By Todd Hartley on November 12, 2010
Having written about animal remains last week and U.S. technology failures the week before, I swore to myself that I wasn’t going to write about anything scientific or technological this week. I feel that too much focus in one subject area can get boring — for me and my readers — and I’ve vowed not to do it.
I had every intention of holding firm to that vow, too. I honestly did, until I stumbled across a section of the BBC News website that had the three most incredible headlines I’ve ever read: “Cricket earns big testicles title,” “Super squid sex organ discovered” and “Uglier fish have ‘better sperm.’” Continue reading »
Posted in I'm With Stupid Tagged crickets, fish, science, sex organs, sperm, squid, testicles
By Todd Hartley on September 24, 2010
Let’s do an experiment. Get a plate with raised edges and put some water in it. Now set the plate down and blow on the water. Did it move away and expose part of the plate? It did? Good. You just proved that Moses could indeed have parted the Red Sea!
All right, I admit that’s a bit of an oversimplification, but it’s not too far removed from what some scientists have been doing recently in an effort to bridge the gap between science and religion. Continue reading »
Posted in I'm With Stupid Tagged bible, exodus, moses, red sea, religion, science
By Todd Hartley on January 8, 2010
Given the sorry state of the world we live in today and the numerous challenges we face — global warming, sustainable energy, hunger, disease, poverty — you might think that scientists have plenty of important subjects to occupy their time. You would be wrong.
Actually, let me quantify that statement. You wouldn’t be wrong so much as slightly deluded. I’m sure that there are some scientists who are working on solving the world’s big problems, but I’m equally sure that there are also many scientists who have way too much time on their hands. Continue reading »
Posted in I'm With Stupid Tagged art, cholesterol, da vinci, math, pi, science
By Todd Hartley on September 11, 2009
Zut alors! What odd times these are in the fair nation of France. In an effort to stop the spread of swine flu, authorities in that most romantic of countries are urging people to stop kissing. Some schools and businesses have even gone so far as to ban “la bise,” the traditional peck-on-both-cheeks greeting that we Americans find so awkward but Europeans seem genetically programmed to do.
Granted, the powers that be in France needed to do something. Some agencies are estimating that France will have 20,000 new cases of swine flu each week until the pandemic runs its course. But is banning kissing really the way to combat the threat? Perhaps an emphasis on better hygiene in general would be a more effective place to start. Continue reading »
Posted in I'm With Stupid Tagged france, kissing, science, sleep
By Todd Hartley on September 4, 2009
I haven’t seen Microsoft founder and world’s richest man Bill Gates in a while, so I could be wrong about this, but I’m guessing that these days he’s sporting a bald head and carrying around a cat named Mr. something or other.
Why would I think something so preposterous? Because it’s become very obvious to me that Gates is bent on world domination, and like all evil masterminds with similar ambitions, he has to look the part. Continue reading »
Posted in I'm With Stupid Tagged bill gates, evil, hurricanes, microsoft, science
By Todd Hartley on July 3, 2009
Some of you may be aware that for a few years now scientists have been warning us that frog populations are dying off around the globe, threatening a full one-third of amphibian species with extinction. Furthermore, these scientists claim, many of the frogs that are surviving are being born with grotesque deformities due to pesticides and other pollutants that are fouling up our waterways.
This is sobering stuff, to say the least. Try to imagine a world without frogs. Billions of mosquitoes and other flying pests would go uneaten. Ponds would be eerily silent on warm summer evenings. Continue reading »
Posted in I'm With Stupid Tagged chicken, dragonflies, frogs, global warming, science
By Todd Hartley on February 20, 2009
Once upon a time, I actually believed that one needed to be exceptionally smart to be a scientist. Turns out I was wrong. All it really takes, apparently, is the ability to make sweeping pronouncements that nobody can prove one way or the other.
It’s possible that there are hundreds of millions of planets in our galaxy that could support life. Is that true? Maybe, maybe not. Chances are we’ll never find out, but by saying that, I’m now an astrophysicist. Continue reading »
Posted in I'm With Stupid Tagged aaas, aliens, astrophysics, planets, science