Good morning, class. It is time to study flowers. Johnny, I don’t care if the dog ate your homework. We have our own models right here. Yes, Harrietta, we can start with math: their angles, golden triangles; the perfect addition of a bud, above and below; this segues into physics for the day: the tilt and toss, mechanically correct, the balance of leaf upon root, the pull of earth and sun; light eaters, reflecting pink and lavender by way of leaving them, untouched, on the plate of their surfaces, like broccoli in the cafeteria. Sorry, Charlie, but chemistry is next:…
The Science Creative Quarterly
From archive
PIRATES, CREATIVITY, SCIENCE AND THE CHANCE TO WRITE.
The SCQ is pleased to announce that AMBL and UBC’s Department of Creative Writing will be initiating a new outreach program aimed specifically at nurturing and combining the two acts of scientific exploration and creative writing. The program will encompass a one day fieldtrip opportunity and will be directed towards young children from the grade 6 and 7 levels. This program is slated to be offered beginning in early May (2008). Teachers from the Lower mainland are encouraged to contact us for more details. Many thanks to 826 Valencia for their insight and inspiration. – – – SAN FRANCISCO –…
GOTTA BARCODE ‘EM ALL!
It’s strange how imagination often becomes reality. In the 13th century, Leonardo da Vinci designed machines that were extremely similar to modern day machine guns, submersibles and helicopters. Jules Verne’s sci-fi novels, written in the 19th century, such as Around the World in Eighty Days, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and From the Earth to the Moon all had elements in them which were deemed quite marvelous, if not impossible, at the time when they were written. Fast-forward two centuries, and we find ourselves with the technology that allows us to travel around the world in much less than…
JOURNAL CLUB FIND: DIVORCE IS IN THE AIR
Environmental impacts of divorce. (pdf) (2007) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 104:p20629 In which we learn that being divorce can lead to higher carbon dioxide emissions when compared to married couples. – – – – – – ABSTRACT: Divorce is increasingly common around the world. Its causes, dynamics, and socioeconomic impacts have been widely studied, but little research has addressed its environmental impacts. We found that average household size (number of people in a household) in divorced households (households with divorced heads) was 27– 41% smaller than married households (households with married heads) in 12 countries across the world around the…
THE SOVEREIGN SQUID
Humans have a natural fear of dark places, and perhaps justifiably so. Light only penetrates the uppermost levels of the ocean. The ocean’s depths are reservoirs of darkness, containing within them wonders at the edge of imagination, and horrors beyond that boundary of creativity. For this is the realm of the beast, the majestic ruler of the ocean who periodically spreads his domain over this light forsaken realm. Awakening The beast felt a growing need inside him. It was not a conscious thought, or want, but an instinct long suppressed, until it could no longer be held, and bubbled its…
HUMAN ANATOMY TERMS THAT SOUND LIKE THINGS YOU WOULD GO SEE ON A VACATION
Aortic Arch Corpus Callosum Islets of Langerhans Bowman’s Capsule Cranial Vault Semicircular Canals Medullary Pyramids Brodmann Areas Crypts of Lieberkühn Prussack’s Space Fissure of Rolando McBurney’s Point Anterior Horn Alcock’s Canal Hesselbach’s Triangle Loop of Henle Renal Columns of Bertin
CARTOON EPISODES ABOUT SCIENCE
(Originally from Yankee Pot Roast) – – – The Super Friends epsiode: “Wonder vs. Wonder” When it becomes clear that a mission is botched because Wonder Woman is clearly visible in her invisible jet, unhappy murmurs begin to surface within the Super Friends’ organization. In particular, Zan, of the Wonder Twins, is merciless in his teasing of Wonder Woman. It also doesn’t help that Wonder Woman, herself, is generally not impressed with his otherwise useless superpower (“Form of a bucket of water? What in Amazon is that about?”) In any event, Batman decides to put his scientific mind to work…
DRUGS, INSITE, AND HARM REDUCTION: A NEW APPROACH TO PUBLIC HEALTH IN VANCOUVER’S DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE
Introduction It doesn’t take a scientist to tell you that Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has a drug problem. Junkies can be seen shooting up in alleys, high on street corners, and selling dope to fellow junkies. In addition the obvious threat of death by drug overdose, drug users face issues of HIV and Hepatitis virus infection along with bacterial infection. These problems were addressed by the opening of Insite—North America’s first supervised safe injection site. Based on a model of harm reduction implemented successfully in several European nations, Insite provides a safe and clean environment for intravenous drug users to inject…
THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER
My eyes open to the world, to meet its vivid, awe-striking, vibrant imagery. I remain motionless, not wishing to disturb the steady balance of my eyes, frozen in space and time, lost in sheer curiosity and the silent delight of visualizing the world. My gaze drinks from this novel experience with light and flirts with my surroundings. At that moment, within my soft skull, I can sense a billion of tiny, sparkling nerve impulses, dancing with the excitement of feeling the touch of “Time”. Joy courses through my little body – in anticipation of the events that will invariably occur…