DNA is a 'thing' - a chemical that sticks to your fingers. Sam Kean chemicaldnafinger Change image and share on social
The amygdala is indeed crucial for monitoring our environment and deciding what's worth getting worked up over. Once the amygdala determines this, however, it merely trips another circuit to actually produce the panic. Sam Kean amygdalacircuitcrucial share on social
Most organisms have loads of junk DNA - less pejoratively, noncoding DNA - cluttering their cells. Sam Kean cellclutterdna Change image and share on social
Some scientists claim - although these claims are contentious - that they can form deadly isomers with simple X-rays and that hafnium can multiply the power of these X-rays to an astounding degree, converting them into gamma rays up to 250 times more potent than the X-rays. Sam Kean astoundclaimcontentious share on social
After about 1940, scientists generally stopped looking for elements in nature. Instead, they had to create them by smashing smaller atoms together. Sam Kean atomcreateelement Change image and share on social
The most profound change that genetics brings about might not be scientific at all. It might be mental and even spiritual enrichment: a more expansive sense of who we humans are, existentially, and where we came from, and how we fit with other life on earth. Sam Kean bringchangeearth share on social
Before the Human Genome Project, most scientists assumed, based on our complex brains and behaviors, that humans must have around 100,000 genes; some estimates went as high as 150,000. Sam Kean 000assumebase Change image and share on social
The inability to trace DNA to actual diseases has serious consequences. As does the opposite problem - not being able to trace diseases back to DNA. Sam Kean actualbackconsequence Change image and share on social
The noble gases, which reside on the East Coast of the periodic table, are its aristocrats - detached and aloof, never bothering to interact with the rabble of common elements that make up the vast majority of the world. Sam Kean aloofaristocratbother share on social
The amygdala plays a crucial role in processing fear, and minus her two amygdalae, S.M. became unflappable. Studies of her are actually a hoot to read, since they basically consist of scientists concocting ever-more-elaborate ways of trying to scare her. Sam Kean amygdalaamygdalaebasically share on social
