New York City

According to Paul Douglas (pers. com) there is some important news on what Jonas still has planned. There is likely to be major flooding along the coast of Cape May, and in some areas of New Jersey there may be coastal flooding nearly of the magnitude that happened with Superstorm Sandy. So far storm surges have exceeded the original predictions. The region from Washington DC to New York is likely to have another half foot or more of snow, and storm totals will be two to three feet with much larger drifts over that area. This snow will taper off this evening over much of the area. The map…
Official New York City Subway Map Dr. Christopher Mason (Weill Cornell Medical College, Manhatten, NY) decided to sequence DNA found in NY subway stations...468 of them to be precise. At each station, his research team collected DNA samples by swabbing the kiosks, turnstiles, benches, railings, trash cans as well as the subway cars. Along with finding abundant Pseudomonas bacteria (also found on our skin) they discovered that the DNA at each of the stations reflected the amazing diversity of the local residents and what they were eating such as pizza, cucumbers, and chickpeas, which may…
Thanks, Daily Kos. Well, not really. You'll see why in a minute, but first here's the background. There's a general impression out there that the political right is associated with the antiscience that includes anthropogenic global warming denialism, denial of evolution, and denial of aspects of reproductive biology that don't jibe with their religious beliefs, and that consensus while the political left's brand of antiscience includes antivaccine beliefs and fear mongering about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Of course, as I've discussed many times before, it's more complicated than…
Yesterday, the Philadelphia City Council fell one vote short of overriding Mayor Michael Nutter's veto of legislation that would have required businesses with more than five employees to let workers earn paid sick leave. This was the second time the Council had passed a paid sick leave bill, only to have it vetoed. The news for workers was better in New York City late last month, when legislators reached a compromise: a paid sick leave law that will only apply to businesses with at least 15 employees, but that nonetheless will provide this important benefit to an estimated one million workers…
The Report "The Potential for Urban Agriculture in New York City" reveals that there's a lot more open land even in one of the most densely packed places in the US than most people think. This simply backs up what we know from other cities around the world which do much more urban farming than New York City - that while no major city will ever feed itself, there's enormous potential to raise food in urban areas. "We have identiï¬ed almost 5,000 acres of vacant land likely to be suitable for farming in the ï¬ ve boroughs, the equivalent of six times the area of Central Park. In addition to…
tags: Walk-Through of NYC's American Museum of Natural History, museum, natural history museum, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, New York City, culture, edutainment, streaming video This is a rather nice video with a home-made feel to it. It presents a quick view of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, starting on the subway platform (filled with lots of beautiful tile art, all of which I've photographed and shared on my blog). (I noticed that they seem to have finished refurbishing their Indians of the Pacific Northwet exhibit). The AMNH is a scientific…
tags: Of Venom and Silk, arachnids, spiders, new species, endangered species, NYC, New York City, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, streaming video Spider biologist Norman Platnick, from the American Museum of Natural History, has traveled the world cataloguing some of these creatures, many for the first time ever. World renowned for his work, he hopes to find as many as species as possible before some disappear.
