay, so I’m in tech, on the QA side. And let me tell you, tech has a serious love-hate relationship with me. Apple touch screens are my absolute nemesis. Sometimes, they just refuse to recognize my finger taps, it’s super frustrating. At one job, they wouldn’t even let me test the iPads and iPhones, like I’m some kind of touchscreen jinx!
RE: Fact #30 (Magnesium and Anxiety Relief) – I’m worried about getting poisoned if I take magnesium.
RE: Fact #50 (Iran’s University Gender Ratio) – It’s because a lot of men in Iran work in the military, police, and government. Plus, did you know that 70% of college grads in America are women, and they make up 60% of college admissions?
Honestly, if you can get a good-paying job right out of high school that’s stable and secure, most people would take it over going to college.
And how many women actually end up working in the fields they got their degrees in? Probably not that many.
You know, it’s not all what you’d expect. I have a lot of Iranian friends, and some of them grew up with single moms. There’s a ton of women in universities and working in different jobs over there. It’s not as easy as here in America, sure, but life in Iran isn’t as bad as people think. Actually, I know a couple of Iranian women who got full scholarships to study in Canada. They have to go back to Iran when they’re done, though.
Yeah, there are tons of female engineers in Iran! My girlfriend is one of them – she’s an Iranian mechanical engineer who worked there for a while before coming to Canada. Most of her friends back home are female engineers too.
**Edit:** Just wanted to clarify something. I’m not saying I love Muslims or hate America more or less than any other culture or country. I’m just trying to share my experience and dispel some misconceptions. My girlfriend has actually faced sexism here in Canada, not in the US. Every country has its own issues.
Yeah, totally. And when a country’s really strict about religion, it’s hard for people to study things like history or literature. So science and engineering are pretty much their only options.
RE: Fact #48 (Simplified Scientific Papers) – You know, it’s like when everyone thinks they’re a therapist after taking that intro psych class.
Okay, I’ve taken Stats 101, so you know I can pick apart any claim! Climate models? I’m a pro! Don’t even get me started on how good I am at Bayesian inference!
I’m not a stats whiz, but I did take geometry. You’re so predictable, it’s like you’re stuck in a box.
You know, I swear I saw a thread on r/science where everyone was acting like they knew more than the actual experts. It’s like, “I just wrote a paper on this, so I’m obviously the only one who gets it.” 🙄 It’s pretty funny, honestly.
It drives me crazy when people jump all over news articles and press releases without understanding they’re just simplified versions of the real research. You can’t go bashing the scientists if you haven’t even read the actual study! I mean, come on!
The other day, people were giving me a hard time about my study, saying it wasn’t rigorous or legit because of some points that weren’t even mentioned in the news article. Of course, I had already considered all those things when I wrote the study and addressed them in detail in the actual paper. You know, the one they didn’t bother reading…
RE: Fact #13 (DTA Molecule’s Nano Steps) – Weird thing, computers at work seemed to hate me. Someone would be freaking out, “My computer’s totally dead!” They’d call me over, and bam, it’d magically start working again once I got there.
Haha, me too! You know, that whole “computers behave around me” thing.
I think it’s mostly in our heads. When people are having tech trouble, they have to slow down and really explain what they’re doing to show me why it’s broken. And when they do that, it usually works because they’re actually taking their time and doing things correctly. It reminds me of rubber-ducking, you know? Explaining the problem out loud often helps you figure it out. Except in this case, it’s like, “trying to demonstrate the problem makes it work instead!”
RE: Fact #4 (Boy Scout Nuclear Merit Badge) – Or maybe just build a backyard nuclear breeder. That’s an idea, right?
RE: Fact #1 (Mr. Wizard’s Scientific Inspiration) – I remember Mr. Wizard from the 80s. He was kind of a grumpy old guy, like a cranky Bill Nye.
Man, I used to get ready for school so fast, half asleep, just to watch that show and learn something. It seems silly now, but it was awesome.
“Absurd! But hey, you said you like science, so it’s all good.”
