Besides highly publicized science stories of 2010 (Gulf oil spill, Chilean miner rescue, bedbugs, etc.), there were some intriguing and somewhat odd science stories:
1. You think like a worm – The human brain’s center of deep thought is curiously similar to a clump of neurons inside the head of the lowly ragworm. So similar, in fact, that ragworms, which evolved 600 million years ago, probably share a common ancestor with us humans. Hmmm…
Turkey meat: white vs. dark - What causes the color difference between white and dark turkey meat? The type of muscle fiber determines the color of the meat. Dark turkey meat has slow contraction muscle fibers. Slow contraction muscle fibers, sometimes called slow twitch muscle fibers, are used for extended muscle contraction in endurance activities and are supplied with lots of blood vessels, mitochondria, and myoglobin pigments, which give the red color to the meat.
The SunTrust Richmond Marathon is this Saturday, November 13, 2010. NBC12's Andrew Freiden has posted the following weather forecast for race day:
What is ideal race weather?
Answer: Ideal running weather -
Fall foliage season is here! According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, the trees producing this beautiful display are:Ash - yellow, maroon leaves
What are you afraid of? Snakes, spiders, heights, loud noises?
For me, I am ok with snakes and spiders, although I am not fond enough of either to have one as a pet.
Suppose you are going on vacation and want to save on your heating bill. Which will save more - turning off your heat completely (assuming your pipes won't freeze) or just setting the thermostat to a lower temperature?
In other words, does it cost more to heat the house up from a very cold temperature than it would to keep it at a more moderate temperature while you are gone?
Last week, the Richmond area received about five inches of rain, which helped to reduce the rainfall deficit in our area for the year. For the record, though, we’re still short by 4.9 inches of rainfall for the year.
So… here’s a good one - two guys used Scotch tape and won a Nobel Prize. Hmmm…
Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for their pioneering work with a revolutionary new material called graphene. Basically a one-atom-thick layer of carbon, graphene could change the world as we know it.
What are you afraid of? Ever wonder what makes us scream, shake, or shout when we get scared? Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear opens tomorrow at the Science Museum of Virginia!
So to celebrate, I will pose a question (or maybe 2):
