Fingernails

Fingernails are weird. If you think about it, most land-based animals and birds have some manner of fingernail. What we call a fingernail has analogies in dogs and cats (claws), horses and cows (hooves), birds (talons) and even dinosaurs (also claws). That so much of extant life has this mechanism would imply one of two … Read more

Give MSG a Little Love

MSG has a bad reputation, but undeservedly so. Most of the Western animus towards MSG started in the late 60s with a single person summing up a series of symptoms into what he called “Chinese restaurant syndrome” and blaming it on the MSG that was being added to the food. There was actually no basis … Read more

Mamelons (aka Pervy Dentists)

Mamelons are little bumps on the cutting edge of your incisors (front teeth). Everyone has them when their teeth first erupt–it’s what helps the teeth break through the gums. For most people, mamelons naturally wear off through usage, over time.    Some poor kids mamelons…   I filed mine down, because I hated them. But, … Read more

(Fun?) Facts About Eyes

I recently had LASIK procedure to correct my myopia (i.e., nearsightedness). Prior to that, I learned a few fun facts about eyes and prescriptions for eyes. Visual Acuity When people think about their vision, they often think of it in terms of a comparison to an ideal “20:20” vision. But, really this just means “normal” … Read more