Cool Science

I'm a geek. I think science is cool. Sometimes I write about discoveries that I think are particularly cool. Here are some of them.

• The sea urchin genome and the evolution of adaptive immunity
• The structure of toll-like receptor 3
• Thirty years' worth of evolution in Darwin's Finches
• MicroRNAs
• 80% of yeast genes are non-essential
• Insular apterism; or, Darwin scores again

Mystery Rays from Outer Space

I still write a lot of stuff about science, but now I post it to my blog, Mystery Rays from Outer Space.

Urban Legends

From tafkac.org ...

An urban legend:

appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying forms

contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often "punishes" someone who flouts society's conventions).

makes good storytelling.

does NOT have to be false, although most are. ULs often have a basis in fact, but it's their life after-the-fact (particularly in reference to the second and third points) that gives them particular interest.

Some vaguely science-related urban legends I found interesting:

• Is the last sip of soda 90% saliva?
• Does cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?
• Did a scientist culture phage from a refusal letter?