Author Archives: Thoughtscapism

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About Thoughtscapism

Cell Biologist, science communicator, an agricultural and biodiversity analyst, and a fiction writer.

Saving Lives Is Not Shameful – Let’s Break the Stigma on Supporting Nuclear Energy

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

I own a t-shirt that says “Ask me about nuclear energy.” On the back there’s an image of a cooling tower and the words: “Sustainable. Ecological. Independent.” I wore it to my daughter’s first day at our village music kindergarten … Continue reading →

Posted in energy, environment, nuclear, parenting, psychology, renewables, society | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Lyrical in Lapland – Biologist Released into the Wilderness

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

Nature post! I went to Lapland for a few days, and am so bursting with happiness about the fact that I can’t help sharing some of the experience. Anyone looking to read about nature observations of plants, lichens, mushrooms and … Continue reading →

Posted in environment | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Do we fear the right things?

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

I had the privilege of giving a public presentation at a large Finnish political discussion and debate fair Suomi Areena for the Finnish Ecomodernist Society in Pori a few days ago. (Finnish readers can view the presentation here – skip over to … Continue reading →

Posted in biotechnology, health, nutrition, psychology | Tagged , | 4 Comments

No, Glyphosate Is Not a Threat to Bees

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

Glyphosate is a herbicide, in other words, it is toxic to plants. Its target enzyme is not found in insects or other animals, so it is generally not very harmful to them – and as confirmed by a recent study, even … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, environment | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Measures of Toxicity

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

This article is co-written by biologist Iida Ruishalme (yours truly at Thoughtscapism) and neuroscientist Alison Bernstein, aka Mommy PhD from SciMoms. We live amidst a mind-bogglingly rich sea of molecules. Nowadays, we also have astonishingly sophisticated methods of chemical detection … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, chemistry, health, methods, science communication | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Risk In Perspective: Population Risk Does Not Equal Individual Risk

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

This series is a collaboration between neuroscientist Alison Bernstein and biologist Iida Ruishalme. Errors in risk perception are at the core of so many issues in science communication that we think this is a critical topic to explore in detail. … Continue reading →

Posted in health, society | Tagged | 8 Comments

Risk In Perspective: Zero Risk Is an Impossible Dream

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

This series is a collaboration between neuroscientist Alison Bernstein and biologist Iida Ruishalme. Errors in risk perception are at the core of so many issues in science communication that we think this is a critical topic to explore in detail. … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, alternative medicine, energy, environment, health, psychology | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

Risk In Perspective: Hazards Are Not All Created Equal

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

This series is a collaboration between neuroscientist Alison Bernstein and biologist Iida Ruishalme. Errors in risk perception are at the core of so many issues in science communication that we think this is a critical topic to explore in detail. … Continue reading →

Posted in health, society, vaccines | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Radiation and Cancer Risk – What Do We Know?

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

I recently visited Switzerland’s interim repository for nuclear waste, called ZWILAG, and wrote about the insights gained during that experience in Warming My Hands On Nuclear Waste. While in the heart of the place – the dry cask storage hall which houses … Continue reading →

Posted in health, nuclear | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Warming My Hands on Nuclear Waste

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Thoughtscapism

I left my sleeping family at home and headed out without breakfast in the freezing cold to catch the 7 AM train, enthusiastic about the prospect of visiting a nuclear waste repository. I’ve written about nuclear waste at length, and … Continue reading →

Posted in energy, nuclear | Tagged , | 14 Comments