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Orchids and Dandelions: Parenting the Flowers and Weeds

Posted on by Kelly Grooms

My seven year old daughter has a necklace I made her that says “Dandelion Girl” . I made it for her because she remains enamored with these cheerful yellow flowers despite other people’s best attempts to disillusion her. To her they are not weeds, but pretty flowers that turn to a white puff ball that a nature-made toy. Imagine my surprise when I came across an article referring to the genetics of “Dandelion Children”.

The name come from a Swedish expression describing dandelion children as those who can survive and thrive in whatever circumstances they encounter. The opposite of these are “Orchard Children”, children who are highly sensitive to their surroundings and when properly nurtured, blossom, often spectacularly, but when neglected often fail just as spectacularly. Continue reading “Orchids and Dandelions: Parenting the Flowers and Weeds”

Curiosity Rover on Track for August 5 Landing

Posted on by Promega

[wpvideo kN9KABwW]With the amazing, beyond belief success of the Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the expectations are high for Curiosity. However, the task is far more difficult. With a much larger rover to land, the landing is more difficult. If you haven’t seen NASA’s “Seven Minutes of Terror” video, it’s worth a look.

Where will you be on August 5? Will you be awake and holding your breath and watching your twitter feed—looking for the first news of a successful landing from NASA?

The Overachiever’s Kryptonite a.k.a. The Migraine Headache

Posted on by Karen Reece

Sometimes I feel like a super hero: taking on several projects at once and testing my ability to multitask and schedule to accomplish all my goals on time with quality work. When I get on a roll, I feel like no one and nothing can stop me. Like any super hero, however, I have my Kryptonite: the migraine headache. When the migraine comes on, my progress is brought to a complete halt and I am powerless. Light becomes unbearable, sound becomes intolerable, and I feel like a hatchet has sliced through my cerebrum and is lodged in my skull. For years, I suffered from these headaches and felt totally helpless. When the migraine came on, all I could do was lay in a dark, silent room, sometimes for days, praying for relief, as no over-the-counter medication could touch the pain. Continue reading “The Overachiever’s Kryptonite a.k.a. The Migraine Headache”

DNA Typing Confirms Bronze Age Mix-and-Match Burials

Posted on by Terri Sundquist

Archaeologists have made an interesting discovery while excavating the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age settlement named Cladh Hallan on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. They have uncovered four human skeletons buried at regular intervals beneath three roundhouses dating from the 11th century BC: an adult male, an adult female, a 10–14-year-old girl and a 3-year-old child. The careful arrangement of these burials directly below the roundhouses led archaeologists to initially hypothesize that these might be foundation burials—an ancient practice in which people, usually younger people, were sacrificed and buried under a building’s foundation in the belief that their blood and spirit would protect and strengthen the building and building site. As strange as that custom seems to us, it gets weirder. Two of these skeletons showed signs of mummification and contained skeletal elements from multiple individuals intentionally pieced together to form intact skeletons. Continue reading “DNA Typing Confirms Bronze Age Mix-and-Match Burials”

Up, Up, and Away…..

Posted on by admin

Who doesn’t love a good party? One thing that surely signals a party is that telltale cluster of balloons, tugging cheerfully from the mailbox at the end of the driveway, almost chanting “Party over here!”. Think twice, however, before making that next helium balloon purchase.

Helium, that lighter than air element which is responsible for giving helium balloons their gravity-defying loft, is the second most common element in the universe, is non-reactive, and turns into a liquid at very cold temperatures without freezing solid. All of these properties have made helium a useful tool in medicine, space exploration, electronics, and manufacturing. The supplies of helium are dwindling and experts estimate that reserves of this  natural resource could be gone within the next 25-50 years or so. There are ways to reclaim helium from the atmosphere, but they are very expensive and will certainly drive up the cost of products and services that require helium, such as MRIs and LCD televisions.

It may seem like a small contribution, but choosing air filled balloons for your next festivity can help.  Try air inflated balloons hung or draped from the ceiling or arranged as centerpieces. Or skip those balloons all together and spend your money on something your guests will really appreciate…like a bigger cake!

