Illustration by Michael Dwayne
According to a Michigan State University study, there’s good news and bad news about our knowledge of basic science. The good news is that there has been a marked increase in our ability to understand science. In 1988 only 10 percent of Americans were proficient enough in science to compreh/files/storyimages/reports in newspapers, a figure that increased to 28 percent by 2005. The bad news? More of us believe in such things as astrology and visits by extraterrestrials. Sheesh! Here are some science reports that have caught my eye of late:
• An Israeli company, Magink Display Technologies, developed a billboard face using synthetically produced cholesterol to improve the display of full-color digital images. When you add a small electrical charge to the substance it creates vibrant hues more vivid than previous LED technology. Lamar Outdoor Advertising, an American billboard giant, is interested in the process, and these billboards will appear on the highways and neon landscapes of American cities by the /files/storyimages/of this year. Here’s what I want to know: Why would a company from Israel, where foods like pastrami, matzos and cheese blintzes are readily available, ever feel the need to synthesize cholesterol?
• In a decades-long study of rhesus monkeys, researchers fed some a high-fat, high-calorie diet and others about two-thirds of the calories — all of them nutritious. Of course we know which of the primates fared better. The scientists compared a healthy eating monkey named Canto, age 25 (geriatric for a rhesus), with Owen, 26, who might be described as being on the “American” diet. Canto has a shiny coat, elastic skin and good posture. Meanwhile, Owen has arthritis, his hair is falling out and his skin is wrinkled. Now, before you invest in a shiny coat like Canto’s, consider their comparative human diets. For Canto, a healthy breakfast includes fermented soybeans and garlic; lunch is tofu, carrots and konyakku; dinner contains vegan sausage, kale, tomato sauce and salad. (I don’t know if “konyakku” is a food or the sound you make in the bathroom after you’ve been relegated to this diet.) On the other hand, Owen dove into eggs, toast and bacon for breakfast; a burger and fries for lunch; and steak, potatoes and corn for dinner. So, if you had a choice between making it to 90 by eating a diet of tofu, soybeans and whatever the heck konyakku is or living until maybe 65-75 by eating and drinking what you enjoy, which would you choose? My choice? Let’s just say my coat’s none too shiny anymore.
• The FDA has announced that there is no medical benefit to marijuana use. What a buzzkill, eh? Eleven states currently have laws allowing marijuana for medicinal use, which puts them at odds with the federal government. Most of the state laws, it should be noted, have been passed by citizen initiatives. I can see the wording on thee ballot initiative now: “Like, hey man, do you think that . . . whew, what was I saying? Oh yeah . . . like, should pot be allowed for, like, you know, ‘medicinal purposes’?”
• And how about this item: Princeton University has closed its ESP research center. In what has been described as an embarrassment by many of the faculty, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory (PEAR) has studied extrasensory perception and telekinesis from its quarters in the basement of the engineering building since 1979. Emeritus professor Robert G. Jahn, a former dean of engineering, thinks the lab’s research has been unfairly dismissed for all these years, with most results ignored by traditional science publications. (One editor told Jahn that he would publish an article about his research if he could telepathically communicate it.) In one experiment, participants sat in front of an electric box flashing a series of random numbers above and below 100. Subjects were instructed to “think high” or “think low.” After thousands of repetitions the data was checked to determine if there was a difference in the machine’s output. The PEAR team concluded that participants could alter the machines behavior about two or three times per 10,000 displays. So, instead of random chance (5,000 right, 5,000 wrong), these “psychics” were able to get 5,003 correct out of 10,000. Professor Jahn and his colleagues were taken completely by surprise at the announcement of the closing.
Meanwhile, there may be a silver lining to the Michigan State report. In another study 25 percent of respondents expressed a belief in astrology. But when “astrology” was replaced with “horoscopes” the figure fell to 7 percent. Maybe we’re not gullible — only lacking vocabulary skills.
