As D.I.Y. Gene Editing Gains Popularity, ‘Someone Is Going to Get Hurt’

By EMILY BAUMGAERTNERAfter researchers created a virus from mail-order DNA, geneticists sound the alarm about the genetic tinkering carried out in garages and living rooms… Already a research team at the University of Alberta has recreated from scratch an extinct relative of smallpox, horsepox, by stitching together fragments of mail-order DNA in just six months for […]
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Can a reasoning test predict who will make a good detective?

By Alex Fradera Although criminal investigation has been transformed through technological developments in DNA, phone tracking, and online data, the way a detective works through a crime has remained much the same. The first suspect is often the true perpetrator, but not always, and snowballing biases continue to lead to miscarriages of justice. Proficient detectives need […]
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Plum Tea Crazy: A new Tea Shop Mystery by NYT Bestselling Author Laura Childs

Theodosia Browning investigates a Charleston steeped in tradition and treachery in the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs. While viewing the harbor’s Gaslights and Galleons Parade from the widow’s walk of Timothy Neville’s Charleston mansion, local banker Carson Lanier seemingly tumbles over a narrow railing, then plunges three stories […]
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The pique persuasion technique plays on our curiosity and it’s surprisingly effective

By Alex Fradera “Sorry to bother you – I’m just after three pounds sixty-five for a bus ticket to Bromley.” Living in an urban area you frequently hear this kind of request, which showcases a persuasion approach called the “pique technique”, whereby people are more likely to comply with requests for an unusually specific quantity, because […]
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Why Two Volcanoes in Hawaii Are So Close, but So Different

By JOANNA KLEINA The New York Times Mauna Loa, the biggest volcano on Earth — and one of the most active — covers half the Island of Hawaii. Just 35 miles to the northeast, Mauna Kea, known to native Hawaiians as Mauna a Wakea, rises nearly 14,000 feet above sea level. To them it represents […]
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Microscopic Cars Square Off In Big Race

Microscopic Cars Square Off In Big Race This car race involved years of training, feats of engineering, high-profile sponsorships, competitors from around the world and a racetrack made of gold. And it’s invisible to the naked eye.Read more on NPR Sign up for Frankie’s newsletter and get a free Professor Molly story Blog  | Facebook […]
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Which Hot Button Words Are Dealbreakers in Relationships? (I’ll say “fava beans” and “Chianti”)

I was reading about certain words that should never be used in advertising because they yield poor results. The article pointed out that people are far less likely to click on the word “submit” on a web site because it is too committal. As an alternative, “click here” is better, and “click here to receive […]
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Just when I bought all those reusable shopping bags: A Worm May Hold The Key To Biodegrading Plastic

A Worm May Hold The Key To Biodegrading Plastic More than a trillion plastic bags are used annually. They’re made of a notoriously resilient kind of plastic called polyethylene – but scientists have found that wax worms are able to break them down.Read more on NPR Sign up for Frankie’s newsletter and get a free […]
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10 Last-Minute Easter Egg Decorating Techniques from Mental Floss

Speckled eggs. Silk-dyed eggs. Confetti eggs. See the whole thing at Mental Floss. Sign up for Frankie’s newsletter and get a free Professor Molly story Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | Mailing List Tagged: Easter, fun, Mental Floss, MentalFloss, Miss Cellania
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Which one is the “I love you, man”?

There are certainly different types of drunks. “Sober Dave is boring, you should hang out with Drunk Dave, he’s wild!” or “She is usually a sweetheart, but watch out, she’s a mean drunk.” Having documented the transition to our drunk alter-egos for 100s of years, we are no strangers to the concept of drunk personality […]
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Tropical Fish, Opioid Delivery System, or Nightmare Fuel?

D) All of the Above. Sounds like a promising murder weapon… With their large lower canines, fang blennies deliver opioid-laced venom that seems to cause a sudden drop in their predators’ blood pressure. from NYT Science This fish-themed post is posted in honor of the French April 1 tradition, poissons d’avril. It involves exchanging humorous fish-themed […]
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Swiss Restaurant Offers Insect Cooking Class, Forces Uncomfortable Comparison to Crustaceans

Insects are a sustainable and healthy food source, Bern’s Löscher restaurant explains. A Swiss eatery has bugs on the brain, and they’re hoping that patrons will bite. As Travel + Leisure reports, The Löscher restaurant in Switzerland’s capital city, Bern, is now offering classes to instruct people how to cook with insects. Aside from the […]
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New Tea Shop Mystery: Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs

>>>Enter to Win a Print Copy of Pekoe Most Poison<<< In the latest Tea Shop Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs, Theodosia Browning attends a “Rat Tea,” where the mice will play…at murder. When Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is invited by Doreen Briggs, one of Charleston’s most prominent hostesses, to […]
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Bet you didn’t know this about Pi

Happy Pi Day (3/14)! Pi shows up everywhere. Here’s one place: Did you know that Buffon’s Needle Problem, one of the oldest problems in Geometric probability, was posed by Count Buffon, who was inspired by a popular game of chance of his time? In that game, you would toss coins onto a tiled floor and […]
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Why We Can’t Look Away From Our Screens

By CLAUDIA DREIFUSIn a new book, the social psychologist Adam Alter warns that our devotion to digital devices has morphed into something very much like addiction. The New York Times Published: March 5, 2017 at 02:00PM Read more: http://nyti.ms/2mxELZJ Sign up for Frankie’s newsletter and get a free Professor Molly story Blog  | Facebook  | GoodReads | LinkedIn | Twitter | […]
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I can’t stop looking at these scientific Images from the Wellcome Image Awards

From Mental Floss: Each year, the Wellcome Image Awards highlight some of the most fascinating scientific images from around the world, as chosen by a panel of experts from the fields of science communications and medicine. ZEBRAFISH EYE AND NEUROMASTS Ingrid Lekk and Steve Wilson, University College London In this 4-day-old zebrafish embryo, a certain […]
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Is It Possible to Be Allergic to Exercise?

Jessi K. asks: Joking aside, is it possible to be literally allergic to exercise? Most couch-potatoes have probably at some point in their lives said, “I can’t run a mile without feeling like I’m going to die!” They might also sarcastically proclaim they must be allergic to exercise. And, amazingly enough, it turns out there […]
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How to avoid tripping over your confirmation bias

How do you persuade somebody of the facts? Asking them to be fair, impartial and unbiased is not enough. To explain why, psychologist Tom Stafford analyses a classic scientific study. One of the tricks our mind plays is to highlight evidence which confirms what we already believe. If we hear gossip about a rival we […]
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Can brain activity predict chocolate sales? In search of the buy button

Have researchers really found the holy grail of neuromarketing? By guest blogger Julia Gottwald Coming up with the perfect recipe for crisps or the ideal marketing strategy for a soft drink used to depend on explicit measures. In focus groups and surveys, consumers were asked which product tasted best or which commercial was most appealing. […]
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Believe in yourself? Sure. Believe yourself? Maybe not.

How much do you trust your own opinions? Do you feel that your beliefs and worldviews are based upon an “evidence file” of real facts? Most people do — and if asked to justify their position on big issues like politics, religion and life they would be able to hit you with a list of […]
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