Copy Writing & Copy Editing
As a staffer, I was a professional, full-time science editor for more than eight years.
Potty Trained Piggies Help Keep Taiwanese Rivers Clean
Discover, January 6 2011.
Toddlers can learn, cats can be taught–so why not take the next step and potty-train our livestock? Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration is encouraging its pig farmers to do just that with the countries’ six million pigs. The move will.. →
Your Morning Toothpaste: Now With Weather Reports!
Discover, January 6 2011.
Mmmm… it tastes like rain today. Or at least this toothpaste tastes like it’s going to rain today. The toothpaste in question was created by the MIT Media lab as your own personal early morning weather station–it changes flavors based on the day’s.. →
Cocaine Vaccine Could Stop Addiction in Its Tracks
Discover, January 6 2011.
By combining a cocaine analog with part of a common cold virus, researchers have created a “cocaine vaccine” that tricks the body into attacking the drug, neutralizing its high-giving powers. It has only been tested in mice so far, but the results are good:
“Our.. →
Drug Users Are Mining the Scientific Literature for “Legal Highs”
Discover, January 5 2011.
When it comes to recreational drugs, many assume that most of the dangerous compounds that people get high on are illegal. But drug makers, dealers, and users know better. They are mining the scientific literature for psychoactive drugs, making them in kitchen labs,.. →
Astronomy Gets Adorable: Ten-Year-Old Girl Discovers Supernova
Discover, January 5 2011.
Most ten-year-olds don’t have the patience to sift through star images for thousands of hours. But Kathryn Aurora Gray was on a mission: She wanted to become the youngest person to discover a supernova.
And luckily for her, Kathryn’s work didn’t.. →
Power Balance: Our Product Is Backed by “No Credible Scientific Evidence”
Discover, January 5 2011.
In a completely shocking and unexpected turn of events, the company behind Power Balance wristbands has officially admitted that the product isn’t backed by any scientific studies–and that the company’s advertisements were misleading. And right.. →
What to Do With Troublesome Invasive Species: 1) Eat Them, 2) Wear Them
Discover, January 4 2011.
Sick of invasive snakes eating through your wiring and biting your babies? Don’t have any tylenol-doped mice to lob at them? You might be in luck, we have a few ideas of what to invasive species that insist on making pests of themselves.
Idea #1: Make.. →
Our Ancestors’ Big Babies May Have Shaped Human Evolution
Discover, January 4 2011.
Babies: As we reported yesterday, they just keep getting bigger. And while they haven’t always been trending towards obese, human babies have always been larger, relative to their mothers, than the infants of most other species. This make birth difficult and.. →
New “Symphony of Science” Video—Featuring a Melodious Discover Blogger!
Discover, November 22 2010.
Our favorite autotuned scientists are back at it, with the seventh video in the “Symphony of Science” series. This video focuses on scientific/skeptical thought, explains creator John Boswell:
It is intended to promote scientific reasoning and.. →
Amateur Cryptographers Go Gaga Over New Kryptos Clue: B-E-R-L-I-N
Discover, November 22 2010.
To mark the 20th anniversary of his “Kryptos” sculpture, and its lingering mystery, sculptor Jim Sanborn has released a clue to deciphering the message engraved on the statue.
“Our work is about discovery — discovering secrets,”.. →