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When It Comes to Avoiding Flies, Stripes Are In, Solids Are Out

25 Nov 2022

Fairy tales about the origin of zebra stripes are abundant. Some blame sunlight filtered through tree leaves for tanning the zebras hide, others claim the dark lines are scorch marks, acquired...

When the Cows Come Home to Radioactive Ranches

18 Nov 2022

A magnitude 9.1 earthquake occurred just off the northeast coast of Japan on March 11th, 2011, at 14:46 local time. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, like all nuclear power plants in Japan...

How does snake venom kill a human?

11 Nov 2022

There are more than 3000 species of snakes on Earth, ranging from the Barbados threadsnake at roughly 10 cm long (about the same as a deck of cards) to the reticulated python at around 6 m in...

Licking a Banana Slug Will Make Your Tongue Go Numb

2 Sep 2022

Slugs, in all their slimy glory, aren鈥檛 usually associated with food. But banana slugs (genus Ariolimax) are named after their colour, not their taste. As tempting as it sounds, don鈥檛 try to lick...

The Epidemic Facing Ash Trees

2 Sep 2022

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a species of jewel beetle native to eastern Asia. In 2002, the beetle was detected for the first time in North America. First in Michigan, then Ontario, although tree...

Polyethylene furanoate is coming! Don鈥檛 be scared.

24 Aug 2022

If you are scared of chemical terminology, you may think you are in for a bumpy ride. But fear not, you do not need a degree in chemistry to follow this discussion. Buckle up, and let鈥檚 go.聽

Luciferin and GFP: The Fluorescent Chemicals Used by Insects, Sea Creatures and Humans!

11 Aug 2022

Eons ago in a remote village in China, a promising young lad was studying for the almighty civil service registry exam. His parents were too poor to afford an oil-burning lamp so that he could read...

The Magic of Butterfly Pea Tea

10 Aug 2022

The scientific name for the Butterfly Pea plant is聽Clitoria ternatea,聽which sounds exactly like what you may be thinking: female genitalia. In fact, its name was inspired by the resemblance of its...

Sri Lanka and Organic Farming?

29 Jul 2022

Nicknamed the teardrop of India for its distinctive shape, the island of Sri Lanka off the southeast coast of the subcontinent has dug itself into an economic hole. In April of 2021, Sri Lanka鈥檚...

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