In a delightful collision of two of my favoritest cultural references, here's a link to a Calvin and Hobbes and Dune smash-up tumblr (and props to Ryan for linking it). i'd initially described it as a pop-culture reference smash-up, but was called out on the 'pop' part. Fair enough.
So i was conversing with my 5 months pregnant friend Katherine this afternoon, and the topic of conversation came around to how she has a beloved cat (Artemis Turkey), and is vaguely concerned that her child may have a cat allergy (as her mom and brother do). Based on various studies (reviewed slightly here), i made the statement that her having a cat while the child's immune system is developing is a great thing to prevent future allergies from occurring (and really, if she could drag the kid around to places with a lot of animals while it's still under the protection of her own antibodies/breast feeding, that would be even better). However, the fact that her kid's born in January means there's not a lot of easily accessible wildlife... So that brought around me musing as to whether or not there's a correlation between the month/season in which a child is born and subsequent allergy issues. Cue the google search. Turns out, there's some interesting data regarding food allergies and season in which a child is born (kids born in November/December tend to have greater food allergies than those born in the spring/summer, as illustrated in this Japanese study). i also turned up some interesting German studies stating that increased exposure to pollen in one's first 6 months might increase the risk for asthma and hayfever. Long story short, while there might be some trends, the exact causes are not known yet.
Mini-rant: as a fairly ardent runner, i get a lot of running spam (mostly gear discounts/sales and upcoming event notifications). In my inbox this morning, i had a notice for something called a 'skirt chaser 5k'. "Surely that can't be what i think is meant by 'skirt chaser'", i thought, and read the little description. It is; 'Skirts' (women is explicitly stated) are started in a first wave, and 'Chasers' (men are stated) are started in a wave after them. If you're single 'and looking for love', you wear a sign saying so. I am surprised by how super-offended i am by this whole concept. i have no problem with people finding creative ways to meet other people, but this is everything i hate about the gym culture; people only showing up (dressed in a fashion in which they wouldn't typically work out) with the intent of picking up a significant other, AND gender stereotyping much, anyone? Also, for those who aren't female runners, running skirts are basically skorts made of technical material. (i don't understand them, but i'm not the most girly of females.) At least everyone is exercising?
The wikipedia page for skorts references the Irish sport camogie, in which the "rules are almost identical to hurling ". That's not something i usually encounter; to my untrained eyes, it sort of looks like golf mixed with basketball, played on a football field? Cracked has a humorous and informative article here.
Apple browning is caused by a tyrosinase (an oxidation enzyme), specifically one called catechol oxidase. Basically, two hydroxyl groups attached to a benzene ring are oxidized, resulting in the formation of water and a yellow compound called benzoquinone. This substance, when further oxidized, form plant melanin; the reaction is similar to that used in mammals (though other starting materials are used). As we all know, catechol oxidase can be inhibited with a dilute solution of acid as it denatures the enzyme (also, if i taught this to middle school kids, i'd totally use this cool project).
Finally, this rant regarding the fb group 'i f#cking love science', has been making the rounds. It has valid points; if people really love science so much, can they please make it a point to petition the US government to stop cutting funding for basic research (research focused on gaining fundamental knowledge)? Private industry rarely funds it, as it's not directly profitable, but frequently, amazing things come from it that we would otherwise never find out (which then have direct application).
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