Archived posts from our front page
Until the mid-20th century, boys often wore pink, & girls, blue. Mamie Eisenhower's love for pink in the 1950s reinforced its use for girls. Some girls & boys reject gender stereotypes—colors, toys, clothes, activities, & behaviors—Lisa Selin Davis reports in Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare To Be Different. They typically become well-rounded, self-confident adults.
Imagine vacationing at a hotel in low-earth orbit, within 200 miles of the Earth’s surface—a genuine out-of-this-world experience. Though daunting challenges remain, the potential for scientific advances, mining profits, and the thrill of space tourism likely will stimulate heightened space exploration, Christopher Wanjek writes in Spacefarers: How Humans Will Settle the Moon, Mars, and Beyond.
The notion that the penis is the throbbing obelisk of all masculinity is a fallacy, Emily Willingham asserts in Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis. Willingham, a PhD in biological sciences who writes and teaches about how gonads and penises develop and work, provides an entertaining survey of flabby studies with a patriarchal perspective, supporting her conclusions with hard science.
Cannabis, approved for medical use in at least 35 states, also is available without a prescription in 11 states, Washington DC, and 2 US territories. These stats suggest it’s high time for Cheryl Pellerin’s guidebook on why & how cannabis works in the body, Healing with Cannabis: The Evolution of the Endocannabinoid System and How Cannabinoids Help Relieve PTSD, Pain, MS, Anxiety, and More.
The latest edition of ScienceWriters magazine reflects on the professional and personal lives of science writers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue also highlights how NASW leaders and volunteers responded to the pandemic and previews our virtual ScienceWriters2020 conference. Full text visible only to NASW members.
If the mathematical properties of wallpaper patterns, the best way to stack oranges, or the fairness of voting methods stir your curiosity, this book is for you. In How to Free Your Inner Mathematician: Notes on Mathematics and Life, Susan D’Agostino aims to help readers discard resistance to tackling mathematical concepts and explore new ways to master these ideas. She includes 300+ sketches.
Even before COVID-19 lockdowns, most of us spent 90 percent of our time indoors. Not only do thousands of microbes live alongside us but light and noise exposure, outdoor views, and other environmental factors affect both our mental and physical well-being, Emily Anthes reports in The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness.
Although nailing a bent strip of iron to a horse’s hoof dates to Roman times, widespread use of horseshoes arose only at the end of the 800s. Horseshoes provided better traction and boosted draft horses’ endurance, helping foster greater agricultural productivity, John Farrell reports in The Clock and the Camshaft and Other Medieval Inventions We Still Can’t Live Without.
As a self-described “green mom,” Shannon Brescher Shea aims to help other families embrace earth-friendly tactics in daily life. In Growing Sustainable Together: Practical Resources for Raising Kind, Engaged, Resilient Children, she encourages parents and children to walk, bike, and use public transit, lower home energy use, avoid acquiring “stuff,” and volunteer in their communities.
The termination of NASA’s space shuttle program in 2011 sparked opportunities for the commercial space industry. For 2008-2018: A NewSpace Primer, David Bullock interviewed CEOs, scientists, lawyers, and others in this emerging field. His compact overview addresses advantages of competitive pricing and reuse of equipment. He also created a picture book for young children, What Is Up In Space?