Posts Tagged ‘SciLights’

Did you have pet sea monkeys as a kid? Did you know they were bent on world domination?

You’ll never guess what some scientists propose as an alternative, low-carbon meat source. You’re going to want a LOT of ketchup.

In the debate over man’s role in climate change, it turns out that your conclusions are more affected by your personal values than by the evidence.

In the case of Plastic vs. Reusable Bags, the prosecution is trying to play dirty. But do reusable bags really carry more nasty bacteria that can make you sick?

Solving the mystery of my doubled water bill would’ve been easier if I had a way to monitor my usage. I smell a conspiracy….

TweetHere’s a sample of some of the recent research on building design and energy efficiency. A performance comparison of passive and low-energy buildings Ardeshir Mahdavi, Eva-Maria Doppelbauer Energy and Buildings, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 4 March 2010, ISSN 0378-7788, DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.02.025. Abstract: This paper compares apartments in two residential blocks in Vienna; one [...]

TweetWhy does flu season tend to occur in the winter?  You may want to ask your guinea pig. Your mother always told you that you’d “catch your death of cold” if you went outside without a hat, but science has come to the rescue.  Some old and new research suggests that it’s the dry winter [...]

TweetOld habits die hard, and almost 10 years working in research labs gave me a strange desire to read scientific journal articles.  My field has changed, but I was happy to find there are plenty of journals that focus on energy generation, building science, and sustainability.  I’ll cover the highlights from time to time. Picture [...]

TweetI think a lot about building energy use and how it contributes to the UNC Chapel Hill carbon footprint, but there’s a major energy user I can’t track because there are no meters in place to measure it. I’m talking about construction.  The University has grown dramatically over the last 10 years, expanding the built [...]