The earth spins faster in the middle than it does at the poles, where (in the limit) it doesn’t move at all. If a plane in the northern hemisphere is flying south, the earth’s movement from right to left beneath it will become faster as t[…]

DRINK IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE: go on, it’s an experiment you can do in the pub![…]

I don’t know if it is cheating to ask this here, but the memory was prompted by Geeta’s keynote article talking about the deadening vanilla teaching of science in schools. My chemistry teacher once threw me out of a class – he was t[…]

ANNALS OF EXPERIMENTAL DOMESTIC SCIENCE: it is SO science, i cd have i. discovered marvels that brought me fame and wealth, ii. burnt and/or poisoned myself!![…]

DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE! ‘Electroclash’
“First, the system should contain three (3) electrodes. The head should be fitted with a tightly fitting cap containing an electrode with a saline moistened sponge. It is through this electrode […]

Hey you, SUV driver! Fed up with being persecuted because your gas-gobbling family tank is causing ice caps to melt every time you drive the kids to school? Maybe you’re a frequent flyer worried about the millions of tonnes of CO2 pumped into t[…]

So, OK, why does Freaky Trigger suddenly have a science blog? If you’re looking for enlightenment, read It’s Science, Geeta’s excellent introductory piece and the first article for FT’s October issue to go up. (Others will fol[…]

REAL LIFE EXPERIMENTS #1: The Tube Train
AIM: Find out what happens if you pull the emergency handle in a London tube train.
APPARATUS: 1 Northern Line tube train with emergency handles, air conditioning and tannoy systems. 2 fellow passengers. 1 dri[…]

Since I was a child, I’ve been certain that our planet is not the only place where life exists. I can remember staying up with the covers pulled around my head in bed, with my eyes glued to shows like Nova on late-night public television. Seein[…]

Check out the recent issue of Stay Free!, subtitled the Psychology Issue. There are interviews with Edward Valenstein on the history of lobotomies (why does my library not carry his books? I want to read more!), Laurence Kirmayer on mental illness ac[…]