Monthly Archives: April 2017

Innocent Questions

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Thoughtscapism

My daughter demanded I draw another comic, so I’m sharing with you this macabre moment of innocent deduction, which invited some reflection on why we care so deeply for the bodies of our dead.

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The Bacterial Cutting Board – What’s Actually Going On In My Stomach?

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Thoughtscapism

I am a biologist, and I love to tell my kids about the ways their bodies work, including how fascinating it is that millions of strange little organisms live inside their gut and help with the digestion of their food. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, nutrition, parenting | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Trying to Apply Intuition to Physics

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Thoughtscapism

I sympathise. How can anything be smaller than a really tight squeeze? Unfathomable. It’s interesting how our perception, which is quite useful for observing phenomena happening at our scale, gets bent over backward and whirled around when we try to apply … Continue reading →

Posted in psychology, science | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Extreme Nature Spells – When Scientists’ Kids Fight

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Thoughtscapism

Thanks to their tireless search for the ultimate things in life (that is, the constant bombardment with questions like ‘What’s the smallest thing you know of in the whole world?’ and ‘What is the hottest thing you know?’) kids are … Continue reading →

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‘Treatment-free’ Beekeepers Give Varroa Mite Free Rein

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Thoughtscapism

Infestations rarer among professional beekeepers Hobby beekeeping is very common. A European Bee Health Report found that in many countries, the majority of beekeepers pursue the activity as a hobby. They give Germany as an example: 80% of beekeepers keep just 1–20 … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, biology | Tagged , | 44 Comments

Seven Reasons Why You Really Don’t Want to Have Measles

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Thoughtscapism

In light of the current measles epidemics spreading in Europe, I wanted to visit some of the main concerns with the disease, and the reasons we very fervently want to put a stop to its spread. Seven reasons to make … Continue reading →

Posted in health, medicine, parenting, vaccines | Tagged , , | 1 Comment