Frosty the Microbe
‘Tis the season for stories of wintery magic. From Elsa and Frozone to their mythical grandfather, Jack Frost, there’s no cooler gift than the power to let it snow at […]
Tag Archives: Rosemary Wills
The Mythical “Math Person”
Every time I hear the phrase, “I’m not a math person,” I imagine that deep in the heart of college campuses and libraries across the world, there dwells a mysterious […]
The Language of Music
What is it with humans and music? We sing our babies to sleep and compose endless cascades of love songs. We get melodies involuntarily wedged in our heads. We spontaneously […]
Your Friendly Neighborhood Waxwings
Birds are typically known for their grace and elegance. They emerge from the lingering chill of winter to soar gracefully overhead, surprise us with brilliant plumage, wake us at ungodly hours with their joyful pre-dawn chorus…
And then there’s the waxwings.
Merry Christmyths #4: Does Cold Weather Really Lead to Colds?
The Myth:
Cold weather causes colds.
The Reality:
While frosty air itself won’t give you the sniffles, you should still bundle up.
The Science of Tangled Christmas Lights
It just isn’t Christmas until you’ve spent four hours untangling your 250 strands of 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights.
Christmas lights spend all year in a stationary box. How do they manage to arrange themselves into such spectacular snarls? Evil elves? Christmas dark magic?
Merry Christmyths #3: The “Sugar Rush”
The Myth:
Sugar makes kids hyper.
The Reality:
The sugar-hyperactivity connection is not supported by science.
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.
Merry Christmyths #2: Candy Canes on the Brain
The Myth:
Peppermint improves cognitive function.
The Reality:
Your grade school teachers were right all along.
