The study everyone is talking about: Researchers at Louis H Lafontaine Hospital, affiliated with the University of Montreal, tested the levels of cortisol—a stress hormone—and other indicators of strain in homosexuals, bisexuals and heterosexuals. “Contrary to our expectations, gay and bisexual men had lower depressive symptoms and allostatic load levels (a measure of body stress) […]
Science!
Posted inFood and Drink
OMSI After Dark is Extra Promising This Month
As if wandering around our local science museum after hours with other big kids wasn’t awesome enough, OMSI’s next After Dark edition centers around the always-fascinating subject of food. Think microwaving marshmallows and setting things on fire* and demonstrations involving hard-boiled eggs. Presented by the museum’s new eatery, Theory, “Science is Cooking” sounds like a […]
Posted inFood and Drink
What Will a Dog NOT Lick Peanut Butter Off Of? A Blogtown Query
So we were all at Sarah Mirk’s going away party last night, and naturally, the topic came up of dogs licking peanut butter off of genitalia—and how, you know, that’s gross and dogs should know better. But then I made the wise observation that dogs are so obsessed by peanut butter that it is genetically […]
Posted inScience!
True Facts About… the Seahorse
Did you like the hilarious “True Facts about Morgan Freeman” as performed by the hilarious Zefrank? Then you will also like MORE true facts, especially about seahorses! Because… SCIENCE!
Posted inOh, You Kids!
A Better Way to Dispose of Your Christmas Tree
In this week’s Mercury, Sarah Mirk wrote of two Portland men who gallantly shot a hot dog into space. That was pretty cool. However, was it as cool as these guys who turned their Christmas tree into a rocket? I don’t know the answer to that question. Shoot me into space and I’ll think about […]
Posted inCity Hall
Oh, Right! Almost Forgot! We’re Getting a Fluoride Vote in 2013!
Like we all knew would happen, the Portland City Council yesterday officially moved up a referendum on putting fluoride in the water to May 2013—a full year earlier than fluoride foes had been hoping for when they went out gathering tens of thousands of signatures in hopes of summarily ending the whole affair. It was […]
Posted in?!?!?
“What’s Going On in Your Underpants, Hump?”
People from our comments section have questions for me… I try to answer them. Today commenter EinsteinStupid asks, “What’s going on inside your underpants, Hump?” GOOD QUESTION. I am intrigued by the science of microbiology, so the moment I received this question, I ran down to the science store, picked up a microscope, and shoved […]
Posted inSex
You Know How Sometimes Straight Girls Will Make Out With Other Straight Girls In Dance Clubs to Attract the Attention of Straight Boys? This Is Kind of Like That.
Only it’s the boys doing it. And they’re guppies: Some female animals are known to show a preference for mating with males they had observed coupling with other females in a phenomenon known as “mate choice copying.” This allows them to evaluate the quality of a potential mate from a distance. For this study, the […]
Posted inMedia
A Brief History of Time‘s Many Errors
Did you know that Time magazine nominated the Higgs boson for its Person of the Year? It’s true! So stupid! Michael Moyer at Scientific American explains that it gets dumber: Under ordinary circumstances, we would be all for the elevation of the Higgs to “Person of the Year” status, if only to further honor the […]
Posted inScience!
Who Needs an Anti-Fluoridation Referendum?
Good news, fluoride naysayers! Maybe we won’t need to vote against fluoridation in 2014. Because, apparently, it’s incredibly easy to filter out all that toxic fluoride right at the tap! BEHOLD SCIENCE!
Posted inCity Hall
In Unsurprising News, Fluoride Cleared for 2014 Vote
It’s almost official. Portlanders will probably get to vote—yet again.. ugh…—on the wisdom of joining much of the rest of the United States in joining one front in the ongoing war against childhood tooth decay by adding fluoride to our municipal supply. The city auditor’s office says a referendum challenging the Portland City Council’s unanimous […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Learning Things for Free: The Curiosity Club’s Upcoming Curriculum
Hand-Eye Supply has been hosting free lectures and demonstrations on Tuesday nights for several years now, in a series called the Curiosity Club, a fortnightly event whose mission statement is: “Ex Curiositas, Scientia. We pledge to learn with out prejudice in pursuit of our mutual goal; perpetual noviceship. We admit that it is impossible to […]