Science & Pop. Culture

Finding Your Way Home

They say there's no place like home for the holidays… but how do you get there? If you're a bird, turtle, lobster, or even a bacteria, chances are you'll be relying on the earth's magnetic field.

Catchy Carols (Why Holiday Songs Get Stuck in our Heads)

Christmas music: it's hard to escape this time of year. Whether you love it or hate it, you've probably had a holiday tune or two echoing in your head lately. Turns out, psychologists have an official name for this phenomenon: Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI). While less formal terms range from “sticky music” to “melodymania,” songs that get stuck in our heads are usually referred to as earworms.

Frogsicles

Fur coats and thick layers of blubber might be the adaptational standards for icy climates. But when it comes to braving the frosty air, the humble wood frog is simply too cool to be bothered.

How Astronauts Celebrate the Holidays

They may not be home for Christmas, but the men and women orbiting hundreds of miles apart from the rest of humanity aren't letting that dampen their holiday spirit.

Gift Advice From a Bird Brain

Gift-giving isn't just a human phenomenon. Our feathered friends are some of the most generous (and romantic) members of the animal kingdom, offering choice food, nests, and shiny objects to their beloved mates (or even their favorite humans).

A Computer-Generated Christmas Carol

To celebrate the holiday season, ASO is bringing you a science-filled 12 Days of ASO Christmas! This will be a series of ‘mini-blogs’, by Rosemary Wills, centered on the science of some of our most cherished traditions. This is the first in the series.  Step aside, Bing Crosby. Computer scientists from the University of Toronto

The Art in Science

When I was little, my favorite thing to do was draw pictures. Crisp white printer paper and a mega box of crayons were all I needed for endless hours of entertainment. My love for artistic endeavors remained with me throughout my adolescence in the form of music lessons and sketchbooks, but in elementary school, I

This Is What A Scientist Looks Like: STEMinists

Humor me for a moment: Close your eyes and imagine a scientist. Okay, now describe what you saw. If you're artistically inclined, maybe even sketch out what you imagined on a post-it note, coffee sleeve, or napkin. With your physical sketch in hand and mental image at the front of your mind, ask yourself: Was

Cuddly Coral: The Story of the Crochet Coral Reef

The sudden ubiquity of pumpkin spice flavoring makes it official: Fall is upon us. It's the perfect time to wrap up in a comfy blanket, find a rocking chair, and knit yourself something soft.

If you're short on ideas, here's a little inspiration:

Catholicism and Science

Inspired by the events of the infamous Galileo affair, the English chemist, John William Draper, published what is known as the “conflict thesis”. The thesis stated that religion and science have been in conflict methodologically, factually, and politically throughout history. Even though this thesis was written in the 1870s, this notion is still popular today,

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