Have you ever heard of genetic testing? Ever had a family member who sent a sample to companies like ancestry.com? With the rise in popularity of sites like ancestry.com, it’s becoming increasingly tempting to trace your roots through genetic testing. But, how do these genetic tests work? In this post, I will explain the science… Read more »
Imagine you’re out around town and see a protest down the street. Within the first two seconds, you’re making judgments about the crowd of people you see. You may evaluate the crowd and their cause as being justified and join their protest. Or you may evaluate them as being unjustified and stop to argue with… Read more »
Many of us probably remember learning about greenhouse gases in middle school. The one that first comes to mind is likely carbon dioxide. But it is only one of several primary greenhouse gases. Water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone are all on the list as well. But what is the determining factor of whether… Read more »
Although only our neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, is visible with the unaided eye in the Northern hemisphere, there is a wide variety of galaxies in our universe. Grand spirals dominate the covers of many textbooks and irregular galaxies are the subject of many motivational posters, but the universe is dominated by small dwarf galaxies. To study… Read more »
There is a dizzying array of things to think about when signing up for classes and again later when you’re thinking about what to keep the first week of classes. You may have to consider requirements for your major or for the Common Ground and Shared Goals curricula at IU. You may try to sign up… Read more »
Pathogens and parasites are the hidden players of many of nature’s most bizarre and beautiful patterns and processes. For example, the extraordinary levels of plant animal biodiversity we find in the tropics is thought to be due, at least in part to the high levels of disease and natural enemies we find in those environments…. Read more »
In the famous Milgram Experiment, it only took commands from a purported authority figure to get people to subject another study participant to electric shocks up to 450 volts (about a quarter of the voltage used to execute people in the electric chair). In reality, the other participant was an actor, and there were no actual… Read more »
Adolescence is an important time in development due to significant changes in the adolescent brain. During this time, brain regions appear to integrate, which helps the adolescent self-regulate and/or improve self-control. Self-regulation is critical for success in life for both adolescents and adults. Meditation is a behavior that promotes self-regulation and enhances the integration of… Read more »
If you are a video game enthusiast, you might be familiar with the importance of the graphics processing unit, or the GPU. The GPU determines whether you can play a game with all the fancy visual effects turned on, how high you can set the screen resolution, and how many frames (the images you see… Read more »
Astronomers have a favorite saying that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a spectrum is worth a thousand pictures. A spectrum is measured by the scientific technique known as spectroscopy, and unless you’re already familiar with the term, this may compel you to ask: what is spectroscopy? The short answer is that… Read more »