Living in the Pacific Northwest, I occasionally experience the wimpiest of earthquakes, and they are endlessly entertaining to gossip about with other terrified locals. One night, some months ago, I was reading in bed when...somebody grabbed the bed and started shaking it. Well...a quick trip to the web revealed that I was indeed crazy, and there had been a minor earthquake in the area. Thus began several days of talking about the experience with everyone I could find. (I guess what I really need is an... READ ON

The internet is great for study aids, if nothing else. The periodic table of the elements is easier to study as an interactive table. Click on an element to retrieve all kinds of further information. Nice, but there are more imaginative minds working on putting the "able" back into the table. The Google Image Search Periodic Table uses the first image that appears in an image search for each element.   This table is made of keyboard keys, and is also somewhat... READ ON

While there's certainly been significant progress in the fight against infectious disease around the globe, a study recently published in Neurology points out another category of disease that many developing nations are not prepared to fight - non-communicable chronic diseases, such as Parkinson's. The study focused on Western Europe's 5 largest countries and the 10 most populous nations worldwide and found that the number of individuals with Parkinson's will likely grow from around 4.1 million... READ ON

According to New Scientist online, a little brain damage might go a long way with smokers trying to quit. Scientists at the University of Southern California in LA were intrigued by a heavy smoker (40 cigarettes a day) who immediately lost the urge to light up once his insula was damaged. In follow-up studies, 70% of smokers with damage to that tiny part of the brain also managed to kick the habit with ease. While the research is all positive, the hope is that in the future surgeons will be able to tamper... READ ON