Finally, a scientific discovery made just for me! In the current issue of Cell Metabolism— my basic light reading— researchers report on beneficial changes to DNA achieved both through drinking caffeine and through exercise. “The DNA changes in question are known as epigenetic modifications and involve the gain or loss of chemical marks on DNA […]

I was thinking today about James Burke’s admirable television series Connections, where seemingly unrelated historical events were shown to have contributed to a modern scientific discovery. As a fond hommage to that series, I’d like to trace some connections myself— though I’m not going to do science history, because that’s not really my strong point.  […]

Remember that scene in Fahrenheit 451 when Montag is on the run, and the announcer on television talks to his “friends” (in Bradbury’s future, television has friended the entire audience), and the announcer tells the friends to go outside and look for the fugitive? In the François Truffaut film, this scene was particularly chilling, with […]

What have I been doing today?  Sorting through hundreds of little receipts, many marked with indecipherable scrawls, in order to enter the results into Quicken and prepare my tax forms. Which, after many hours and an aching back, I have achieved. Only to find that Quicken refuses to print the results. May I just remark […]