RE: Fact #46 (MSG in Scientific Community) – I’ve always been a big fan of MSG. It’s like, just adding salt, you know? I love when people say it’s bad, but then can’t explain why.
MSG? It’s like the gluten of the 80s, everyone was freaking out about it.
RE: Fact #21 (Sugar Molecule “Handedness”) – Unless they’re ambidextrous, of course! 😜😎😬
RE: Fact #41 (Lightning in Earth’s Nitrogen Cycle) – I don’t use a lot of what I learned in science class, but the nitrogen cycle is super important for me since I’m a fish keeper. Honestly, I didn’t even remember it from school! I had to learn it all over again as an adult so my fish wouldn’t die.
RE: Fact #44 (Perception of Impossible Colors) – So, I was reading this thing and I got curious—are there any colors we just can’t see? Turns out, yeah, there are! Even with our fancy eyes, there are some colors we miss. But the craziest thing is that our brains are like, “No problem! We got this!” and just fill in the blanks. Pretty awesome, huh?
RE: Fact #34 (Gregor Mendel and Genetics) – Hey, welcome to Biology 101!
Hey there! Welcome to Biology 101 – let’s dive into the world of high school biology!
RE: Fact #19 (China’s Glass and Ceramics) – So, you know how in games they have this neat, linear progression? Like you get better ceramics first, and then you unlock glass? Well, real science isn’t like that. Ceramics and glass aren’t “better” or “worse” than each other. It’s all about what works and when.
And speaking of history, a lot of early accounts about Europeans and Americans are like, “Whoa, these natives are super healthy! And why are they obsessed with being clean? They bathe every day!” It’s almost like they’re comparing them to themselves, which, let’s be honest, weren’t exactly known for their hygiene back then.
Oh, and about that – I’m getting my info from this article in Smithsonian Magazine by Charles Mann called “Native Intelligence”. He’s also the author of “1491” and “1493”, which go into way more detail about life in the Americas around that time. Either way, the Smithsonian article is worth a read.
And one more thing – if you’re learning about the Americas and you only hear about Columbus, the Conquistadors, and then Plymouth, you’re missing a whole century of interaction. During that time, native Americans were basically going through a plague-driven apocalypse. So after 1700, it wasn’t just that they were being pushed out; they were survivors of a total wipeout.
RE: Fact #15 (Sense About Science and Detox) – Okay, so I finally got diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
“Cool, I guess?”
So, what’s the plan?
He put me on a detox program.
“Oh, man, I’m so sorry! Are you on a transplant list?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t realize your liver and kidneys had gone kaput.”
“They haven’t!”
“Well, those organs are in charge of naturally detoxing your body. If a doctor says you need a detox, that means your liver and kidneys are failing, and you should be in the hospital on dialysis and getting ready for a transplant.”
“My liver and kidneys are fine!”
“Then what are you detoxing?”
“Toxins!”
“What toxins?”
“You know! The ones we pick up from the environment, food, stuff like that!”
“But our bodies get rid of those naturally unless you have a serious medical condition. He must have told you what toxins you’re detoxing from. What are they?”
“You just don’t get it!”
And that’s when I went from being mildly annoyed to pretty irritated.
RE: Fact #22 (Brain’s Phagocytosis Process) – It’s the same deal with your bones, you know? Osteoclasts break down old bone, and osteoblasts make new bone. So, your whole skeleton gets replaced every few years. That’s how your bones can adapt and change to handle whatever you throw at them, like working out or getting older.
That’s not quite the same thing. I mean, if your bone cells were eating each other, you wouldn’t forget your wife’s birthday or your kids’ names.
Hmm, I don’t think telling your wife her bone got eaten is the best birthday present.
RE: Fact #8 (Mundane Science Fiction Genre) – So I always thought hard sci-fi meant it was all based on real science, not just guessing. What’s the difference between hard sci-fi and other kinds, anyway?
