Throughout literature and cinema, the fantasy genre has reflected our struggles. For all of its trappings and tropes—dragons! wizards! quests!—even the most whimsical fantasy offers allegories both personal and universal. What is Harry Potter if not a reminder of the power of love? What is the Lord of the Rings if not Tolkien’s search for […]
Science!
Posted inMovies & TV
Why Is Portland’s Cinema 21 Showing Vaxxed?
Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe “I had heard a little ahead of time [about] the stuff that happened at Tribeca and all the rest of it. And I read, with interest, some of the responses that came out.” That’s Cinema 21 owner Tom Ranieri, discussing what happened at the Tribeca Film Festival with Vaxxed: From […]
Posted inScience!
Scientists Have Invented Invisible Wood (Not A Penis Joke)
Liangbing Hu via New York Times As our parents and grandparents probably remember where they were when man first walked on the moon, you shall remember this moment and tell future generations where you were when you learned about invisible wood—the greatest of all mankind’s triumphs. The New York Times has the details. Invisible wood. […]
Posted inTV
Jimmy Kimmel Okay with Climate Change Wiping Out Human Race (and You Will Be, Too!)
On Monday, Jimmy Kimmel gave Sarah Palin the what-for because of her dum-dum theories on climate change. (Spoiler alert: She doesn’t believe in it, because she’s a dum-dum.) However, there are more people who are siding with Sarah Palin than you’d think, and they mostly live on internet comment sections. Here, Jimmy reads some of […]
Posted inNews
Must Read of the Day: How the Bundy “Militia” Occupation of Malheur is an Attack on Science
Courtesy Malheur Wildlife Refuge While the occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge by self-described “patriot militiamen” has been either a source of ridicule, or forcing a debate on federal land use, Travis Longcore—an urban ecologist and professor at USC—has written an illuminating (and infuriating) piece for Medium on how the Bundy’s attack on the federal […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Fuck You, Mars.
THE MARTIAN “Maybe I can call an Uber?” Set in a fantastical near-future in which America adequately funds its space program, The Martian is the best ad for NASA since Ahmed Mohamed’s T-shirt. Just about every frame reinforces a core sentiment: It’s time to start caring about space again. The fact that The Martian manages […]
Posted inFood and Drink
The Science of What You Eat and Drink
OMSI is kicking off a season of food science tonight with Seed to Cider, an “OMSI After Dark” (read: adults and booze) event that looks at the history and technology behind cider making—it also includes cider drinking, of course. The season is focused on Oregon agriculture, examining where our food comes from and providing an […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Dinosaurs, Disease, and Drugs—and the Scientist Behind Jurassic Park
Matthew Billington Oregon biologist George Poinar Jr. is bugged by Jurassic Park. But he has a right to be. His science inspired the books and films. It was Poinar’s work in the 1980s that first hinted at the prospect of using prehistoric DNA preserved in amber to restore extinct creatures to life. That work caught […]
Posted inDrunk
How to Have Super-Cold Beer, Super Fast
Illustration: Alex Despain DON’T YOU HATE IT when you roll up to a BBQ, thirsty as hell and ready to drink, only to find your beer is hot and gross? You need the liquid courage to mingle, but that canned piss won’t cut it. Guess what?! Science and I have got you covered! So you […]
Posted inTV
I Love Television™: The Horny-Making Science of Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Illustration: Jeremy Eaton Sure, it could be said I have a “sexual hair trigger”—but I see it as just one of my many superpowers. Along with my superhuman ability to know every restaurant in town that serves egg salad, and being able to talk my way out of felony charges, I am also able to […]
Posted inTV
Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s New Show StarTalk Looks AH-MAY-ZING
There’s a new player in the late night talk show game, y’all! The show stars your favorite brainiac astrophysicist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson and its called StarTalk (National Geographic Channel, debuting April 20, 11 pm). It’s based on his popular podcast, will be filmed in front of a live audience at NYC’s American Museum of Natural […]
Posted inNews
An Airline Says the City Owes it Almost $40,000 for Supplying Potentially Poop-Tinged Water
SkyWest Airlines We were all terribly inconvenienced in late May, when a series of bacterium-ridden test results meant Portland’s water supply was under a boil order for a day. Utah-based SkyWest Airlines is perhaps the only entity demanding $40,000 for that inconvenience. The airline has filed a tort claim notice with the city—the first step […]