Walking the Dog, Prefrontal Cortex Engaged

Posted on by Kari Kenefick
A favorite walk: the dog park.

A friend and I were recently at a local dog park, walking his Sheltie and Australian shepherd, and my two standard poodles. Our dogs are not daily visitors to the dog park, and while his dogs are well-behaved and subtle in their approach to other dogs, my poodles’ enthusiasm is not always in their best interest.

In addition, one of my dogs seems to take issue with certain of the protection dog breeds,  like German Shepherds, as well as some of the sled dog breeds. Generally, if a dog has pointed ears, I am on the alert for bad behavior.

For that matter, the protection dogs don’t seem to much care for fluffy, bouncy poodles. Annoying, you know? A dog’s trying to keep order and make the world safe, and here comes that poodle, bouncing along without a care in the world. There’s a lot of danger out there and the poodles are simply not paying attention. They jog along meeting people and dogs like they are running for mayor; darn poodles.

Occasionally it has seemed that the attitude problem is not exclusive to my dog.

People often say, “Oh, standard poodles are such smart dogs”. But you’d think a smart dog would not choose a big, guard dog breed with which to make trouble. Continue reading “Walking the Dog, Prefrontal Cortex Engaged”

And Then There Were None, Or Were There? Lonesome George and the Giant Tortoises of the Galapagos Islands

Posted on by Kelly Grooms

This week science lost a celebrity of the most unusual sort. Known to people around the world as Lonesome George, he was recognized as the last living member of his subspecies, the Pinta giant tortoise (Geochelone abingdoni) one of the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands. These slow and steady creatures hold a special place in science history. Observing differences between the giant tortoise populations of different Galapagos Islands helped a young Charles Darwin develop his theory of evolution. Continue reading “And Then There Were None, Or Were There? Lonesome George and the Giant Tortoises of the Galapagos Islands”

Want Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables? Start Them Early and Give Them Water

Posted on by Kelly Grooms

As I write this, a can of diet soda sits open on my desk (where I am eating my lunch) and I am fighting the urge to supplement my lunch with a bag of chips out of the vending machine. The reusable, BPA-free glass I keep at my desk for ice water sits neglected, as does the apple I brought in my lunch. So why, if I have an apple sitting right there, am I tempted to visit the vending machine for chips? New research suggests that the blame could lie with that can of diet soda.

The study, made available online ahead of publication (1), found that from a very early age, people associate sweeten drinks with salty and higher fat foods such as pizza and French fries (or chips). Perhaps partly as a result of this association, young people (ages 19–23 years) viewed unfavorably the pairing of a sweetened drink with raw or cooked vegetables. The test subjects showed strong reactions (either positive or negative) to the pairing of sweetened drinks with certain foods. In contrast, water didn’t evoke strong any reactions indicating that it was viewed as reasonable complement to most food. Continue reading “Want Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables? Start Them Early and Give Them Water”

There Are Tadpoles on the Kitchen Floor

Posted on by Kelly Grooms

As a mother, there are things that you just can not anticipate. Take this morning for example.

“Mom!” My daughter yelled, “There are tadpoles on the kitchen floor.”

The worst part was I knew I had only myself to blame. Continue reading “There Are Tadpoles on the Kitchen Floor”

The Biggest Blunders of Job Searching: Part 3 Presentations

Posted on by Becca McKnight

No matter what type of job you are interviewing for, you may be asked to give a seminar or presentation. When I interviewed for my first HR job, I had to give a presentation on any topic I wanted. Other jobs specify that you need to give a presentation on a topic specifically related to the job. In my case, they were looking for both presentation skills and my ability to teach. When asked to present on a job-related topic, a potential employer may be looking for your ability to organize information and your knowledge on the topic. Presentations can be scary, but some good old-fashioned preparation can make things go much more smoothly.

In order to prepare, you need to know what your audience is looking for. Read on for some things to avoid during your presentation. Continue reading “The Biggest Blunders of Job Searching: Part 3 Presentations”