Science Friday - Sex Edition

Let's talk about sex. No, not that kind of sex. I mean let's talk about gender. No fewer than 8 of my friends are currently pregnant. Speculation abounds as to who's having what - a boy or a girl, that is. With all the old wives tales floating around out there, I feel that as a scientist I am obligated to shed light on the biological side of the issue. So without any further ado (drumroll please...), the father alone determines the sex of the baby. Yes, it's true. You can either thank or blame your child's father for the gender of your baby. 

Scanning electron micrograph of a human X chromosome

Think of it like this. We all know that we inherit half of our chromosomes from our mother and half from our father. We also know that our sex chromosomes determine our gender and that 2 X chromosomes (XX) make a female, while having 1 X and 1 Y chromosome (XY) makes a male. So, when your parents' chromosomes were being divided up, your mother could only give you an X but your father could either give you an X or a Y. If he gave you an X, you would be XX = girl. If he gave you a Y, you would be XY = boy. Note - the color represents which parent you got the chromosome from. Red represents the chromosome you got from your mom and blue represents the chromosome you got from your dad.  

Yes, all science humor really is that bad...

Chicken Soup

My friend, LC, is sick. I hate it when people are sick. I feel powerless to make them feel better and I don't like feeling powerless. So, in a meager attempt to not feel so powerless, I am going to do what I can to make LC feel better. LC loves Harper and Harper loves LC. Today, I am posting some pictures of Harper specifically so LC can look at them and feel better. 

   

Oh yeah. By the way, I'm praying too. And that also makes me feel less powerless. 

How Harper Spent Election Night 2008

                                                    

Election Day

I'm glad that by the end of today, we can all stop arguing over our political differences and we can get back to concentrating on the important things in life like how bad traffic is and how overpriced Starbucks is.

Best Inventions of 2008

TIME Magazine just came out with their list of Best Inventions of 2008. Here are a couple of my favorites.

1. Hulu.com - As if we (meaning me) needed any more internet distractions, this website has high quality full episodes of your favorite tv shows and movies. For free. Check it out.

2. The Global Seed Vault - Located above the Arctic Circle on a remote Norwegian island, this is a Fort Knox for food.  Nations from around the world are contributing native seeds in an attempt to store and maintain every known type of seed in existence. With plant species disappearing at an incredible rate due to climate change, war, and deforestation among other things, scientists have developed a plan to collect and protect one of the world's most valuable natural resources.

3. The Invisibility Cloak - Scientists at UC Berkley have engineered two new materials (one using a fishnet of metal layers and the other made of tiny silver wires) that neither absorb nor reflect light. These materials work on the principle of refraction and could make Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a reality. 

4. The Seven New Deadly Sins - Yep. That's right. The Vatican is keeping up with the times. In case you're interested - bioethical sins, morally dubious experiments that harm human embryos, drug abuse, polluting, social injustice, accumulating excessive wealth, and creating poverty are all big no-noes now. 

5. Sound Enhanced Food - A British chef has been experimenting with how sound affects the taste of food. He found that listening to a recording of breaking ocean waves while you eat an oyster makes it taste 30% saltier than if you listen to a recording of barnyard animals. 

Some of my favorite inventions that didn't make the list...

• Heated Automotive Seats
• Coke Zero
• The Magic Eraser
• The Pilot G2 Pen

What are your favorite creature comforts?

Science Friday - Halloween Edition

Happy Friday and Happy Halloween! Here is the next installment of Guess the Body Part. These two pictures are of the same thing. The top one is a cross section of the structure that has been stained with haematoxylin and eosin.  The bottom picture was taken using a scanning electron microscope. Ok, send me your guesses (and remember, this is the Halloween Edition - hint, hint).

Disclaimer - I didn't take either one of these pictures. 

Kickin' It Old School

My friend sent me a link to this video and I feel the need to share it. Sorry I couldn't post it here on my blog (I tried). Click on this link and watch it. You will laugh. I promise.