Science Caturday: On the Foragin’ of Feces

stealing

The news traveled through the science twittersphere like a bad burrito – you can sell your poop for big bucks! Rachel Feltman’s article in the Washington Post got all sorts of people interested in selling their, ahem, solid waste to a company called OpenBiome, which collects, banks and distributes fecal matter to hospitals, which use it to perform fecal transplants on patients with hard-to-cure C. difficile infections.

Alas for most of those who wish to cash in rather than flush away, would-be sellers have to pass stringent tests and also live near the company’s headquarters. And at the moment, there’s no demand for cat poop, although many of us collect lots of it every day. Darn.

The Limitless Arsenal of Science

Screw your tommy guns. We’ve got SCIENCE!

Screenshot 2015-02-02 20.42.06

If you like that, then you should consider backing the Jill Trent: Science Sleuth #1 Kickstarter campaign.

Suitable for all ages, the short stories in JILL TRENT, SCIENCE SLEUTH #1 include both a mix of “real” science and goofy sci-fi, celebrating women in science with an undercurrent of feminism.

With 5 different versions of the Science Sleuths, the unspoken theme is, hopefully, one of diversity and empowerment. The book celebrates women in science as well as female characters in comics.

HT: Cannot precisely recall whose feed I saw this RT’d in, but I think it was John Rennie.

#GradhogDay

Monday was Groundhog Day, which inspired one of the great films, Groundhog Day from the late, great Harold Ramis. It, consequently, inspired #GradhogDay, the revision of classic lines to have a science-y spin (and vent a little graduate school blues).

You can read all the tweets in the #GradhogDay Storify or contribute your own. So far, my favorite has been this offering:

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Science for the People: Shocked

sftpThis week, Science for the People is looking at medical advances that are blurring the lines between life and death. They’re joined by physician and researcher Dr. David Casarett, to talk about his book Shocked: Adventures in Bringing Back the Recently Dead. They also talk to Michael Kruse, founder of Bad Science Watch, about the history and application of CPR.

*Josh provides research help to Science for the People and is, therefore, completely biased.

 

Woodpecker Tongues are Weird

"Did You Know...Woodpecker Edition" - The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl (All Rights Reserved - Used With Permission)
“Did You Know…Woodpecker Edition” – The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl (All Rights Reserved – Used With Permission)

In fact, I did know; but that is mostly because my children love to read The Unfeathered Bird* by Katrina van Grouw. I, however, greatly enjoy being reminded of this fact as often as possible (it is the kind of thing you know, but then forget you know – like that John Ratzenberger was in Empire Strikes Back), especially when accompanied by such wonderful illustration.

*Courtesy of Princeton University Press.