Trego's Mountain Ear

I’m reading an article on biblical archaeology.  While I have thought this might be a scientific article, I’m not certain.  It doesn’t seem particularly religious in nature – but I’m not sure that I can trust the conclusions. “It might seem strange, but in the days of the biblical kings, wine flavored with vanilla was Read more

I’m seeing news flashes describing the chemical spills that resulted from a derailment in Ohio – some sound like the chemical equivalent of Chernobyl.  Others point out that Pete Buttigieg just isn’t up to the job as secretary of transportation.    Rail transportation is a fairly intense business from what I hear – and, since the Read more

Iron and materials containing iron give off sparks when ground, but other metals do not spark for grinding. Why? This is a surprisingly complex question that involved more concepts from teaching high school chemistry than I initially expected. The short answer is, of course, because it’s iron. The physical process of grinding does a few Read more

Psychopaths: why they’ve thrived through evolutionary history – and how that may change Jonathan R Goodman, University of Cambridge When you start to notice them, psychopaths seem to be everywhere. This is especially true of people in powerful places. By one estimate, as many as 20% of business leaders have “clinically relevant levels” of psychopathic tendencies Read more