tags: The No Underwear Subway Ride: Uncensored, NYC, New York City, prank, humor, funny, comedy, satire, Improv Everywhere, streaming video This is the "uncensored" version of Improv Everywhere's amazing April Fool's prank video, The No Underwear Subway Ride. This video shows how the group pulled off the hoax. Although they claimed that 1,000 people had exposed their genitals on the train, they actually just filmed 20 actors wearing skin-colored underwear, and then pixelated the footage to make them look naked. The "uncensored" version of the video embedded below will show you what they…
tags: Who You Gonna Call?, NYPL, NYC, New York City, prank, humor, funny, comedy, satire, parody, Ghostbusters, Improv Everywhere, streaming video For years, as an unemployed scientist, I depended daily upon the New York Public Library (NYPL) to remain in touch with my world, to earn money and to research and write my blog and freelance pieces -- mostly due to the free internet access they provide in addition to a clean, safe workspace. So it always tears at my heart when I hear that NYPL is in dire financial straits. This time, Improv Everywhere is helping NYPL retain its funding by pranking…
tags: The Tourist Lane, NYC, New York City, prank, humor, funny, comedy, satire, Improv Everywhere, streaming video As a NYCer, I screamed with laughter when I saw this video, so of course, I HAD to share it with you. The comedy group, Improv Everywhere, pranked NYC when they created separate walking lanes for tourists and New Yorkers on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk. Department of Transportation "employees" were on hand to enforce the new rules and ask pedestrians for their feedback on the initiative. Even though this NYCer lives in Germany now, I still walk fast -- whilst Germans stroll along…
tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video Who: A Conversation with AMNH Astronomer, Neil deGrasse TysonWhat: free public presentation, "Life, the Universe, and Everything"When: Tonight at 700pmWhere: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID) Ever ponder the mysteries of the universe? Join Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of AMNH's Hayden Planetarium, for a casual…
tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video Who: A Conversation with AMNH Astronomer, Neil deGrasse TysonWhat: free public presentation, "Life, the Universe, and Everything"When: Wednesday, 2 June at 700pmWhere: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID) Ever ponder the mysteries of the universe? Join Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of AMNH's Hayden Planetarium, for a…
tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video Who: AMNH paleontologists Dr Mike Novacek and Dr Mark NorellWhat: free public presentation for kids of all ages, "Travels with Tyrannosaurus"When: tonight, 5 May at 700pmWhere: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID to purchase alcohol) Amazing fossils are still out there, waiting to be discovered. Museum paleontologists…
tags: The Story of Astoria Scum River Bridge, grassroots activism, citizen activism, Hell Gate Bridge viaduct, Astoria Scum River Bridge, infrastructure, unauthorized city improvement, Amtrack, New York City, NYC Life, Jason Eppink, Posterchild, streaming video This is a wonderfully produced video documenting a true story of creative citizen activism designed to protect the safety of the neighbors in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, NYC. Astoria Scum River Bridge is an unauthorized city improvement by Jason Eppink and Posterchild. For more than twenty years, a leaky pipe on 33rd Street…
tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video Who: AMNH paleontologists Dr Mike Novacek and Dr Mark NorellWhat: free public presentation, "Travels with Tyrannosaurus"When: Wednesday, 5 May at 700pmWhere: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID) Amazing fossils are still out there, waiting to be discovered. Museum paleontologists Mike Novacek and Mark Norell will share…
tags: Rick Rolling NYC's A Train, music, a cappella, NYC Life, New York City, A Train, travel, cultural observation, cities, University of Oregon, On The Rocks, The Green Room, Never Going to Give You Up, streaming video Watching this video of a group of West Coast guys singing a cappella on the A train made me want to cry because I miss NYC, its subways and all the fun people I experienced while riding the A train. I would like to suggest to these guys to try rick rolling the A train between 59th and 125th street instead so they aren't interrupted by the conductor and people having to climb…
tags: Lego Monsters Attack NYC, Lego, art, animation, technology, weird, offbeat, NYC, New York City, streaming video This is a silly video but the technology that was used to create it is really interesting to watch, especially for this NYCer!
tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video Who: Kristin Baldwin, Assistant Professor at Scripps Research's Department of Cell BiologyWhat: free public presentation, "The Future of Stem Cells"When: TONIGHT at 700pmWhere: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID) What if your cells could be engineered to grow your own replacement organs? Glimpse the future of medicine…
tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video Who: Kristin Baldwin, Assistant Professor at Scripps Research's Department of Cell BiologyWhat: free public presentation, "The Future of Stem Cells"When: Wednesday, 7 April at 700pmWhere: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID) What if your cells could be engineered to grow your own replacement organs? Glimpse the future of…
tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video Who: Kristin Baldwin, Assistant Professor at Scripps Research's Department of Cell BiologyWhat: free public presentation, "The Future of Stem Cells"When: Wednesday, 7 April at 700pmWhere: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID) What if your cells could be engineered to grow your own replacement organs? Glimpse the future of…