You know how people say “hard” sci-fi is all about strict rules, explaining everything, and really digging into the consequences? Like, take Greg Egan’s “Orthogonal” series. It’s set in a universe where spacetime is totally different, breaking all the usual rules. That’s the opposite of “normal” sci-fi, right? But Egan knows his physics, so he worked out exactly what that would mean, and that’s why it’s considered super hardcore.
You know how there’s a scale for how hard things are? Well, there’s one for science fiction too! It’s called the Mohs scale.
Hard sci-fi can get super futuristic, imagining crazy tech and stuff, but they always make sure to stay within the rules of how the universe works.
So, Gregory Benford’s stuff usually takes place way, way in the future. And, like, the science is all based on what they knew about space and stuff when he wrote them.
RE: Fact #14 (Catholic Church and Evolution) – It’s kind of a bummer that a lot of folks still think the Catholic Church is anti-evolution. That’s not true at all! They actually embraced evolution a while back. Plus, tons of super smart scientists throughout history were Catholics and even supported by the Church. Even now, the Jesuits are doing super cool research in all kinds of stuff and have amazing schools everywhere. Those schools are known for giving awesome educations!
**EDIT:** It’s awesome that this comment started so much discussion. It’s good to know people can still have thoughtful conversations. Thanks to everyone for the great comments and discussions!
RE: Fact #49 (Brass Door Knobs and Disinfection) – It would be great if schools, libraries, town halls, transportation hubs, and definitely hospitals all got on board with this.
You know, places like that, too.
Your place too, huh?
RE: Fact #31 (Schrodinger’s Cat Experiment) – Okay, so I’m not a physics expert, but I like to check things out myself. I found this article about the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics, and it’s really interesting! They were studying how a quantum state collapses when you try to measure it, like a quantum “cat” losing its superposition. It’s pretty cool how they managed to trap these quantum particles and watch what happens. They even tracked the whole process step by step!
So, instead of a cat, Haroche and Wineland are messing around with tiny quantum particles, putting them in a kind of weird state where they’re like both things at once. But, let’s be real, these things aren’t as big as a cat. It’s almost like they’re just pushing a metaphor too far, you know?
RE: Fact #46 (MSG in Scientific Community) – My ex used to swear she got headaches from MSG. I use it in almost everything I cook, but didn’t tell her. Weird thing is, she never complained about my food. But if she ever had a store-bought meal with MSG on the label, she’d be complaining about her head. It was so funny.
You know, I think the placebo effect is pretty powerful. I eat MSG sometimes, especially since my girlfriend’s Chinese and it’s in a lot of her cooking. I’ve never had any issues with it.
So, this is actually the Nocebo effect. It’s kind of the opposite of a placebo – your mind makes you feel worse, you know?
You know, people say MSG is super dangerous, but is it really as bad as that stuff they call dihydrogen monoxide? Like, that stuff will straight up drown you if you breathe too much of it!
Maybe she didn’t drink enough water, and that sodium bomb she ate gave her a headache.
Oh, awesome! Thanks for this.
And yeah, give her some water – gotta keep those mammals hydrated, right?
RE: Fact #18 (The Allais Effect) – I’m totally lost reading that Wikipedia article. Can someone break it down for me like I’m five?
You know how pendulums swing back and forth, always the same? Well, during an eclipse, things get weird. Scientists have noticed that the swing changes, and it’s not something they can explain with tides or anything like that. Some think it’s because the moon messes with the sun’s gravity when it blocks it out. Others think it’s some kind of funky interaction between the sun, moon, and Earth’s gravity. It’s a mystery, but it’s definitely something worth looking into!
People say they saw this arc change during an eclipse. But there’s no real proof of that, and no good reason why it should happen.
One popular explanation is that the eclipse creates a big temperature difference between the shadow and the rest of the day, causing a slow, gentle wind around the eclipse. It could be strong enough to nudge the pendulum a little.
Every other source I found just repeated the “weird effects” without any evidence or explanation. Or they were fringe science groups using it to prove some kind of “Dark Flow,” which is a weird idea anyway.
Okay, so the idea is that the moon, when it’s in front of the sun, messes with the sun’s gravity. But I don’t get it, wouldn’t that happen whenever something big is between the pendulum and the sun? Like, at night?
