About Beth
I am a freelance writer, based in Pittsburgh, PA, specializing in science and technical topics. Yes, I am available for new writing projects! Science news I found interesting this week
Some psychologists are angry that a "cheat sheet" of typical inkblot responses is on Wikipedia. I say, if you can cheat by knowing how the tool works, it wasn't a very good tool to start with. Really, how long do you think you can keep a commonly-used test secret?link (NYTimes)
This SciAm article explains maternal/paternal DNA imprinting - certain genes need to be silenced in sperm and different ones silenced in eggs. Errors in the silencing process are at the root of many brain disorders, meaning that you can "inherit" something that's not part of your DNA sequence in the traditional sense. There are a few intriguing theories about what happens when this silencing goes wrong. link (Scientific American Mind)
Male cats are right-handed, females are left-handed, according to one study. link (ScienceDirect)
This SciAm article explains maternal/paternal DNA imprinting - certain genes need to be silenced in sperm and different ones silenced in eggs. Errors in the silencing process are at the root of many brain disorders, meaning that you can "inherit" something that's not part of your DNA sequence in the traditional sense. There are a few intriguing theories about what happens when this silencing goes wrong. link (Scientific American Mind)
Male cats are right-handed, females are left-handed, according to one study. link (ScienceDirect)
To science by Beth on
2009-07-29.