Kukai imported the tradition of esoteric Buddhism into Japan from China during the 8th century. The esoteric Buddhists believed that true enlightenment consisted of communion with the cosmic Buddha through secret rituals handed down from generation to generation. Kukai argued that the entire universe was the Buddha Dainichi at a spiritual or cosmic level. At [...]

See the results of the competition. Information aesthetics challenged visitors to create paper representations of data, and they came up with some really creative designs, often integrating visual representations of many data sets. My favorite is the white tubes. Each one represents a country, and they vary in width according to the GDP and in [...]

So I’ve started up a new project at the lab. Goodbye SPAR, the project from hell! I need (want) to get some real data for my thesis.
I’m working with LYP, lymphoid specific tyrosine phosphatase. LYP regulates the kinases responsible for the first steps in immune cell (T cell) activation. When a pathogen is present, it [...]

I’ve been tutoring introductory chemistry for a couple of years now, and I have just come to this ridiculously obvious realization: not everyone likes thermodynamics.
I generally place value on an understanding of the fundamental principles of chemistry, notwithstanding the way the discipline is often taught: as a number-crunching, unit-converting, formula-copying discipline devoid of intellectual stimulation. [...]

I recently came across two intriguing pieces of media: Seed Magazine’s The Universe in 2009, in celebration of intellectual progress, and Jeni Barnett’s recent radio show on the MMR vaccine.
Although a majority of the written content is subscription-restricted, I would recommend checking out Universe in 2009 for the images and superbly designed interface. In true [...]

I realized that I had pretty much no idea of what modern estimations are of the age of the universe, the earth, and life. It’s funny because I know that I’ve heard them many times, but I can’t retain them without a context. It’s impossible for humans to even begin to imagine time on the [...]

It’s not difficult to come up with examples of current research in the physical sciences that is fueled by biological questions and problems. Physicists and engineers study nanopores with the direct goal of sequencing DNA. Another active area of research is the development of fluorescent reporter molecules for studies in cell biology (see 2008 Nobel [...]

Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers developed theories regarding the existence of an indivisible fundamental unit of matter as early as the 6th century BC. We often hear of Democritus as the father of atomic theory, but what about his opponent, Anaxagoras? Anaxagoras argued that the size of a body has no effect on its properties, [...]