What Your 23andMe Results Mean for Your Health
by Ben Marcus Science Within Us
Last year, the genetic testing company 23andMe announced they will start testing for mutations in the BRCA genes, the ones […]
How Genetic Mutations Cause — And Prevent — Disease
by Ben Marcus Science Within Us
Stephen Crohn, an artist from New York, lost a lot to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. He saw his […]
Why Jet Lag Sucks: Your Body Clock and You
by Ben Marcus Science Within Us
One weekend in early May, I endured one of the most confusing experiences in my life: a two-legged, 24-hour flight […]
What is Corn Syrup, Anyways?
by Ben Marcus Science Around the House
Editor’s Note: This is Part II of Ben Marcus’ series on the science of sugar. For Part I, click here. […]
Chicago Gets a Head Start on the Vernal Equinox!
by Ben Marcus Science in Space
Don’t be fooled – the calendar says the Spring equinox is on the March 20th, but in Chicago, we come […]
The Reason Sugar Tastes So Darn Good
by Ben Marcus Science Within Us
Sugar is everywhere. Kids crave it, pastry chefs live by it, and dieters avoid it like the plague. It comes naturally in […]
NASA Has Been Shooting Lasers at the Moon to Challenge Einstein
by Ben Marcus Science in Space
Since the 1960s, the United States government has been shooting lasers at the moon. No, this is not a covert […]
How a Pile of Uranium Changed the World
by Ben Marcus The "TEM" of STEM
On December 3rd, 1942, under the stands at the University of Chicago’s Stagg Field, scientists produced a breakthrough that would […]
How Candles Work
by Ben Marcus Science Around the House
“I PURPOSE, in return for the honor you do us by coming to see what are our proceedings here, to […]
LSD and the Elephant
by Ben Marcus Science Within Us
Humans are wonderful research subjects. They can think pretty well, and they can speak, too. Our ability to communicate clearly […]
Voyager 1 and the Depths of Interstellar Space
by Ben Marcus Science in Space
The world is preparing to send humans to Mars. This will probably be the most technologically challenging undertaking the world […]
Why Do We Have Leap Years?
by Ben Marcus The "TEM" of STEM
2020 is a leap year. Don’t forget! In 2020, we will have 366 days instead of our usual 365, giving […]
Stopping Addiction in its Tracks
by Ben Marcus People in Science
The United States is facing a major health crisis, and you may not have heard much about this one in […]
Glass: Solid or Liquid?
by Ben Marcus Science Around the House
Glass is a solid, right? Obviously. You touch it, your finger doesn’t go through. You stand it upright, it doesn’t […]
Randall Munroe, Author of “Thing Explainer,” Comes to 1871 to Talk in Simple Terms
by Ben Marcus ISC News
Last week, the ISC and our partner, 1871, welcomed NASA engineer-turned #1 best-selling author Randall Munroe to 1871’s Merchandise Mart […]
Finding Art in Human Anatomy
by Ben Marcus People in Science
Science and art share a storied history, especially in the study of human anatomy. For centuries, practitioners of these two […]
Do Caterpillars Have Tongues?
by Ben Marcus Science of the Outdoors , Science Within Us
Do caterpillars taste? Do they have tongues? Can you taste things without a tongue? -Annika F.
Improving the Soybean, One Gene at a Time
by Ben Marcus People in Science , Science of the Outdoors
Illinois is the United States’ top soybean-producing state. In 2014, Illinois farmers produced about 550,000 bushels of soybeans over almost […]
