tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88550755546278022152011-11-06T01:49:10.794-05:00Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-76170108506478818192010-07-12T11:53:00.006-04:002010-07-12T12:12:31.017-04:00

Update your address books! http://superscientastic.com

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-24377069944348204332010-06-15T15:04:00.004-04:002010-06-15T15:49:58.149-04:00

(Is this goat saying "I wish I could live in the wild where people can't touch me" or "I love all the free food and hot ladies!")I'm getting ready to entertain my sister for the weekend so I'm looking at the different attractions around the city. Two of my favorites are the American Museum of Natural History and the Bronx Zoo which is no surprise because they both prominently feature animals.

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-44000796426530631842010-06-02T15:33:00.004-04:002010-06-02T16:24:02.375-04:00

There are only 2 manned missions left for NASA's shuttle program. Last night, as I was falling asleep, Colbert did a bit on his program about it. He talked to the crew of the Atlantis in space. I actually started to tear up. I know people disagree, but I think manned missions are something worth spending money on. We certainly spend a lot more on things I agree on less (Iraq war anyone?).

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-1931403527376453372010-04-14T16:28:00.004-04:002010-04-14T16:59:12.330-04:00

Ah spring is here! The days are getting warmer, flowers are growing and my favorite green vegetable is in season, asparagus, which means I'll be producing a lot of smelly pee. The smell is a result of the methanethiol the body produces when it metabolizes the plant. It contains sulfer and is the same gas given off by rotten eggs and cabbage. Everyone's body produces this special asparagus pee

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-57367048668117311602010-04-01T15:04:00.003-04:002010-04-01T15:53:11.003-04:00

I could barely bring myself to post a picture here. This creature truly terrifies me like no other. I'd like to think I'm pretty immune to being scared by household pests. The occasional spider or pill bug doesn't freak me out. But something about the look of the house centipede catches me off guard every time. It's like it crawled out of some portal to another world that's hidden somewhere

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-830352858011187572010-03-19T11:00:00.003-04:002010-03-19T11:26:44.056-04:00

I just found the most adorable site on the web. I know that's a hard claim to make, but I feel pretty confident in saying it. ZooBorns is a site that has pictures of newly born exotic animals from zoos around the world and they are so freakin' cute! I love that they have it set up like a child's alphabet book with every animal from aardvark to zebra. You can also search by zoo so you can

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-13142314534883706702010-02-24T14:17:00.004-05:002010-02-24T15:13:07.749-05:00

Health is science, right? Well, close enough because I need a platform to talk about something that I love. The appearance of drug store health clinics. Back when I was a lowly temp with no benefits or health insurance, medical care was a constant concern for me. And when I say constant, I mean constant. I would avoid obvious activities like skiing but then that extended to even less

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-11341453489549786942010-02-11T16:03:00.003-05:002010-02-11T17:33:10.126-05:00

I recently started a new blog with my friend Courtney entitled All The Tacos I Have Loved. It's a review site formed around our mutual love of tacos. It's pretty sparse so far because winter is a tough time for taco love. Which got me thinking, why do we love certain foods more than others and why do we enjoy them more at certain times of the year? The first part of this tasty equation has to

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-49901053477496832812010-01-29T17:14:00.004-05:002010-04-01T15:11:48.339-04:00

When I was a kid, most of my time outdoors was spent searching for and learning about wildlife. Whether it was catching bluegills in a local pond or looking under rocks for salamanders. But by far the most horrifying and fascinating creature I ever came across was the cicada. There are nearly 2,500 species of cicada in the world. The ones I remember from my youth were most likely tibicen or

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-47034505494493393162010-01-21T13:31:00.005-05:002010-01-21T13:39:11.880-05:00

I rarely stop to think about how amazing it is that we can do all the things we can do. I spend the majority of my day thinking about how boring it is to be stuck at work or running errands, but in fact it is extraordinary that I can do any of these things. Every part of my day depends on some radical invention that was thought up entirely by the human mind. From the train I take to work, to

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-2923950655939631322010-01-14T16:00:00.004-05:002010-01-14T16:56:56.208-05:00

The year 2010 has got me thinking of the future. More specifically, the future of our bodies. I was listening to a podcast the other day that was discussing at what point we stop being human and start being machine. This has been a question of sci-fi stories forever, but it occurred to me that it is becoming closer and closer to being a reality. Scientists are tinkering with prosthetics,

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-19245222880798101672009-11-19T16:02:00.005-05:002009-11-19T16:58:44.244-05:00

IBM announced that they have a computer system capable of replicating the processing power of a cat's brain. They're looking towards the brain to solve today's problem of size and energy consumption. They eventually plan on replicating a human brain's processing power (a cat's brain being about 4.5% of a human's) but all I can think is excellent, someday they will finally make a robotic cat

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-52806089532149288072009-11-02T17:16:00.005-05:002009-11-02T17:53:45.994-05:00

It's been a while since I've had an animal spotlight. When thinking of which animal to choose I felt back on an immediate favorite, Red Pandas. I'm an avid zoo-goer. I make sure to stop by the local zoo in every town I'm visiting and I just became a member of the Bronx Zoo which I'm very happy about. Red Pandas are a staple at many zoos and are my default favorite because the lines to see

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-34769011180511267992009-10-20T13:52:00.003-04:002009-10-20T14:11:16.975-04:00

There have been plenty of autotuning videos posted on the web. I personally think we are at the end of that trend. But I couldn't help reposting this one because the content is so amazing it deserves to be heard in any form. Thinking about how large the cosmos is and how small we are in comparison is a thought that keeps me sane. And not so much because it means we are insignificant so we

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-23688081283342195962009-07-27T17:30:00.004-04:002009-07-27T17:51:17.014-04:00

