Popular Posts on the Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog in the Last Decade
Posted on January 19, 2020 Comments (1)
These were the most popular (by number of page views) posts on our blog in the last decade.
- Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (2008)
- NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover (2011)
- Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids (2005)
- Backyard Wildlife: Red-tailed Hawk (2018)
- Home Engineering (Halloween edition): Gaping Hole Costume (2010)
- Ranking Countries by Scientific Publication Citations: USA, UK, Germany… (2015)
- Neil Degrasse Tyson: Scientifically Literate See a Different World (2009)
- 500 Year Floods (2008)
- Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe Hybrid Image (2009)
- Why is it Colder at Higher Elevations? (2008)

John Hunter, Olympic National Park (where the mountain peaks are colder and covered in snow)
Backyard Wildlife: Squirrel Gathering Leaves for Its Nest
Posted on May 22, 2019 Comments (5)
I saw this squirrel gathering leaves for its nest in its mouth and then climbing a tree in my backyard. It repeated this many times all morning. I saw it doing so at least 5 times and likely it did so many times when I did not see it.
See more backyard wildlife posts on the Curious Cat Science Blog
Related: Squirrel Eating Holly Berries – Backyard Wildlife: Red-tailed Hawk – Backyard Wildlife: Family of Raccoons
Regeneron High School Science Talent Search 2019
Posted on April 19, 2019 Comments (1)
$3.1 million in prizes was awarded through the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2019, including $2,000 to each of the top 300 scholars and their schools. The top award was for $250,000. If you want to watch the video without knowing the winner, watch it before reading the rest of this post.
Every year the accomplishments of high school students provide amazing hope for the future. I am glad for the organizations that highlight the efforts of these students and provide awards for a few of the most amazing accomplishments. The top 40 students all get at least $25,000 (with the top 10 getting more).
Categories: Fellowships, Scholarships, K-12, Science, Students
Tags: Awards, Events, Funding, high school students, Science, webcasts
Appropriate Technology: a Microscope and Centrifuge for Under $1
Posted on March 24, 2019 Comments (1)
Malaria is estimated to have killed more than half the people that have ever lived. And it continues to kill millions. One big challenge is diagnosing malaria is difficult (those infected have flu like symptoms).
The video shows two great appropriate technology solutions to help diagnose malaria and save millions of lives. Manu Prakash from Stanford talks about 2 of his labs’ inventions the Foldscope and the Paperfuge. Combined these cost only 68 cents and they can be used to diagnose Malaria. Both of these are examples not only of simple, brilliant design, but of how engineering is used to make a positive dent in the world.
Read more about the Paperfuge: an ultra-low cost, hand-powered centrifuge inspired by the mechanics of a whirligig toy (open access paper).
This solution also shows the huge benefit people everywhere have gained when immigrants can take their skills and desires to institutions like Stanford to create solutions that greatly benefit the world. This powerful force has been creating huge benefits that we all have enjoyed for decades.
Related: Appropriate Technology and Focus on Improving Lives at MIT (2014) – $1 Device To Give Throat Cancer Patients Their Voice Again (2016) – Video showing malaria breaking into cell (2011) – Engineering: Cellphone Microscope (2009) – One Scientists 20 Year Effort to Defeat Dengue Fever (2012)
Categories: Engineering, Health Care, Products, Technology
Tags: appropriate technology, cool, Engineering, engineers, human health, India, open access paper, Stanford, university research
Scientists Watch Single Cell Organisms Evolve Multicellular Trait in Response to Predation
Posted on February 24, 2019 Comments (2)
The scientists used the ciliate predator Paramecium tetraurelia to select for the de novo evolution of multicellularity in outcrossed populations of C. reinhardtii. They show that multicellular life cycles that evolved were passed on to future generations (the change was heritable). The evolved multicellular life cycles are stable over thousands of asexual generations in the absence of predators. Because C. reinhardtii has no multicellular ancestors, these experiments represent a novel origin of multicellularity.
De novo origins of multicellularity in response to predation
The control populations remained unicellular. The populations subjected to predation evolved in different ways including one that formed stereotypic eight-celled clusters (Fig. 1A), with an apparent unicellular and tetrad life stage.