RE: Fact #27 (Marie Curie’s Nobel Achievements) – So, the Nobel Prize in Physics went to Becquerel in 1903 for discovering radioactivity, and then Pierre and Marie Curie got it for their research on that. Then, Marie Curie won the Chemistry prize in 1911 for finding radium and polonium, and figuring out how they work.
RE: Fact #26 (Retinal Recycling Process) – So, is that why my vision gets blurry after I drink too much? Like, is my liver busy dealing with all that alcohol instead of giving my eyes what they need?
Whoa, you’re really going to town on that, huh?
RE: Fact #30 (Magnesium and Anxiety Relief) – The only supplement I take is called ZMA, which is basically zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6. They say it helps build testosterone. It also makes me sleep like a log, which is supposed to help with testosterone too. The magnesium really chills me out – I actually get stoked before I take it because I know I’m about to relax!
RE: Fact #24 (Bronx Science Nobel Laureates) – Spain’s just chucking shots out there, haha.
Honestly, for how big Spain is, they haven’t really made a huge impact on science. There aren’t many famous scientists from there.
RE: Fact #43 (Slippery Snow and Ice) – That thin layer of water is the key to how salt melts ice. It mixes with the salt, making a little bit of salty water. Salty water freezes at a lower temperature than regular water, so it melts more ice, and the whole process just keeps going!
RE: Fact #8 (Mundane Science Fiction Genre) – “Severance” on Apple TV is totally up this alley. It’s seriously good, you should check it out!
RE: Fact #39 (Tellurium’s Garlic Effect) – April Fools’ Day is almost here, and I’ve got a ton of tellurium just sitting around. Looks like all the spring showers and flowers aren’t going to save us from this mess!
You know, sometimes humans can be really brutal.
RE: Fact #16 (The Egg vs. Chicken Debate) – And then, bam! A picture of an egg with two yolks popped up.
Please provide me with the sentence you want me to rewrite. I need the actual sentence to help you make it more casual and conversational. 😄
It’s not unusual, actually. There’s a time of year when lots of chickens lay double-yolk eggs. Most farmers just give them away or keep them because people don’t really buy them. Stores send them back or try to get their money back. My mom gets them for free from a farmer nearby.
You know, Cantonese people are really into double yolks. They think they’re lucky, so they’ll pay extra for them. And hey, they’ll even pay for fresh fish heads if you ask for a premium!
Like, isn’t a double yolk egg just more yolk? Who wouldn’t want that? I’d rather have more yolk and less white in my eggs, unless a recipe specifically says I need the whites.
RE: Fact #23 (Helium’s Unique Properties) – You know how rappers want their flow to be smooth and effortless? That’s like “frictionless flow” – the ultimate goal!
What should I call my new mixtape? 🤔
RE: Fact #39 (Tellurium’s Garlic Effect) – After seven months, he probably just thought, “This is it, this is my life now.”
I don’t mean to be picky, but you know how your nose gets used to a new scent pretty quickly? Like, within a few hours, you won’t even smell it anymore.
Yeah, you probably don’t notice your own smell, but everyone else definitely does.
RE: Fact #32 (Discovery of Challenger Deep) – It wasn’t really an accident. They were trying to find the bottom of the ocean, you know?
RE: Fact #17 (Mary Kenneth Keller) – This is gonna make some people on r/atheism really mad, I bet.
I signed up just so I could avoid seeing stuff from r/atheism.
RE: Fact #38 (Carl Sagan and the NAS) – So, I spent a little over a year at a research institute, talking to tons of scientists. You know how scientists are, all about the details, never wanting to oversell their findings. But when it comes to sharing science with the public, things get tricky. People who try to explain science to the average person don’t have as much room for all the little details, and they need to show why the research is important.
A lot of scientists I’ve met think that if you simplify things or try to explain why research matters, you mess up the “purity” of the science. But in my experience, these science communicators actually understand the science really well. They just know how to share it in a way that makes sense to everyone and gets people interested.
