A new generation of archaeologists and researchers may be getting ready to revise the history books. Brandi Lee MacDonald and her colleagues conducted research in the Babine Lake region of British Columbia (one of Canada’s 10 provinces; there are also three territories) on how the red pigment (ochre) used in the rock art that region was produced and they found something new. The people in that region don’t seem to have pulverized the rocks into…

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Starting in date order: Science Slam in Vancouver on November 29, 2019 I first featured science slams in a July 17, 2013 posting when they popped up in the UK although I think they originated in Germany. As for Science Slam Canada, I think they started in 2016, (t least, that’s when they started their twitter feed). As for the upcoming event, here’s more from Science Slam Vancouver’s event page (on the ‘at all events…

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Both of these bits have a music focus but they represent two entirely different science-based approaches to that form of art and one is solely about the music and the other is included as one of the art-making processes being investigated.. Large Interactive Virtual Environment Laboratory (LIVELab) at McMaster University Laurel Trainor and Dan J. Bosnyak both of McMaster University (Ontario, Canada) have written an October 27, 2019 essay about the LiveLab and their work…

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In fact, I have two items about fungi and I’m starting with the essay first. Giving thanks for fungi These foods are all dependent on microorganisms for their distinctive flavor. Credit: margouillat photo/Shutterstock.com Antonis Rokas, professor at Venderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee, US), has written a November 25, 2019 essay for The Conversation (h/t phys.org Nov.26.19) featuring fungi and food, Note: Links have been removed), …I am an evolutionary biologist studying fungi, a group of microbes…

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From a November 19, 2019 ArtSci Salon announcement (received via email),\ I [Robin] am co-organizing a lecture on AESTHETICS AND COLOUR RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO’S PSYCHOLOGICAL LABORATORY by Erich Weidenhammer, PhD (University of Toronto) The lecture is Thu Nov 28 [2019], 6-8pm at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at U of T [University of Toronto]. There will also be colour-related artifacts from the library collection on display. Full details are here, with…

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Somewhere in my travels, I saw ‘like watching paint dry’ as a description for the experience of watching researchers examining Rembrandt’s Night Watch. Granted it’s probably not that exciting but there has to be something to be said for being present while experts undertake an extraordinary art restoration effort. The Night Watch is not only a masterpiece—it’s huge. This posting was written closer to the time the ‘live’ restoration first began. I have an update…

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If successful the hope is that ‘human-on-a-chip’ will replace most, if not all, animal testing. This July 3, 2019 Hesperos news release (also on EurekAlert) suggests scientists are making serious gains in the drive to replace animal testing (Note: For anyone having difficulty with the terms, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, there are definitions towards the end of this posting, which may prove helpful), Hesperos Inc., pioneers* of the “human-on-a-chip” in vitro system has announced the use…

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A July 3, 2019 news item on Nanowerk describes research coming from India and South Korea where nano gold is turned into black nanogold (Note: A link has been removed), One of the main cause of global warming is the increase in the atmospheric CO2 level. The main source of this CO2 is from the burning of fossil fuels (electricity, vehicles, industry and many more). Researchers at TIFR [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research] have developed…

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I’m getting to the science but first this video of what looks like jiggling jello, In actuality, it’s a superhydrophobic coating demonstration and a July 2, 2019 news item on phys.org provides more information, Plant leaves have a natural superpower—they’re designed with water repelling characteristics. Called a superhydrophobic surface, this trait allows leaves to cleanse themselves from dust particles. Inspired by such natural designs, a team of researchers at Texas A&M University has developed an…

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That’s a very ambitious title for a talk and it’s carried through in the description. From a November 12, 2019 Café Scientifque announcement (received via email), Our next café will happen on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH 2019 at 7:30PM in the back room at YAGGER’S DOWNTOWN (433 W PENDER). Our speaker for the evening will be science journalist Koby Michaels who teaches science communication to scientists and students. BUILDING A BETTER WORLD THROUGH SCIENCE COMMUNICATION Science…

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