A Visit to an India Full of Science and Engineering
This article originally appeared at Scientific American
Science
Childhood Malnutrition in India, Part 2
Malnutrition and Sanitation
What if children seem to have enough of the appropriate nutritive food, yet still exhibit signs of malnutrition? Could there be something else going on here? Indeed. In the past few years, scientist have discovered a phenomenon called ENVIRONMENTAL ENTEROPATHY which is caused by prolonged exposure to food and water contaminated with feces.
Environmental enteropathy, (EE) also known as gut dysfunction, affects up to 50% of children in the developing world, and causes no overt symptoms or signs in children.
Childhood Vaccines in India, Part 1
Part 1: How vaccines are made and how they work
In 2008, WHO estimated that 1.5 million of deaths among children under 5 years were due to diseases that could have been prevented by routine vaccination. This represents 17% of global total mortality in children under 5 years of age.
Hygiene, proper nourishment and sanitary conditions make for a healthy community, with lowered incidence of infectious disease, but since much of this is lacking in developing countries, vaccination is very helpful to giving the immune system a boost.
We can thank scientists, physicians and engineers for their work in understanding the immune system and how to make it work for us against disease by using vaccinations.
The Science of Cats in Sinks
The people who brought us “Kitten Wars” also have a side project called “Cats in Sinks“. As curious as ever, Joanne wonders how many cats can fit in her large lab sink and how one might figure this out without allowing a melee amongst confused cats breaking out and disrupting the lab!
The Sloths are Coming! Behind the Scenes of a New Program on Animal Planet
This article was originally posted at my Scientific American blog.
This is the time of year many of us instinctively turn toward heart-warming movies and TV shows. If you are one of those people, I have the perfect nature show for you. Airing December 17th at 8pm on Animal Planet, it is a sweet, warm, and humorous story about an unusual place: the Avarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica. Watch the most adorable screener, ever. In case you didn’t think cute could get cuter, I present exhibit A!
Not too long ago, I featured Lucy Cooke and her viral sloth videos in a post here at Psi Vid, Elements of a Viral Video–Cute Animals
My Little Black Book of Scientists I Love
On a very warm and muggy July 30, 2010, outside of Krannert Theater on the U of Illinois campus, Joanne gave a live presentation to an audience of 400 people for the Champaign-Urbana Pecha Kucha 20 slides 20 seconds each!
I play a time traveling beauty who can visit any scientist I wish. Find out who is in my little black book of scientists I love! The superb phone image in my presentation was designed by Matt Cokeley, formerly of Popular Science and currently the Creative Director of Mag+.
I was lucky to present all of this science after the beer break, where people may have imbibed a bit, making them a bit more receptive to all of the science and scientists I presented. It was great fun!
Blood Cell Bakery
Can cookies describe what a doctor is looking for in a CBC, complete blood cell count? With the capable artistic hands of Ms. Humble from Not So Humble Pie and my cell biology knowledge, they can! Learn about the formed elements of blood: red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils) and platelets in a series of videos that begins here!
The Science of Botox
Science of Botox 1: Clostridium (Above)
The first in series of four videos describing the science of Botox to the layperson. This video focuses on the organism that causes botulism, Clostridium botulinum.
Chemistry of Mascara
I have some vague recollection of first learning about chemical bonds and hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of molecules sometime in high school. Important chemistry concepts indeed. My curiosity about mascara (which is one of two MUST HAVES for me in the make-up department, the other is more crucial: under eye concealer) and especially my new affection for L’Oreal’s Beauty Tubes Extend Lash provoked me to make a demonstration video about three different types of mascara: water soluble, water proof and the new Beauty Tubes. It’s sort of long, but it is a real time demo/discussion. I wish I could say I was a polymer chemist, but I’m not…I know just enough to be dangerous! (The video is a bit low quality but since making the video, I learned a lot about video processing, which I did not really know at the time I made this video.)
Top 10 (+1) Commander Chris Hadfield Videos from the ISS!
I first put this post up at Scientific American on May 12, 2013
Colonel Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut, a former mission specialist on STS-74 who also performed multiple EVAs on STS-100, and, for a few hours longer, the well-loved commander of the International Space Station mission 35.
He has been a great inspiration for space travel via every type of social media (with the assistance of his son, Evan), giving those of us down on Earth some of the best peeks at what it is like to live and work in space, plus has entertained us with his guitar playing as well! He tweets constantly, sharing photos of his view from above and has made nearly 70 informative videos to quench our curiosity about day to day space living. He has captured our imagination for space travel again!
12 years ago Engineering, Science, Social Media, Space, STEM, Video • Tags: astronaut, brushing teeth in space, Canadian Space Agency, Chris Hadfield, Commander Chris Hadfield, eating in space, Evan Hadfield, eyesight in space, Google Hangout on Air, gravity, International Space Station, ISS, mixed nuts, nail clipping in space, NASA, sleeping in space, space, space kitchen, space sandwich, tears in space, video, washing hands in space, wringing out water in space, zero gravity