Scanning electron micrographs of representative multicellular colonies from evolved populations. (A) Shows an amorphous cluster from population B2. Cell number varies greatly between clusters in this clone and between clones in this population. (B) Shows an eight-celled cluster from population B5. Octads were frequently observed in both populations.
The article also provides details on the scientific inquiry process where theory meets practical realities of observation. I think these ideas are very important and we often gloss over such details. This article was shared as an open access article and is written so that those who are interested in science but are not scientists can understand, which is a valuable. The research was funded by USA National Science Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, the NASA Astrobiology Institute, a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship and a Packard Foundation Fellowship. And the researchers work at public and private universities. Such research should all be published in an open access manner.
Related: The Amazing Reality of Genes and The History of Scientific Inquiry – Parasite Evolved from Cnidarians (Jellyfish etc.) – Why Don’t All Ant Species Replace Queens in the Colony, Since Some Do – Scientific Inquiry Leads to Using Fluoride for Healthy Teeth – Mechanical Gears Found in Jumping Insects
Categories: Life Science, Research, Science
Tags: basic research, biology, evolution, Life Science, open access paper, Science, scientific inquiry, university research
20 Most Popular Post on the Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog in 2018
Posted on December 30, 2018 Comments (1)
These were the most popular (by number of page views) posts on our blog in 2018.
- Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (2008)
- NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover (2011) *
- Backyard Wildlife: Red-tailed Hawk (2018) *
- Home Engineering (Halloween edition): Gaping Hole Costume (2010) *
- 500 Year Floods (2008)
- Growing Citrus in the Snow (2018) *
- Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids (2005)
- 3D Printing at Home: Today, Challenges and Opportunities (2015) *
- Ranking Countries by Scientific Publication Citations: USA, UK, Germany… (2015)
- Neil Degrasse Tyson: Scientifically Literate See a Different World (2009)
Widespread Misuse by Those Who Use Antibiotics Infrequently Leads to Resistance
Posted on December 19, 2018 Comments (0)
Widespread, occasional use of antibiotics in USA linked with resistance
The study also found that antibiotic use varies across the nation, and that in areas where particular antibiotics are used more frequently, resistance to those antibiotics is higher.
“We know that efforts to reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics are critical to addressing the problem of antibiotic resistance.
…
“Our results show that most antibiotic use is occasional—by people taking just one antibiotic course in a year—and that this occasional use is more closely linked with antibiotic resistance than intense, repeated use.”
The problems created by misuse of antibiotics are significant and continuing. The consequences are long term and diffuse. The lack of immediate and damaging impacts makes the continued misuse seem to have little consequence. However, the consequences are dire but not immediate.
In this way it is similar to the problems caused by pumping huge amounts of green house gases into the atmosphere and causing massive climate changes (though delayed by several decades). As a society we really have to get better at changing our behavior when the long term consequences are dire and clear.
It is good to learn from these efforts to understand the most significant aspects of our continued misuse of antibiotics in order to prioritize where we focus our improvement efforts.
Related: What Happens If the Overuse of Antibiotics Leads to Them No Longer Working? (2011) – Our Dangerous Antibiotic Practices Carry Great Risks (2012) – 80% of the Antibiotics in the USA are Used in Agriculture and Aquaculture – CDC Urges Increased Effort to Reduce Drug-Resistant Infections (2006) – Antibiotics Breed Superbugs Faster Than Expected (2010)
Categories: Antibiotics, Health Care, Life Science, Research
Tags: Antibiotics, bacteria, Health Care, human health, medical studies, scientific inquiry
Hope Exists to Reverse Bee Colonies Collapse if We Take Action
Posted on November 23, 2018 Comments (0)

photo by Justin Hunter
The bee colony collapse disorder has been ongoing for more than 10 years and while some scientific understanding has been gained the complexity of the problem continues to stifle progress. The first post I wrote on this blog about colony collapse disorder was published in 2006.
As early as 2007 a virus was found to be one likely factor in bee colony collapse disorder. But progress has been slow especially since likely solutions were fought by those profiting from existing conditions (widespread use of powerful pesticides). In 2012, I wrote another post for this Curious Cat Science blog: Study of the Colony Collapse Disorder Continues as Bee Colonies Continue to Disappear.
Scientist unveils blueprint to save bees
The UN conference is already debating new guidelines on pollinators that will recommend reducing and gradually phasing out the use of existing pesticides, but Christmann’s research suggests this can be done without financial pain or a loss of production.
The need for a change is increasingly evident. More than 80% of food crops require pollination but the populations of insects that do most of this work have collapsed. In Germany, this fall is by up to 75% over the past 25 years. Puerto Rico has seen an even sharper decline. Numbers are not available in most countries, but almost all report an alarming decline.
Related: Another Bee Study Finds CCD is Likely Due to Combination of Factors Including Pesticides (2013) – The Study of Bee Colony Collapses Continues (2007) – Europe Bans Certain Pesticides, USA Just Keeps Looking, Bees Keep Dying (2013) – Apple Farmers Use Pigs Instead of Pesticides
Categories: Animals, Life Science, Research, Science
Tags: bees, biology, farming, food, Science, scientific inquiry
Scientists and Engineers in Congress After the Recent Elections in the USA
Posted on November 12, 2018 Comments (0)
The recent elections in the USA added to those serving in congress with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) backgrounds.

