Articles by Sean
Why is Methanol Toxic, But Not Ethanol?
Ethanol (alcohol) is a poison that is widely consumed all around the world. However, drinking methanol the same way leads to a different, irreversible kind of poisoning. We look at the chemistry and toxicity of ethanol and methanol, two very similar molecules that affect the body differently. […]
Your Body is a Survival Machine, Your Genes are the Crew
Imagine your body as merely a vessel to an immortal crew. This crew is equipped with all the knowledge needed to navigate this survival machine through time and space, along with all the tools needed to survive, with a sole mission to ensure their safe passage to the next host. Ideally, the next body will be sturdier and better equipped to have a higher chance of surviving the next journey. If they fail, billions of years of evolution will all have been in vain. Welcome to the world of true time-travelers. Your body is a survival machine, crewed by genes in [...]
The Evolution of Touch Screen Technology (and How it Works)
Nowadays, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t own a phone or a piece of technology that uses touch screen technology. From early resistive touch screens to the indium tin oxide coated glass we use today, the development of touch screen capability over the years is fascinating. We look at the evolution of the touch screen from early resistive touch to the conductive indium tin oxide screens widely used today. […]
Power Posing is Amy Cuddy’s Pseudoscience
Before we debunk power posing, think about the first time you came across Amy Cuddy. You might have stumbled upon her TED talk, the one in which the psychologist speaks passionately about ‘power posing’, or you might have read an article about the benefits of a ‘high power’ pose. Admittedly, the argument that she weaves is somewhat convincing, and her helpful advice for boosting confidence is most compelling. But how much of this claim is evidence-based research, and how much is abusing authority to stretch the scientific truth? […]
Learn Statistics: Two Sample and Paired t-Tests
One thing that regularly stumps scientists is the handling of data. We seem to be very good at generating obscene amounts of it, but representing it meaningfully can be a little off-putting, unless you happen to be a bioinformatician. Let’s continue our tutorial series by introducing Two-Sample t-Tests and Paired t-Tests to see how we can easily incorporate statistical analysis into our work. […]
Sean is a consultant for clients in the pharmaceutical industry and is a lecturer at a local university, where unfortunate undergrads are subject to his ramblings on chemistry and pharmacology.
