Levi Gadye, Author at Gizmodo

Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin On Our Next Evolutionary Challenge: Moving Past Survival of the Fittest

Last week, I spoke with one of my punk rock and science heroes, Bad Religion vocalist / evolutionary biologist Greg Graffin, about his new book, Population Wars, which drops today. And he told me why our view of evolution needs to move past pure competition. In your first book, Anarchy Evolution, you tackled ideas related…

Books & Comics Levi Gadye Sep 15

Here Are The Ways Smoking May Actually Be “Good” For You

The WHO calls tobacco “the single most preventable cause of death in the world”—but cigarettes may also provide a handful of paradoxical, if pyrrhic, health benefits: Smoking will probably take years off your life, but certain things in tobacco smoke may actually do the body good. Here’s what science has to say about the smoker’s…

io9 Levi Gadye Aug 7

How the Science of Smell is Changing Modern Warfare

The sensory chaos of battle has always posed a challenge to armies hoping to prepare for—and recover from—war. And while it’s clear to most people how sight and sound factor into a soldier’s experience and memory of battle, the smells of combat were, for most of history, largely ignored. But by the eve of the…

io9 Levi Gadye Jul 17

You Can Thank Genetic Engineering For Your Delicious Cheese

It used to be that making cheese meant killing cows. Young cows, specifically—a few days old, at most. The stomach of an unweaned calf produces enzymes that turn liquid milk into good, hard, flavorful cheeses like Parmesan and Cheddar. These enzymes, called rennet, are secreted by mucous membranes that line the calf’s fourth stomach. Harvesting…

io9 Levi Gadye Jun 15

Scientists Discover A New Link Between The Brain And The Immune System

Last week, researchers announced they had discovered a physical connection between the immune system and the brain’s blood supply. The finding gives researchers a novel approach to understanding diseases ranging from autism to multiple sclerosis, and strengthens the bridge between neuroscience and immunology. Maps of the lymphatic system: old (left) and updated to reflect the…

io9 Levi Gadye Jun 12

This Prehistoric Pocket Deer Has Fewer Chromosomes Than A Fruit Fly

Meet the muntjac — the most interesting deer in the world. It’s the size of a dog, it’s the oldest deer around, it has antlers but fights with tusks, and it even barks loudly at things that threaten it. But its most interesting quality is this — it gets by with fewer chromosomes than any…

io9 Levi Gadye May 22

The Most Popular Antidepressants Are Based On An Outdated Theory [UPDATED]

One in ten Americans takes an anti-depressant drug like Zoloft or Prozac. These drugs have been shown to work in some patients, but their design is based on a so-called “chemical imbalance” theory of depression that is incomplete, at best. Image Credit: Tom Varco | CC BY-SA 3.0 The number of people taking antidepressants has…

io9 Levi Gadye Apr 1

How The Great French Wine Blight Changed Grapes Forever

One hundred fifty years ago, the Great French Wine Blight nearly wiped out an industry that today produces some 40 billion bottles of wine a year. The only solution was a radical fusion of species that remains essential to the success of the wine market. Here’s the story of how humanity hacked the wine grape.…

io9 Levi Gadye Mar 17

Bacteria Can Refuel Via Microscopic Tubes When Times Get Tough

Bacteria can share vital nutrients if their bacterial neighbors happen to have a surplus. Scientists have now determined that this sharing is accomplished not through diffusion of those nutrients into the surrounding environment, but rather via nanotubes that physically link the insides of two bacterial cells together. Photo Credit: Michael B. Keller/US Air Force. CC…

io9 Levi Gadye Mar 2

Psychedelic Drug Could Have Promising Future In Treatment Of Asthma

A potent psychedelic drug, DOI, was recently shown to be effective in treating asthma in a mouse model. Photo Credit: Flickr user KristyFaith. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 The psychedelic drug DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) was invented by chemist Alexander Shulgin in the 1980s. Shulgin’s story itself is worth looking into. Over the course of his lifetime, in addition…

io9 Levi Gadye Feb 15

Yes, There’s A Masculine Side To Estrogen

Male aggression is commonly pinned on testosterone, and estrogen is credited with imparting females with maternal instinct – but the true story of the sex hormones, and their roles in male and female behavior, is a lot more subtle. Here’s why estrogen is an important hormone for males and females alike. Photo Credit: Flickr user…

io9 Levi Gadye Feb 10

Your Explanation Of The Explosive Sodium-In-Water Reaction Is Incomplete

Many of us gained our first appreciation for chemistry upon witnessing a high school teacher drop a chunk of sodium into a beakerful of water. You may think you know the explanation behind the explosive behavior that follows, but newly published research suggests there’s more to the reaction than previously believed. Top Animation via TREVMANVW…

io9 Levi Gadye Feb 7

A Cold Shock Can Protect Neurons In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’s Disease

The brain’s adaptation to hibernation has given scientists a promising lead on a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Photo Credit: Matthias Klaiber | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 For humans, hypothermia can be fatal – but many animals endure extreme cold for months on end during the winter season. Now, scientists studying how the brain temporarily shuts…

io9 Levi Gadye Jan 26

Flexible Brain Implants Have Arrived

Stiff, steel microwires can damage tissue when implanted deep into patients’ brains. Engineers at MIT have found a way around this problem with a flexible brain-implant technology. Photo Credit: Bill Brooks | CC BY-SA 2.0 Brain implants have come a long way in the past few decades: surgeons routinely wire up the brains of patients…

io9 Levi Gadye Jan 24

How Did Brains Evolve?

Humans have asked where we come from for thousands of years, across all cultures. But only recently have we started to address the mystery of the evolution of the human brain — the organ that’s the source of those existential questions, not to mention our evolutionary success itself. Top image: Hubis/Shutterstock.com Our brains are each…

io9 Levi Gadye Nov 19

Levi Gadye

Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin On Our Next Evolutionary Challenge: Moving Past Survival of the Fittest

Here Are The Ways Smoking May Actually Be “Good” For You

How the Science of Smell is Changing Modern Warfare

You Can Thank Genetic Engineering For Your Delicious Cheese

Scientists Discover A New Link Between The Brain And The Immune System

This Prehistoric Pocket Deer Has Fewer Chromosomes Than A Fruit Fly

The Most Popular Antidepressants Are Based On An Outdated Theory [UPDATED]

How The Great French Wine Blight Changed Grapes Forever

Bacteria Can Refuel Via Microscopic Tubes When Times Get Tough

Psychedelic Drug Could Have Promising Future In Treatment Of Asthma

Yes, There’s A Masculine Side To Estrogen

Your Explanation Of The Explosive Sodium-In-Water Reaction Is Incomplete

A Cold Shock Can Protect Neurons In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’s Disease

Flexible Brain Implants Have Arrived

How Did Brains Evolve?

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