Methane Detected on Mars . . . Big Boost for Search for Life

Scientists have reported the detection of methane gas in Mars’ atmosphere.  This discovery leads to more possibilities that life may have once (if not still) inhabited the red planet.  While methane can exist without life, it is very often associated as being produced by living things on our own planet.  As such it is possible the it was once produced by living things are Mars, likely some types of microbes.  While this isn’t definitive evidence of life on Mars, it is another factor that adds support.  Read more about the discovery from this CNN article.

Science in the Kitchen and On The Plate

One of my favorite pass times is cooking a good meal.  I am not sure when it was that I really started to enjoy the physical act of cooking (I have been cooking for a large amount of my life, but as a kid it seemed more like a chore than something fun and entertaining) but I do know that a big part of my love of cooking is being able to make something that is not just going to fill my (and others’) stomachs but will also hopefully produce something that is delicious to eat.  Having said this I love the ways in which science is very intimately involved in cooking.  The New York Times has an article by Kenneth Chang today titled “At the Stove, A Dash of Science, A Pinch of Folklore” which looks right at the mingling of the culinary process and the science behind some of it.  Some of it is very interesting (I personally really liked the explanation for as why alcohol may be used, besides as a flavoring, in many recipes).  For those of you who are also into cooking and science I suggest the Food Network show “Good Eats”, as Alton Brown is kind of like Bill Nye for the kitchen (my brother finds Mr. Brown to be very annoying, but my brother is also not really a huge cooking or science fan). 

And really why shouldn’t food be paired with science?  The whole reason why we need to eat is very scientific (we eat to provide energy to all of our bodily functions by the way).  Further, cooking in many ways makes food stuff more digestible and allows us to better access important nutrients, and, in the very least, should, make the stuff on our plate more palatable.