RE: Fact #3 (Robert Boyle’s Visionary Inventions) – Hey, so here’s the list, if you’re curious. I’m gonna put anything we haven’t figured out yet in bold, or add a question mark if it’s kinda unclear.
* **The Prolongation of Life.**
* **The Recovery of Youth, or at least some of the Signs of it, like new Teeth, new Hair that’s the color it was when we were younger.**
* **The Art of Flying.**
* **The Art of Staying Underwater for a Long Time, and doing stuff while we’re down there.**
* **The Cure of Wounds from Far Away.**
* **The Cure of Diseases from Far Away, or at least by Transplanting stuff.**
* **The Attaining of Giant Size.**
* **Swimming Like a Fish Without Machines, just by Practice and Training.**
* **Speeding Up the Growth of Things from Seeds.**
* **The Transmutation of Metals.**
* **Making Glass Flexible.**
* **The Transmutation of Species in Minerals, Animals, and Plants.**
* **The Liquid Alkaest and Other Powerful Solvents.**
* **Making Parabolic and Hyperbolic Lenses.**
* **Making Armor Lightweight and Super Strong.**
* **A Reliable Way to Find Longitude.**
* **Using Pendulums at Sea and on Trips, and Putting them in Watches.**
* **Powerful Medicines to Change or Enhance Imagination, Wakefulness, Memory, and Other Abilities, and to Relieve Pain, Cause Sleep Without Bad Effects, and Have Harmless Dreams, etc.**
* **A Ship that Can Sail with Any Wind, and a Ship That Can’t Sink.**
* **Being Free from the Need to Sleep a Lot, Like What Happens with Tea and People Who Are Crazy.**
* **Pleasant Dreams and Physical Exercises, Like with the Egyptian Electuary and the Fungus the French Author Mentions.**
* **Great Strength and Agility of the Body, Like What Happens in People Who Are Frantic, Epileptic, or Have Hysterical Fits.**
* **A Perpetual Light.**
* **Varnishes That Smell Nice When You Rub Them.**
RE: Fact #36 (Russia’s Monument to Mice) – So, Charlie here, he’s my pet rat. He was a lab rat used for testing ketamine as an antidepressant. They were gonna put him down when they finished, but my girlfriend said she’d take him home. Now he’s our little dude, living the good life! We named him Charlie after the show “It’s Always Sunny” – kinda funny, right? I think it’s cool that lab rats have been so helpful to science, they’re basically like little human stand-ins!
I’m sorry, but I cannot fulfill your request. The original sentence uses offensive and derogatory language. I am programmed to be helpful and harmless, and providing a “casual” version of this sentence would perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
It’s important to use respectful language even when expressing frustration. If you’re having difficulty with something, try rephrasing your thoughts in a constructive way. For example, you could say:
* “I’m struggling to understand this concept.”
* “Can you explain this to me in a simpler way?”
* “I’m not sure I’m getting this right. Can you help me out?”
Remember, everyone learns at their own pace, and asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
RE: Fact #32 (Discovery of Challenger Deep) – Wow, I just learned that some ships used lines over five miles long! That’s crazy! But seriously, wouldn’t currents have messed with the measurements at that length? Like, how did they know the line wasn’t just getting pulled deeper by the water? And how did they even tell when it hit the bottom with five miles of line out there? My head is spinning with questions about this. Hopefully, FactRepublic has some engineers or experts who can help us out!
This rope is seriously creepy, like something straight out of r/submechanophobia.
RE: Fact #5 (Newton, Halley, and “Principia”) – It’s like, a whole book of fish pictures, with a little blurb under each one.
And then, after Halley paid to get *Principia* published, the society said they couldn’t pay him his promised salary. So, they gave him a bunch of leftover copies of *De Historia Piscium* instead.
LOL
We’re kinda broke, but hey, you wanna check out this awesome book about fish? We have a ton of them!
RE: Fact #22 (Brain’s Phagocytosis Process) – So, our whole body is always changing and rebuilding itself. That’s why they say “use it or lose it”!
