We've met talking dogs and the humans who listen to them, so now it's time to give cats a say. Instead of having the cats use buttons and recordings to express words and phrases in human languages, the humans have to figure out the nuances of feline communication. Turns out, we can do pretty well, especially if we've been around cats before. And for that research, Susanne Schötz, Robert Eklund, and Joost van de Weijer won this year's Ig Nobel Prize in Biology. Arguably, the Ig Nobels are more representative of ordinary … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Cat Chat
Science Corner: Do You Mind?
I've generally felt it is worth making a distinction between the brain and the mind--the mind is what is mediated by the brain. I'm inclined to affirm free will and think our conscious self is capable of top-down causation. I don't know how or if that version of a mind maps to Biblical nouns like spirit and soul, and I wonder to what extent we are obliged to affirm those precise categories as Christians and to what extent they were the closest available options in Greek metaphysics of the time. I tend to attracted to … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Do You Mind?
Science Corner: Null Set Book Review
Even in science fiction, pure math doesn't get as much play as robotics or cosmology or genetic engineering. So the promise of a math savant as a protagonist with a title like Zero Sum Game was enough to get me excited for SL Huang's debut novel. I was expecting something a bit more in the vein of Neal Stephenson or Ryan North, with explorations of mathematical concepts woven into the story. What I did not know is that Huang has a background both in mathematics and stunt performing, so her protagonist is an action hero … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Null Set Book Review
Science Corner: You Won’t Believe This One Weird Trick to Increase Iron Intake
Stars work hard every day, fusing atoms together so that the universe has more interesting materials to work with beyond hydrogen. That same process can eventually lead to a star going nova, sending those fusion-forged atoms into the cosmos. So if you're looking for heavy elements, stars may not be the best place to look; instead those element accumulate in planets and other, less stellar celestial bodies. That's great for planet-dwellers like us; for example, the iron-rich core of the Earth spins and creates a magnetic … [Read more...] about Science Corner: You Won’t Believe This One Weird Trick to Increase Iron Intake
Science Corner: Two for Me, One for You
Last week, I discussed what happens after a herd immunity threshold is reached, an aspect I had not seen widely talked about. Continuing in that vein, let's talk about COVID-19 boosters. Vaccines are valuable both as personal medical interventions and as public health interventions. Those roles overlap, but not completely. Articles like this one do a good job discussing the evidence for why boosters are being considered, and framing their value from a personal medical perspective. However, my sense is that the biggest … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Two for Me, One for You