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Archive for the ‘Science!’ Category

I read with lunch. Sometimes speculative fiction, of course, but often other types of writing as well, including nonfiction. Right now I’m reading Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal by Melanie Warner.

Appropriate lunchtime fare, wouldn’t you say? Allow me to share with you two fascinating excerpts:

You probably don’t think of your lunch as being constructed from powders, but consider the ingredients of a Subway Sweet Onion Teriyaki sandwich. Of the 105 ingredients, 55 are dry, dusty substances that were added to the sandwich for a whole variety of reasons. The chicken contains thirteen…. The teriyaki glaze has twelve…. In the fat-free sweet onion sauce, you get another eight…. And finally, the Italian white bread has twenty two….
— p.11

Yum. And lest you think that a salad at home is necessarily pitfall free:

… using fat-free dressing on a salad can prevent you from absorbing many of the vegetables’ healthy (fat-soluble) phytochemicals.
— p. 18

This has been Learning@Lunch. Enjoy:)

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From an NPR article on a global “self-portrait” scheduled for July 19th. Thank you, Carl, for putting us all in perspective.

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Now might be a good time to spend a little time with everyone’s favorite physicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, as he revisits the origins of the atoms that make up the human body.

From stars we came and to the stars we must return.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Where Our Atoms Came From

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David Bowie’s Space Oddity, as sung by Commander Chris Hadfield on the International Space Station.

Hadfield is returning to Earth today after five months of service in space. Thank you, Commander.

May 13, 2013 Update: Permission to post this version of Bowie’s song was granted for one year. Sadly, that year ends today, but it was great to see.

November 4, 2014 Update: After some legal finagling a new agreement has been reached. It’s back!

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Since I’m on an NPR science kick… this article provides a fascinating glimpse of our dual genetic past… and perhaps future?

What Happened When Humans Met An Alien Intelligence? Sex Happened : Krulwich Wonders… : NPR

… most humans on Earth, especially if they descend from Europe and most of Asia, carry about 1 to 4 percent Neanderthal DNA in their cells. Proportions will vary. British comedian Eddie Izzard, discovered he’s 2.8 percent Neanderthal. You don’t carry Neanderthal DNA unless someone up your family tree coupled with one.

So that’s our proof: that our first encounter with an intelligent alien led to … umm, well … more.

 

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To Make Mice Smarter, Add A Few Human Brain Cells

… because there’s absolutely no way that can go wrong;)

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