Blog Profile / Britannica Blog
| URL : | http://www.britannica.com/blogs | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Odd | |
| Posts on Regator: | 3634 | |
| Posts / Week: | 14.6 | |
| Archived Since: | August 11, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
Lush Vegetation: 5 Questions with Amy Stewart, Author of The Drunken Botanist
New York Times best-selling author Amy Stewart discusses her boozy new book with Britannica research editor Richard Pallardy.
Britannica Classic Videos: Juggling Shapes, Sizes, Colors, Textures (1980)
In excerpts from “Classifying: Juggling Shapes, Sizes, Colors, Textures,” the Flying Karamazov Brothers juggle their way through a lesson on categorization, much like human shape-sorting cubes.
“Hound Dog”: An Old Dog That Keeps on Running
Big Mama Thornton first charted with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's R&B song "Hound Dog" 60 years ago. Almost immediately, the song was softened, turned from a woman's blues growl into a man's novelty song—turning Leiber and Stoller into hitmakers in the bargain, to say nothing of a young man named Elvis Presley.
Lethal Ladybugs: The Invasive Harlequin
The harlequin ladybug is an aggressive invasive species that has leveraged intraguild predation to devastate native ladybug populations. Saving those native species might now rest on finding ways to eliminate a parasitic fungus that was recently discovered inside harlequins and that may be responsible for the harlequin's lethal effects.
A Tad Spiny, But With Violet Fins to Die For: 5 Questions with Shark Ecologist Paul Clerkin
Many of the species of sharks (and shark relatives) that Paul Clerkin studies live at such depths that the only contact they have with humans is when they surface as bycatch on commercial trawlers. On a two-month voyage aboard one such vessel last year, Clerkin, a graduate student at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California, discovered some 10 species new to science.
Britannica1768: The Ship
A ship is undoubtedly the noblest machine that ever was invented; and consists of so many parts, that it would require a whole volume to describe it minutely. However, we shall endeavour to satisfy the reader the more fully on this head.
The Life and Death of Languages: Prehistory
Languages change—sometimes abruptly, sometimes at a predictable rate, almost always profoundly. Linguists are pressing on with their long-standing quest to trace the evolution of the languages we speak, even as so many of those languages are disappearing. Step inside for more on this complex subject.
Seeing Green: Urban Trees Worth Billions
What are America's urban trees and forests worth? A recent study suggests that when it comes to carbon storage and sequestration, their economic value soars to more than $50 billion.
Britannica Classic Videos: Office Courtesy (1953)
Britannica staff began producing film and video 70 years ago, which means that our archive is quite the treasure trove. Some of these films are outdated, some are irrelevant, and some others are cultural artifacts—kitschy products of their time. We have decided to start sharing the most entertaining ones here on the blog as "Britannica Classic Videos."
Lyme Disease: It’s the Time of the Season
Spring marks the birth of new life and the resurgence of what winter has hidden away—including the tick, which spreads the terrible illness called Lyme disease.
The Battle of Chancellorsville and the Death of Stonewall Jackson
This week marks the 150th anniversary of the conclusion of Battle of Chancellorsville and the death of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The battle is regarded by many as General Robert E. Lee's finest hour.
Britannica1768: The Wolf
Like most ferocious animals, [the wolf] can bear hunger a very long time; but, at last, when the appetite for victuals becomes intolerable, he grows perfectly furious.
Universal Grit: A Sideways Look at Dust
Dust is an ancient building block of the universe. It blows in on ill winds and good ones alike, and it produces good and ill effects. Step inside—and then get the air flowing in your home to encourage the dust to move on.
By a Whisker: Rats and the Perception of Texture
The role of the whisker in a rat's ability to sense its environs is akin to the role of the fingertip and even the eye in our ability to perceive the world. Now, new research points to the complex biology underlying the remarkable ability of rats' whiskers to perceive texture specifically, which could shed light on our own sense of touch.
Capes Over Chicago: C2E2
Comic, science fiction, and fantasy fans of every stripe will gather in the Windy City this week for the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2). Britannica celebrates the event, one of the highlights of the spring and summer convention season, with a look at some of the more prominent characters and creators in the comic and sci-fi/fantasy genres.
Women at War, Plantagenet Style: Five Questions for Sarah Gristwood, Author of Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses
The period of British history known as the Wars of the Roses recently came to attention, more than 600 years after it ended, when the bones of the late, unlamented Richard III were found in a parking lot near the spot where he fell in battle and was unceremoniously buried. Show More Summary
To Drink or Not to Drink, or to Maybe Drink a Little, During Pregnancy
Is light drinking during pregnancy safe? Some studies suggest that it is and might even be beneficial for children's behavior. But there could be hidden risks, enough so to give a woman pause before she chooses to imbibe with any regularity while carrying her little one.
The Merganser: Shark-Slaying Dandy
Jemima Puddle-duck he's not. Nor does he bear much similarity to any of the other fictional anatids that feather the pop culture pantheon. Neither Daffy nor Donald, nor, for that matter, the abrasively-voiced AFLAC insurance spokesbird, has either the sartorial panache or the wickedly serrated beak of the merganser.
Avalanches: High Country Danger
Avalanches are a constant danger in the high places of the world, and surprisingly deadly ones at that. In most of the Northern Hemisphere, that danger recedes in April, only to pick up again in October—but even so, deaths by avalanche have been recorded in every month of the year.
The Value of Music that Tickles the Brain
Personal taste in music differs dramatically, and yet, as a recent study shows, when we hear something we like, our brains light up in the same way. And what's more, the value we place on music we've never heard before is directly associated with how much it tickles our brains.