laws

It seems hard to believe that the Disneyland measles outbreak occurred more than two years ago. It was during the Christmas holiday of 2014 that an measles outbreak occurred centered at—of course—Disneyland, thanks primarily to unvaccinated children facilitating the spread of the highly contagious disease at the "Happiest Place on Earth." What made this particular outbreak so important, though, was that it provided the impetus Senator Dr. Richard Pan and Senator Ben Allen to introduce a bill (SB 277) into the California legislature for consideration. What made SB 277 unique and its…
Wisconsin lawmakers just passed a bill to name Lactobacillus lactis, the bacteria that turns milk into cheese, into its official state microbe! What microbe do you think best represents your state? I think Massachusetts' state microbe should be E. coli, not for the gross make you sick part of course, but because of the importance of the biotech industry to Massachusetts and the importance of the lowly E. coli to biotech. Add your vote for your state microbe in the comments!
The elder Free-Ride offspring, always a fan of mustelids, has lately taken a particular interest in ferrets. Given that Casa Free-Ride is located in the great state of California, this interest in ferrets has also spurred an interest in state law. In California, it's illegal to keep ferrets as pets. According to the elder Free-Ride offspring, there is much to appreciate about ferrets: Elder Free-Ride offspring: They're slinky! Dr. Free-Ride: OK. Elder Free-Ride offspring: They're cute! Dr. Free-Ride: Sure. Elder Free-Ride offspring:They're stinky. Dr. Free-Ride: Yes, that I can vouch…
Hard on the heels of the recent media coverage (well done Channel 7!) of the death of a child from Whooping Cough due to antivaccination sentiments in Australia, comes the death of an infant due to homeopathy. The father is a homeopathy quack, and instead of treating his child's eczema with traditional creams, he allowed his daughter to get a major skin infection, lose weight due to malnourishment, and eventually die. The good news, if it can be called that, is that the parents are on trial for manslaughter by gross criminal negligence. I would hope this foreshadows all homeopaths,…
A 6th grade maths and science teacher emailed me about whether theories could become laws. Below the fold is his request and my reply. The short answer is that when laws grow up, they become theories, not the other way around. Cameron Peters wrote: Dr. Wilkins, I was hoping you might be able to provide some insight on a question that is circulating amongst the NSTA email list serve concerning laws and theories. Specifically, there is some disagreement ( I would say confusion) of the difference between the two and, in particular, why a theory cannot become a law. Also, the question has arisen…
(This is adapted from my public lecture, Afraid of the Dark: How We Know What We Can't See.) Let's go back over 200 years ago, to 1781. William Herschel (left) discovered the planet Uranus, noticing that an object, as bright as a star, was actually moving relative to the other stars. The other five inner planets (besides Earth) were known for over 2000 years before that. But it was thought for a long time that Saturn was the farthest one. But it clearly isn't; as you can see with modern telescopes, Uranus is a super-interesting planet, rotating on its side, surrounded by rings and moons.…
UPDATE: Looks like the fount of wisdom that is The Time's Online lost a thing or two in the translation. Lucky for us, informed Zooillogix reader and sometimes D&D player, Dragon's Sorrow End, has set the record straight. The government of Switzerland has passed the most comprehensive laws in the history of pet ownership to protect the well being of social animals. In hopes of creating an "informed population," the laws cover everything from guinea pigs to rhinoceroses. Here are some of the more interesting regulations: - Dog owners are required to become qualified in a two-part course…