It's Inkfish's 100th post! I considered celebrating by listing my top 100 stories, but instead I'm bringing you this review of recent science news.
By the way, if you've eaten any European produce lately and are feeling unwell, please stay off of airplanes. The TSA is after you, anyway.
1.
At an undisclosed location in the northeast, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is currently testing a system that will:
a. employ explosives-sniffing ferrets
b. identify people who are thinking about committing a terrorist act
c. scan travelers in 3D, so screeners (wearing 3D glasses, naturally) can get an even more accurate look at your body
d. scan your shoes without requiring you to take them off
2. As of Thursday night, the E. coli outbreak in Europe had killed 30 people and sickened more than 2,800. The culprit has now been identified as:
a. sprouts
b. cucumbers
c. broccoli
d. lettuce
3. In the Czech Republic, the world's eighth-to-last northern white rhinoceros has died of old age (she was 39). All species of rhino have been unfortunately favored by humans for their horns. Which of these is NOT a traditional use of rhinoceros horn?
a. dagger handleb. aphrodisiacc. treatment for feverd. treatment for gout
4. After a delicate joint effort, scientists in China and Scotland are anxiously waiting to find out whether they've successfully mated a pair of:
a. white rhinosb. pandasc. cloned catsd. giant corpse flowers
5. Seven scientists in Italy will be tried on manslaughter charges because they:
a. accidentally released a dangerous virusb. approved defective pacemakers for implantation in humansc. erroneously predicted a flood, causing a riotd. failed to predict an earthquake
Bonus: Do cell phones cause brain cancer?a. obviouslyb. obviously notc. I don't know, but I'd sure like to read about it!
