Homely Scientist

From yesterday’s Globe & Mail (free registration required) … the possible tenth planet 2003 UB313 (informally named Xena right now) was thought to be larger than cold and dark Pluto, but now appears to be smaller.
Now while it might be exciting to have a 10th planet, this has also started a debate on what makes a planet.  Is Xena a planet (in addition to being a Warrior Princess )?  Is Pluto really a planet?  This isn’t whether or not they exist, its just a classification thing.
Via Wikipedia a planet is:
A nonluminous celestial body larger than an asteroid or …read more

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The question was posed here to my Questions post:

OK, here’s one. Any truth to the email forward that says putting plastic (e.g. rubbermaid) in your microwave is unusually hazardous? I think the email mentions something about melting the plastic and digesting dioxins.

In my initial post I didn’t have the answers, or at least the answers I wanted, that is something cite-able.  Undaunted I e-mailed my friend Guy Dauncey and asked him because I knew he had written about the subject.
So, here is the deal.  Plastics only release dioxins when they are burned, like in a fire.  So first off burning …read more

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My first question to answer is one that tends to make the e-mail rounds frequently … don’t use plastics in the microwave because they release dioxins into your food.
I’ve been Googling this for a bit and finding some pretty contradictory answers.  There are a lot of sites dunking this as an urban legend and myth, there are others that hold it up as solid truth.
From my memory about reading on this topic a few years ago I’m sure it’s been studied and while it might not be dioxins that leach into your food, other chemicals might.  Case closed?  Nope.  That’s …read more

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From National Geographic a giant (like 2 meters or 7 feet!) turkey-like dinosaur was discovered in Utah recently.  The illustration at the left is what paleontologists think this dinosaur looked like.  Feathers, claws, and built for speed.  This is one turkey that might be more likely to have you for dinner than vice-versa!
From the article:

Only fragments of the animal were discovered—a fearsomely clawed hand and foot. But the dinosaur probably stood seven feet (two meters) tall and ran as fast as an ostrich, according to paleontologists Lindsay Zanno and Scott Sampson.
Named Hagryphus giganteus ("giant four-footed, birdlike god of the western …read more

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One of my primary goals of this blog is science education.  I want to share my love of science with everyone and answer people’s nagging questions about science, the environment, and the world around them.
So … it’s your turn.  Gimme your questions!  Once this blog gets going I’ll do this once a week, but in these early days I want to answer as many as I can.  Leave a comment in to this post with your science question and I’ll try to answer as many as I can.  Those I don’t know the answer to or can’t find … I’m …read more

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That hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards?
Yep, for real.  I love watching hummingbirds. Out here in BC, the rufus hummingbird is out in force buzzing everything red within site.  Which brings me to the meat of this post … feeding hummingbirds.
Those little suckers use a tremendous amount of energy.  Hey if you flapped your wings at like 80 beats per second … you’d be tired and hungry too!
Now, feeding hummers is super easy.  I’ve been doing it for years (need a new feeder right now though).  Couple things of note.  First, don’t bother with the red stuff.  …read more

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Keeping you and your safe and clean is very important, but at what cost to the rest of us?  You see the explosion of anti-bacterial soaps (active ingredient is Triclosan) might be causing a larger problem … anti-bacterial resistance.  Triclosan, while it is an effective anti-bacterial agent, wasn’t intended to be used this widely.
So, what is anti-bacterial resistance?  Very simply it is bacteria becoming immune to the effects of things that we are using to kill them.  This happens when an anti-bacteria agent is used, but not all the bacteria are killed by it.  The survivors follow the old adage, …read more

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