Warm weather thankfully keeps me busy and away from the computer. I try to spend as much time as work will allow traveling during the summer. Most of those trips end up being to natural wonders of some sort. A recent vacation took me to Franconia Notch State Park located in the White Mountain region of New Hampshire. There you can see the Flume Gorge. It was formed millions of years ago when

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-77844053453181175522009-03-31T15:29:00.004-04:002009-03-31T16:07:57.919-04:00

I must say that when the year 2000 arrived I was disappointed by the stunning lack of futuristic things. There were no flying cars, no personal robots and no colonies on the moon. But thankfully science has been picking up the pace since then. Honda just unveiled a robot that is controlled by thought alone. This technology has been steadily growing for a while. I first saw a story about its

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-80463197932387571812009-02-17T16:41:00.007-05:002009-02-17T16:57:01.370-05:00

Phlebotomy Technician Schools just posted a list of 50 blogs written by women in science which is great because I was just wondering how I was going to go about finding more science blogs to read. I haven't heard of most of these before so I'm going to go through and read a bunch. Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde and Dinochick Blogs may be my favorite on name alone so far. And on a related note, Kate

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-87303499266945929452009-02-12T16:41:00.003-05:002009-02-12T17:01:24.396-05:00

Today is Darwin's 200th birthday and it is unbelievable to me that after nearly 2 centuries, the ideas he put forth in the Origin of Species are still being debated. Apparently, 61% of Americans either don't believe in evolution or have no thoughts on it. (http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/11/darwin-200/) Really? 61% of people are not receiving a proper science education? I knew that scientific

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-31657097377259115842009-02-09T16:18:00.003-05:002009-02-09T17:38:42.866-05:00

Some space facts:- The "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula (above) were most likely destroyed in a supernova explosion 6,000 years ago.- Any free-moving liquid in outer space will form itself into a sphere, because of its surface tension.- In space, no one can hear you scream.- Jupiter's magnetosphere is the largest single structure inside the Solar System. If you could see it with your

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-36560727285165454222009-02-05T16:58:00.003-05:002009-02-05T17:22:35.958-05:00

Pygmy Marmosets might be the best thing going. First, they are teeny-tiny, itty-bitty monkeys, making them inherently cute. Second, they look just a little bad ass like Gremlins or sci-fi monsters. They're the ones that start out all adorable, tricking you into perhaps petting them and giving them some food but then turn and devour you in a mass hoard. Third, marmosets are like South American

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-86990305869967142422009-01-14T15:26:00.003-05:002009-01-14T16:37:04.990-05:00

A while back Nova's scienceNOW did a profile on Karl Iagnemma. I was immediately interested because like myself, his last name starts with "Ia" which sounds like "Ya" basically insuring that it will never be pronounced right on first try. It seems like a small thing to feel concerned about but believe me, after a while it becomes an issue. Beyond that it just got better. Karl is a research

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-20555206752433463512009-01-05T15:58:00.003-05:002009-01-06T12:53:50.471-05:00

Drift seeds are seeds that can survive for a long time at sea, floating slowly across the ocean to a new destination. Also, called seabeans, they travel for miles and years before washing ashore. One particular seed with which I share a name, Mary's Bean, travels further than any other. It only grows in Central America, but has been found as far away as Norway. I hope to find one at the

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-17589026657293044402008-12-15T15:32:00.009-05:002008-12-15T15:46:49.354-05:00

Mammal's hearts will all beat about a billion times in their life. So a mouse that lives around 4 years will have a faster heart rate then an elephant that lives for 70. But they will both get their billion heart beats in. Except for humans. We have learned to alter our lifespans to the degree that we will get 3x that number. Each of us getting 3,000,000,000 beats should we live to our

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-76098516589613628602008-12-11T17:32:00.007-05:002008-12-11T17:51:37.431-05:00

Did you know that if you cut a chunk of your liver off, it will regrow? Most people learn this in grade school, but it's easy to forget until you stop to think about how awesome it really is. Your liver will regrow itself. You can cut off up to 85% and it will still grow back. You could cut off more but you'd die of liver failure before it has a chance to regrow. Which, by the way, only

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-46813374763495274582008-10-15T17:54:00.002-04:002008-10-15T18:12:33.713-04:00

The most fearless animal. This animal is just flat out insane. It will only eat dangerous foods. Everything else tastes boring in comparison. Poisonous snakes, honey straight from the hive, scorpions. It can not have a meal without getting into a fight. Most predators make their living this way, but look at this guy, he's an adorable fuzzy badger.Or better yet, check out this video of him in

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-26209184511619197482008-10-07T14:39:00.006-04:002008-10-07T15:53:31.640-04:00

Recently, I found out that taking too much iron can be very very bad for you. That's because your body stores nearly all the iron you need. It is not excreted like most excess vitamins and minerals. Some is lost daily through shedding of hair and skin. But mainly, the only way to lose iron is to lose blood. My entire adult life I've felt as though I wasn't getting enough iron. I bruise

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-56547332316652285062008-10-02T10:50:00.003-04:002008-10-02T10:56:43.111-04:00

This video of a crab hitching a ride on a jellyfish gave me such a feeling of peace and relaxation that I could watch it all day. Clearly this crab knows where his priorities are. Time to skip work and catch a ride on the nearest jelly.

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8855075554627802215.post-23856417913134662022008-09-22T13:42:00.004-04:002008-09-22T13:54:50.160-04:00

In general, Marie and I spend a lot of time looking up science facts. Having been unsuccessful at becoming scientists (I switched degrees from Biology to Film after failing my second year of Organic Chemistry. Marie is still hoping to return to school after a loan debacle forced her leave college), maintaining this blog provides us with a sense of being part of the greater science community.

Mary Iampietrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06441877436244425976noreply@blogger.com0