Colin Firth: Actor. Writer. Academy Award Winner. Scientist?
The star of the King's Speech is the co-author on a paper examining political orientation and brain structure
June 09, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Top Ten Myths About the Brain
When it comes to this complex, mysterious, fascinating organ, what do—and don’t—we know?
May 20, 2011 |
By Laura Helmuth
Ancient Egyptian Princess Had Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease isn't just a modern problem--even the ancient Egyptians suffered from it
May 19, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Boredom and Other Helpful Time Wasters
There's a feeling these days that if you're not actively doing something with a purpose, you're just wasting time. Schools get rid of recess. Weekends must be filled. Vacations are scheduled down to the minute. Not everyone thinks this way, of course. Google is probably the best example---the compa...
May 10, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Going To The Park May Make Your Life Better
I may have grown up in the countryside, but I am more than content with my life as a city girl. That said, I find myself drawn to green spaces; for example, my vacations more often than not include trips to botanic gardens. And I like to walk to work when the weather's nice, taking advantage of Was...
April 22, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Why Scientific Ignorance Can Kill You
While working on this story from Smithsonian's May issue about oncologist Brian Druker and his discovery 10 years ago of a breakthrough drug for chronic myeloid leukemia, I was struck by the following passage:Over the pub’s blaring music Mayfield said of his BCR-ABL gene, “I had the G250E mutation—...
April 21, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Why We Need a Nap Room in the Office
Disappear from your desk for a coffee run or a smoke break---that's fine. Spend time on Facebook or Twitter---that's OK, too. Fall asleep at your desk for five minutes---then the boss gets mad.Napping is generally unacceptable in the workplace, and that's sad because it's the healthiest activity I'...
April 20, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Curious World of Zombie Science
Zombies seem to be only growing in popularity, and I'm not talking about the biological kind
April 18, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Explore the Human Body on Your Computer Screen
The plastic skeletons and body models used in classrooms and doctors' offices may soon become obsolete, it seems, due to one of Google's latest offerings: Google Body. The program is still in beta (meaning it's got some bugs); this week its creators added a male body to the female they began with i...
March 31, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Beauty of the Brain
Stunning new images reveal the marvelous and mysterious world inside our heads
March 2011 |
By Laura Helmuth
Studying the Bond Between a Cat and Its Human
It took 120 hours of observing 40 cat-human pairs for scientists to conclude that the bond between the two can be similar to other human relationships. And, yes, I know that most of you who have cats---or know someone who has a cat---will not find that surprising, so let's delve into the details. I...
February 28, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
HIV in 3-D
This may look like a cross between something my friend Helen would knit and a Good Eats model of a droplet of fat covered in lecithin, but it's actually a three-dimensional illustration of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, and the winner of the Illustration category in the 2010 International S...
February 25, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Babies Raised Bilingual Get Language Benefits
Learning a second language is certainly useful if you want to travel the world, or if you live in a place where there are a lot of people that speak that language natively. But there are also plenty of benefits beyond simple communication, as a session at this weekend's American Association for the...
February 22, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Accidental Cure for Hair Loss
Before I go any further, I have to warn any balding individuals reading this hoping for a solution to their hair loss problems that I'm going to talk about a study in mice. Nothing—yet—has been tested in humans, so don't get too excited.Our story starts with a group of scientists studying chronic s...
February 17, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Too Popular to Bother With Bullying
Conventional wisdom says that it's the most troubled kids that resort to bullying. Not so, say two University of California at Davis sociologists in this month's issue of the American Sociological Review. Home life, grades, academic achievement, sports—they all have little to do with who bullies wh...
February 09, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Mythical Cures for the Common Cold
The common cold is not fun. When I get one, my head aches, my nose runs, my throat hurts and I cough for days. My mother tells me to drink orange juice and other liquids. Co-workers advise zinc or echinacea. And posters in the Metro system shill for a cold remedy full of vitamin C. Do any of these ...
January 13, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Ten Science Stories You Should Have Read
Is your office rather empty this week? Looking for something to read to fill the time? How about some great science and nature stories from Smithsonian? Here are my ten favorites from the past year:The Truth About Lions (January): Staff writer Abigail Tucker visits Craig Packer, who has been runnin...
December 28, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Eyes Give Life to the Face
Do you remember the doll Great-aunt Mary gave you for Christmas when you were six? You could never figure out why that doll made you uncomfortable. She was meant to be pretty and lifelike, but she stared at you from the top shelf in the bedroom and gave you the occasional nightmare. You couldn't ex...
December 22, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Smithsonian’s 2010 Notable Books for Children
In our annual tradition, we present some of the best that children's literature has to offer this year
December 16, 2010 |
By Kathleen Burke
When Time Won't Fly
My fellow blogger Amanda tweeted this yesterday morning during her commute:If cold makes matter contract, why did the sidewalk between me and the metro seem twice as long this morning?She was mostly right in her assumption that cold makes things contract (though thermal expansion isn't uniform, and...
December 07, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