US Capital Building in Washington DC by John Hunter.
Here is a list of elected representatives in the USA congress with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds (after the 2018 election).
Name | State | BS | Notes | Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ralph Abraham | Louisiana | MD | bio | |
Ami Bera | California | biological sciences | MD | bio |
Tony Cárdenas | California | electrical engineering | bio | |
Sen. Bill Cassidy | Louisiana | biochemistry | MD | bio |
Sean Casten | Illinois | molecular biology and biochemistry | MS biochemical engineering and engineering management, 2018* | bio |
Chris Collins | New York | mechanical engineering | bio | |
Joe Cunningham | South Carolina | ocean engineering | 2018* | bio |
Jeff Van Drew | New Jersey | D.D.S. (Dentist), 2018* | bio | |
Bill Foster | Illinois | physics | PhD physics | bio |
Brett Guthrie | Virginia | mathematical economics | bio | |
Sen. Martin Heinrich | New Mexico | mechanical engineering | bio | |
Kevin Hern | Oklahoma | electro-mechanical engineering | 2018* | bio |
Chrissy Houlahan | Pennsylvania | engineering | MS technology and policy, 2018* | bio |
Joe Kennedy III | Massachusetts | management science and engineering | bio | |
Ted Lieu | California | computer science | bio | |
Name | State | BS | Notes | Link |
Dan Lipinski | Illinois | mechanical engineering | engineering-economic systems (MS) | bio |
Elaine Luria | Virginia | physics | masters in engineering management, 2018* | bio |
Jerry McNerney | California | mathematics PhD | bio | |
Seth Moulton | Massachusetts | physics | bio | |
Pete Olson | Texas | computer science (BA) | ||
Sen. Jacky Rosen | Nevada | psychology | associat’s degree in computing and information technology | |
Raul Ruiz | California | MD, 2018* | bio | |
Brad Schneider | Illinois | industrial engineering | bio | |
Kurt Schrader | Oregon | Dr. of Veterinary Medicine | bio | |
Kim Schrier | Washington | astrophysics | MD, 2018* | bio |
John M. Shimkus | Illinois | general engineering | bio | |
Paul Tonko | New York | mechanical and industrial engineering | bio | |
Lauren Underwood | Illinois | nursing | MS in Nursing and Master of Public Health, 2018* | bio |
Steve Watkins | Kansas | engineering | 2018* | bio |
Those with notes including “2018*” means they were newly elected to the congress in 2018.
Please send any information on possible additions to this list (see the continually updated list).
Related: Scientific Research Spending Cuts in the USA and Increases Overseas are Tempting Scientists to Leave the USA (2013) – The Science Gap and the Economy – Scientists and engineers in the USA Congress in 2008 (scroll down the page to see 2008) – Diplomacy and Science Research – Unless We Take Decisive Action, Climate Change Will Ravage Our Planet (2009) – Silicon Valley Shows the Power of Global Science and Technology Workforce
Categories: Engineering, Funding, Science
Tags: Engineering, government, politics, Science, USA
Protecting Cows with Lion Lights
Posted on October 21, 2018 Comments (1)
It is wonderful to see what great things people accomplish to improve their lives using sensible, and fairly simple, engineering.
15 Year-Old Kenyan Prodigy, Richard Turere, Who Created “Lion Lights”
The astonishing aspect of this is that Turere installed the whole system by himself, without receiving any training in electronics or engineering.
This is a great video which includes good examples of the value to experimenting, learning and adapting. Iteration is a critical skill when developing solutions. Try out prototypes and learn from what happens. Use that knowledge to develop new solutions or modify the existing solutions and experiment some more. Continue to iterate and improve.
This is another great example of people using their initiative, creativity and engineering talent to create appropriate technology solutions to create solutions that improve their lives. It is great to see how these efforts continue over time, this BBC article follows up on Richard Turere several years after his initial success:
What happened to the boy who chased away the lions?
Lion Lights 2.0 costs $200 (£150) to install. Half of the money usually comes from NGOs while the rest is provided by the herder.
This version has 16 different flashing light settings and Richard’s latest update is a homemade wind turbine for days when clouds limit the solar power potential.
…
But while his idea has travelled, support for Richard as a young innovator and the implementation of his own Lion Lights has stalled in recent years. He thinks Kenya could do more to help young innovators like himself.
“There are many young people in Kenya with brilliant ideas, better even than mine – they just need support,” he says.
They need someone to be there to tell them, “this idea is really nice., let’s develop it to help communities”.
The efforts of so many great young people to create solutions that make the world a better place are inspiring.
Related: Electric Wind – Beehive Fence Protects Farms from Elephants – Appropriate Technology and Focus on Improving Lives at MIT – Using The Building of Robots to Engage Students in Learning
Categories: Animals, Cats, Engineering, Products, Students
Tags: Africa, animals, appropriate technology, Engineering, engineers, Products, Students, Technology
Using Horizontal Polarized Optics to Block Screens
Posted on October 4, 2018 Comments (0)

Animated of a polarizer in front of a computer screen (via Wikipedia).
These interesting glasses block LCD/LED screens through horizontal polarized optics. I think this is more an interesting application of science that a useful product but maybe some people actually would like the product.
The video below looks at how IRL Glasses block most TVs (LCD/LED) and some computers (LCD/LED). IRL Glasses do not yet block smartphones or digital billboards (OLED).
Related: App to allow a user to use American Sign Language to interact with Alexa – Autonomous Delivery Robots Launched in Europe and USA – 3D Printing at Home: Today, Challenges and Opportunities – The Engineer That Made Your Cat a Photographer