Humans have long been fascinated by the concept of invisibility. From H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man to Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility, purveyors of fiction have pondered what one would do if one could move about unseen. Invisibility is often portrayed as a perfect transparency– ala the Invisible Man– however this method is in conflict with […]

At the base of the human brain there lies a tiny organ called the pituitary gland. About the size of a pea, this demure little gland produces and secretes a cocktail of hormones into the bloodstream from its bony nook inside the skull, helping the body to govern many internal systems. The pituitary is perhaps […]

In order to run down and kill wolves, the people of Ireland bred the powerful and long-legged Irish Wolfhound. When they needed something to chase ill-tempered badgers into their holes to exterminate them, Europeans bred the feisty, short-legged dachshund. But five hundred or more years ago, the people on the northern coast of Norway had […]

Biological warfare is nothing new to the human race. Attempts to use disease to bring down enemies date as far back as we have detailed histories of warfare. Even when the mechanisms for the spread of disease were poorly understood, biological warfare was popular. Dropping cadavers into an enemy’s water supply was common. Some inventive […]

In South America, in the swamps of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, lives a very unusual bird. The hoatzin is a pheasant-sized enigma. The official national bird of Guyana, the hoatzin has defied attempts of ornithologists to place it in its proper place among the families of birds. No matter where it is placed, the […]

Cybernetic senses have been the subject of science fiction for decades. The idea of using sophisticated technology to repair damaged bodies, or even to enhance normal ones, has a tremendous appeal – but how far have we progressed towards that goal? In some ways, we’ve gotten amazingly far. Cochlear implants are now a normal – […]

Krakatoa may just be the most famous volcano of all time. More devastating than Mt. St. Helens, closer in time than Vesuvius; the volcano that destroyed itself and its island in one tremendous eruption is nearly iconic in the public eye. The famous eruption of Krakatoa on August 27, 1883 has been estimated as the […]

One of the favorite topics of speculative fiction is a society composed entirely of women. From the Greek legends of the Amazons, to the modern novels of Sheri Tepper and Joanna Russ, we have asked ourselves a series of questions. What would such a society look like? How would its members behave? And most importantly […]

Since the earliest days of horse racing enthusiasts have talked about horses with great hearts. Horses who have stood out dramatically from their fellows – who run not only faster, but harder, who never give up until the finish line. It did not refer to a clear-cut physical characteristic, but to a quality of spirit. […]

Stem cell research is one of the most promising areas of current medical research. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have shown an ability to mature into almost any kind of adult cell, be it neuronal, muscle, cardiac, or anything else required. This unprecedented ability has potential applications in the treatment of myriad diseases and conditions, including […]