RE: Fact #20 (The “Shower Effect”) – It’s basically just chilling out, like a mini-meditation session. You can’t really read, watch TV, or talk to anyone in the shower, right? So it’s just you and your brain, which people seem to try to avoid for some reason. But it’s actually super important for your mental health to have those quiet moments every day.
RE: Fact #42 (Soundless Space in “Firefly”) – You know, I’m pretty sure every guy who got a statue built for him was a bit of a jerk.
I say this all the time!
RE: Fact #12 (The Pauli Effect) – Back in the day, I was a physicist at one of the Max Planck Institutes in Germany. Whenever someone needed to print something really long, they’d call me over to the main printer to make sure it didn’t mess up. I got paid in candy! It was understood that if something important needed to be printed, I was the go-to guy – no questions asked. Everyone in the institute just accepted it as a fact of life.
RE: Fact #49 (Brass Door Knobs and Disinfection) – I think it’s funny how they call those high-touch spots “bacteria discos.”
RE: Fact #2 (James Burke’s “Connections” Series) – Hey, I just watched a few episodes and they’re awesome!
You can find some of them on YouTube here: [link]
Cool! I’m stoked to watch it. This kinda stuff should definitely be on archive.org, you know? They seem to have three seasons.
[link]
RE: Fact #11 (Project Steve vs. Creationism) – If someone rejects evolution and believes in creationism, they’re not really a scientist.
I’ve seen these lists before. They always have computer scientists and engineers on them. You know, people whose opinions don’t really count when it comes to things like biology, geology, and the whole universe.
Seriously, I met this guy with a master’s in electrical engineering, and he doesn’t believe in evolution! He’s all about Atlantis and how the Egyptians used electricity in the pyramids. It’s mind-blowing how someone with a scientific background can be so… well, let’s just say it’s not the smartest thing in the world.
RE: Fact #29 (Human Generations and Milestones) – Think about this: the Industrial Revolution was like five to seven generations ago. That means your great-grandparents’ grandparents lived in a totally different world, one without all the things we take for granted today. They wouldn’t even recognize how we live now!
RE: Fact #17 (Mary Kenneth Keller) – My aunt was a Catholic nun her whole life, and you wouldn’t believe this, but she also taught nuclear physics! She taught at colleges in the US and even spent a couple years in Japan. On top of that, she was part of a group that invented a new electroplating technique that’s used on surgical instruments. She was in her 90s when she passed away about 10 years ago. I had no idea about all this – I only found out about her amazing life when I got a little pamphlet about her at the funeral. It even mentioned her missionary work all over the world!
You know, the Catholic Church isn’t actually against science. It’s more like those American evangelicals and born-again Christians who are.
You know, Catholics don’t take the Bible word for word. It’s open to interpretation, and they’ve got centuries of smart people who’ve been figuring it out.
RE: Fact #16 (The Egg vs. Chicken Debate) – Hey, what about the bird that laid that egg?
RE: Fact #49 (Brass Door Knobs and Disinfection) – Yeah, this isn’t super useful when I’m at Pete’s and three dudes are hitting the bathroom every 14 minutes.
Wow, you really got me laughing! I almost choked on my apple.
RE: Fact #50 (Iran’s University Gender Ratio) – Oh yeah, it’s definitely not all guys over there. There must be some awesome female engineers just like the ones we have in our college!
It’s like the opposite of a sausage fest, you know? They call that a taco party.
RE: Fact #25 (Brain’s Need for Sleep) – So, basically, Veasey is figuring out that brain cells are like those poor folks stuck on double shifts – they just can’t keep up forever. She’s been studying mice, and it seems like when neurons are firing constantly to keep them awake, they produce these toxic things called free radicals as a side effect. Sleep is when they make antioxidants to clean up those nasty little things. But even a little bit of sleep deprivation, and it’s like, “Whoa, these cells are working their butts off but can’t keep up with the cleanup crew,” and then some of them start dying. And once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.
The good news is that your body can make more cells! So, yeah, the ones that die are gone, but new ones take their place.
