Posts in Life, the Universe, and Everything


balloons and gifts

The Talk About Fox Talk Contest – WINNERS!

After compiling all the entries in the order received, I used a random number generator to select the winners. And those winners are…. *drumroll* KIM CLEARY – winner of an autographed copy of FOX TALK! PAULA MORROW – winner of ... Read More  

fox pup playing with stick

Last Chance to Enter!

The Talk About Fox Talk Contest ends at 12:01 AM tomorrow – comment now to enter! For commenting inspiration, I offer adorableness: And also this question: If you could have any wild creature as a pet, what would it ... Read More  

fuzzy dice

Frisky Foxes and Fuzzy Dice

My dad worked for the same company most of his adult life. He was good at his job, and enjoyed it until the last few years, when the priorities of said company began to change. By this time a ... Read More  

bulldog

Ten Random (But Fascinating) Facts About Dogs and Domestication

1. Dogs were the first domestic animal species. Unambiguous archaeological evidence for dogs is about 12,000 years old, but domestication may have started 20,000 years or more before that. 2. Ancient Egyptians had at least three dog breeds: a ... Read More  

back to the 80s

Air Band, Neon, and Giggles: The Link Between Music and Memory

I have a confession to make: I hate radio. Not music – I love music. My life has a running soundtrack that plays in my head. And, okay, quite often breaks out of my head in spontaneous bursts of ... Read More  

ice cream ingredients

Dairy-Free Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Ever since I’ve been dairy-free, cheese and ice cream are the foods I miss the most. Luckily, writer-friend Ishta Mercurio shared her coconut ice cream recipe with me, which I tweaked and tested this weekend. It came out rich ... Read More  

cow grazing

How to Grow A Burger in the Lab

I can’t post the video here for copyright reasons, but you should all go to the BBC right now and watch this incredible video about a lab that’s growing edible burgers from cow stem cells. Then come back here ... Read More  

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Reason #14 Why You Should Not Read The Monstrumologist Before Bed

You’ll read about a fight against the Anthropophagi – weird, voraciously hungry monsters that don’t need heads because their shark fangs are in their bellies – and then proceed to dream about harpies.  Except they aren’t harpies, they’re part ... Read More  

reflections of tree branches

Science According to Twain

  There is something fascinating about science.  One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact. — Mark Twain Read More  

border collie

Talking to Your Dog is Not as Crazy as You Think

Any dog owner will tell you that their pet understands them – recognizes words, follows commands, and somehow knows when they need a sympathetic snuggle. Scientists call this communicative skill and intelligence “social cognition.” It’s the set of knowledge ... Read More  

Sharknado poster

Thank You, Sharknado, For Rekindling My Childhood Fear of Pool Sharks

So I watched Sharknado (voluntarily, unlike Snakes on a Plane, which I was dragged to with eyes in full-on roll mode). I could put on my scientist hat and talk about how almost everything about this movie is impossible, ... Read More  

kitchen utensils

Hypoallergenic Southern Comfort Red Velvet Cake

According to a buddy of mine who works for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there are seven major food allergens: wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, sesame, and shellfish. I’m allergic to the first five, plus a random assortment of ... Read More  

Domestic fox cubs on couch

Talk About FOX TALK Contest

Have you ever noticed that domestic animals share physical characteristics with each other, but not with their wild ancestors? Floppy ears, for instance. Elephants are the only wild species with floppy ears, but they occur in breeds of dog, ... Read More