Science & Pop. Culture

Shark Attack! Should we actually fear the kings of the sea?

Jaws, the 1975 American thriller film directed by the great Steven Spielberg has been hailed as one of the greatest classic movies of all time. The movie begins with a teenaged girl enjoying a swim at a supposedly carefree late night beach party, only to be suddenly pulled underwater to her horrific and untimely demise.

Making Resolutions That Stick

It's that time of year again! Everyone has just made resolutions for the New Year. According to Dr. John C. Norcross at the University of Scranton, each year ~ 40 – 50% of us make New Year's resolutions, yet most of us don't follow through with them. In 1989, Dr. Norcross showed that “77% of

Night of the Living Bugs

Pretend for a moment you are a cockroach. Now, I don't want to go all Kafka on you, but bear with me. You are a beautiful species of cockroach in a tropical region of Africa, just living your daily life, out scrounging for some food when, all of the sudden, a bright turquoise wasp stings

Immortality – Possible or Just Science Fiction?

by: Jacqueline Friel, Athens Science Café “I think the brain is like a program in the mind, so it’s theoretically possible to copy the brain onto a computer and so provide a form of life after death” – Stephen Hawking Admit it, you've thought about living forever. However, did you ever imagine it would be

Can science tell us what makes Stradivarius Top Notch?

by Alex Pilote, Athens Science Café When discussing string instruments, the name Stradivarius is synonymous with excellence and superior craftsmanship. But why is this? Are the violins bearing this name crafted with a more skilled hand? Do they outperform all others? Or perhaps there's a scientific explanation behind this? The question of the superior reputation

BINGO, Dino DNA: Can we create a dinosaur?

By: Rishi R. Masalia, Athens Science Café   On June 12th “Jurassic World”, the 4th installment of the Jurassic Park series, is set to hit theaters. Now, I love dinosaurs and I know I'm not alone. Our fascination with them has permeated across pop culture, generating movies, songs, chicken nugget shapes, and even a list

Lightsabers: Science fiction, or scientific possibility?

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” Arthur C. Clarke SciFi is one of the most popular genres of storytelling out there. Greats like Lucas, Asimov, and Shelley have inspired generations to think weirder and imagine bigger. In the last 15 years alone, we have developed prototypes for jetpacks, driverless cars and organ printing

Why is a Nigerian Prince sending me money? The economics of email scams

A few months ago, a good friend of mine fell victim to a pervasive phone scam where he lost nearly $4,000 in a single afternoon. Despite being a smart guy he fell hook, line, and sinker for this scam. To his credit, this was not your typical internet scam but actually quite an elaborate one

Can We Resurrect the Mammoth?

The woolly mammoth is inarguably the mascot of the Ice Age. With countless depictions in popular culture, one would be hard pressed to find someone unfamiliar with the hairy giant herbivore. Alas, the mammoth has been extinct for thousands of years, surviving in low numbers on some islands North of Alaska until as recently as

Scroll to Top