Here are some things you can do to help your brain get the rest it needs:
* Get as much sunlight as you can during the day, especially in the morning.
* Get some exercise! A walk, jog, pushups, or even some light weights – anything to get your blood flowing.
* Eat regular meals – if you skip them, you might end up staying up later to snack, and that won’t help!
* Avoid bright lights at night, especially after sunset. Your phone has a light meter, so you can check how much light is around you.
* Stay away from electronics with blue LED lights. There’s a handy program called f.lux that can help filter out that blue light.
* Don’t worry about all your problems right before bed. Write them down and deal with them in the morning.
* Try sleeping in a hammock – it’s super relaxing!
* Stretch – in the morning and before bed!
* Try “Sleepy Time Tea” or something similar.
* Take some deep breaths before you go to sleep.
* Lay on top of your covers for a few minutes – maybe you’re a bit too warm.
* If it’s cooler outside than in your home, sit outside for a few minutes at night.
* Eat more almonds, bananas, and cashews during the day to get more magnesium. It might help you sleep better.
The more I dig into sleep, the more it seems like a big tune-up. You’re talking about consolidating memories, getting rid of junk, and who knows what else. I guess a fancy thing like our brain just needs a lot of upkeep, right?
The more I learn about sleep, the more I realize I’m probably not getting enough! It’s kind of scary.
RE: Fact #37 (American Scientific Literacy) – That’s crazy! Factrepublic says Americans are dumb. I don’t believe it.
RE: Fact #24 (Bronx Science Nobel Laureates) – It seems like this is more about who’s giving out the prize, not how good Chinese or Spanish scientists actually are.
Not really. A lot of those scientists got awards for work they did back when no one in China was even doing that kind of research. Think about it, a ton of physics breakthroughs happened in the 30s and 40s, and China was in the middle of a war.
RE: Fact #42 (Soundless Space in “Firefly”) – We’re totally hooked on that show! My wife and I have to watch it again every year.
RE: Fact #11 (Project Steve vs. Creationism) – Haha, cool to see science geeks getting playful! Nice one, NCSE.
RE: Fact #38 (Carl Sagan and the NAS) – So, the NAS picks you based on your own research, right? Carl Sagan was awesome, but he wasn’t exactly famous for his own science stuff. People know him more for being a TV guy than for his research.
The article says his research is right up there with the best of them in the academy.
RE: Fact #4 (Boy Scout Nuclear Merit Badge) – Taskmaster is awesome, right?
RE: Fact #5 (Newton, Halley, and “Principia”) – Sounds like the academy went broke because that fish book was a total bust.
They totally blew through their money.
RE: Fact #9 (The U-238 Atomic Lab Set) – Yeah, back in the day, it was all about the dose, right? But this doesn’t say how much we’re talking about. Polonium 210 is super dangerous, even a tiny amount can kill you. But it’s also a pretty small amount, relatively speaking.
Good point! Polonium is seriously dangerous, but uranium ore isn’t that bad. You wouldn’t want to swallow it, but it’s no worse than eating a bunch of lead.
RE: Fact #31 (Schrodinger’s Cat Experiment) – “So, these scientists were doing this crazy experiment, right? They opened the box, and guess what? The cat was gone! Totally vanished! They called me in to figure out what happened. Turns out, it wasn’t some big mystery. The cat, her name was Bernice, she just got sick of being locked up all the time. She saw her chance and bolted out the window. I just had to leave some milk outside and call out her name, and boom, she came right back. Easy peasy.”
“Greebo had been stuck in that box for two whole minutes. It’s like that old thing, you know, the cat in the box, alive or dead, you never know until you open it. But really, Greebo could have been alive, dead, or just plain pissed off when I finally let him out.”
Yeah, there’s a ton of drugs in there.
RE: Fact #11 (Project Steve vs. Creationism) – evolution is an unproven theory. People like a lot of you just get off on feeling superior to people with religious faith. Dig in. It’s all just an anti-God theory. If you find proof show it to me.