Memorial Day Weekend

"That year, the Jones' decided to renew their vows somewhere different. If they had remembered to supply the priest with enough oxygen, I believe they would never have gotten the divorce." - Anastasia van Orange

It Happened in "Jurassic Park"

It's a movie. It's just fiction. And yet how many people picked up random genetic engineering and dinosaur "facts" from this movie? Almost every non-scientist that I know outgrew his or her dinosaur obsession around the age of 12 but picked up the rest of their dinosaur trivia from the movies and mind of Michael Crichton.

But I have to give some credit to the film's creepy spin on reproduction. In recent news, an all female group of hammerhead sharks found a way to reproduce without a male counterpart:

"Researchers from the Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University in Florida and Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland found no male DNA in the female baby shark, which was born in December 2001 and died shortly after birth, apparently killed by another fish. The mother was one of three female bonnetheads, a small hammerhead species, that had been captured in Florida and kept without male sharks for three years in the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha."- New York Times

This immediately brought to mind a particular scene from the film, reproduced below:

DR. HENRY WU

You're implying that a group composed entirely of female animals will... breed?


DR. IAN MALCOLM
No, I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way.


Cue Creepy Music

I'm sure glad nothing like this happened in my all female dorm room in college.

Bernard's letter

For all of the writers out there...

(from the amazing British sitcom, "Black Books")

Fear of the Ocean

Ah the ocean, with its waves lapping up against the shore, and its many wonders and mysteries. Humans have a long history with this great and vast wet thing.

So why did this make it to my long list of phobias? Let's first look at the crazy creatures who call it home. Fish the glow, giant squid, tube worms, living sponges, sea bugs, moray eels, scary sharks, and giant mammals. And, apparently this giant Black Sea Bass. (Edward Lellewellen with a very large fish Credit: Library of Congress)

Air. Ocean dwellers don't need it. Isn't that a clear indication that they belong in water and we belong on sandy beaches or solid boats surrounded by lots of breathable air?

"Jaws." This movie ruined my beach bunny life before it ever had a chance. That reminds me, if you want to see bunnies reenacting the movie in 30 seconds, click here.

Zero warning. It's a perfect day with the perfect temperature and you are splashing around like an idiot when suddenly a creature whooshes past your unprotected legs. Or a big wave takes you down and you find yourself face to face with a stinging jellyfish. A coral reef full of gentle tropical fish is heaven for scuba diving fans until a hungry eel decides to take a bite.

Finally, you can't outrun anything in water. On land we can at least give ourselves a little bit of hope of escape. If a large animal, say a dog, decides to attack, you can try to outrun it. You could dodge hedges and mailboxes, turn the corner and wait for the opportunity to whack it with a stick. Or escape up a tree and wait for help. Unless there is a hungry wild cat hiding in the tree as well. Hmm. Maybe land animals are worthy of phobias as well. Snakes, wolves, creepy men in bowler hats (refer back to the photo)...

Heart in a Box

This amazing piece of medical technology can successfully keep donor hearts alive and beating even after it is removed from the body. It should change everything. Including how we view the process of donating organs. Read more an article that manages to reference Edgar Allen Poe and the word "yuckiest" at msnbc.com.