The science of baking

“It’s science, stupid.” Yeah, believe it or not, cooking—and baking especially—is at least one part science. Cooking is after all a series of chemical reactions. Indeed, the application of scientific knowledge to cooking and gastronomy has become known as molecular gastronomy. Chemical processes central to cooking include the Maillard reaction, a form of non-enzymatic browning involving [...]

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A brief history of the history of the Universe

John Mather, along with George Smoot, won the Nobel Prize for his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), the probe that first caught glimpses of fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) left over from the big bang. Our current understanding of the universe goes as follows. Do try to keep up. “Horrendous Space Kablooie” [...]

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Star Wars double entauntaundres

Star Wars fans have long been amusing themselves (ahem) by figuring out dialogue that’s really a sexual reference. They call these “double entauntaundres,” and here are the “best” of them. “Take care of yourself, Han. I guess that’s what you’re best at isn’t it?” “Look at the size of that thing!” “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by [...]

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Daily doodle

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Why science needs better PR

According to Ars Technica, in general, i.e. outside of dedicated science reporting venues and the occasional medical report on the evening news, the scientific community does a craptastic job of communicating with the general public. Wired also recently wrote an interesting article on the PR efforts (or lack thereof) of science: On the final day [...]

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There is no spoon

So, if you haven’t heard already, the iPhone 4 reportedly has some reception issues, which occur only when you hold the phone in a certain way.  Otherwise, Apple is experincing a very successful launch with 1.7 million phones sold in the first 3 days. $$$ So here’s the funny part: At first, Steve Jobs and Apple were [...]

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Synchronous fireflies

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee First described in 1577 by British explorer Sir Francis Drake, the fireflies of Southeast Asia are world renowned for their remarkable synchronized flashing. Some 400 years later, a Tennessee resident reported seeing synchronous firefly displays in a forest clearing on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In [...]

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Bruce Campbell’s Soup

… couldn’t let Bruce Campbell’s birthday pass by without a shout-out to the star of The Evil Dead and Bubba Ho-Tep—who also happens to have the greatest chin in show business!

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You might be a foodie if…

running low on shallots is a cause for concern. you have eight tabs open on your web browser and they’re all food-related your bathroom reader is a cookbook. spending 3 hours cooking something with a French title is a nice way to spend the afternoon. you wander through a grocery, mixing and matching foods for [...]

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BP station sign beyond irony

A BP gas station in Ohio wants you to know you’re responsible for small spills made when you leave the pump unattended. What about gigantic spills made when ignoring safety warnings? Oh, they’re just happy, down-playable accidents.

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