During World War II, the availability of a newly discovered drug, penicillin, saved the lives of countless wounded soldiers who would otherwise have died from bacterial infections. The story of the accidental discovery of the chemical from bread mold that could kill bacteria has become legendary in science (read more about it here). Since then, … Continue reading Summer reading part I: Mysterious microbiomes

Yesterday, I marched for science. I was reluctant, the weather was cold and windy and threatened rain, I had a busy day ahead of me... but I did it anyway. The numbers are still being crunched, but it appears that tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C. and at satellite events around the … Continue reading Why I marched for science

What is it about octopuses that captures so many people's interest and imagination? Their legs? Their eyes? Their brain? All the amazing things they do? We have so little understanding of the sheer diversity of creatures that live beneath the ocean's waves, and their existence feels so foreign to us land-dwellers. But maybe it's because … Continue reading On octopuses and oceans

I love to read, and I have consumed many (many!) books over the years in my spare time. In recent years, as a busy parent with a full-time career in science education, my genre of choice trends toward whatever interesting fiction titles I find on the "New Books" shelf of my local public library branches. … Continue reading Women, space, and data…my winter of reading good books about science

The science that caught my eye this week was pretty esoteric. It wasn't in the news or really even making the rounds of the science alerts I subscribe to. It came in the form of a direct link on Facebook to an article in the prestigious science journal Nature about the architecture of the nucleus … Continue reading Rainbow DNA

This week marked a burst of springtime weather in my region, including several prolonged episodes of rain. Of course, the warming temperatures, increased hours of sunlight, and occasional rain help wake up the plants and start a new season of renewal and growth. But it's been less obvious to scientists what impact rain has on … Continue reading Raindrops keep falling on our heads…and on the microbes

This time of year, I think a lot about informal science education in my community. Local organizations are busy promoting summer camp offerings for children, many with STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) themes. Science competitions for kids of all ages--including science fairs, robotics competitions, Science Olympiad, and the like--reach their final exciting stages. Local museums … Continue reading Informal science

  February 2017 was notable for not being very wintery across northern areas of the U.S. Headlines across the country (for example, this one from the Washington Post) alternately commented on the record warm temperatures, the guilty pleasure of people enjoying spring-like weather in what normally can be a dreary month, the early arrival of … Continue reading Mosquitoes, malaria, and more

More news has been announced from NASA today, this time accompanied by a press conference and intriguing animations and graphics. NASA scientists have been studying a solar system very far away—almost 40 light years in distance, which means it would take 40 years to travel there if we could move at the speed of light. … Continue reading Exoplanets!