science

“I’m not the total a-hole that people think I am.”

Hypothesis: Most parents will survive Science Fair Week, but none will prosper.

“We’re in a hurry to get out there, and many of the things humans bring with them are potential contaminants.”

The film starts with a good 10 minutes showing dust swirling prismatically in space. It’s pure and beautiful.

Nearly six years into teaching his “Boundaries of Science” class, trouble found Eric Hedin, thanks in part to an anonymous informant whose identity and motivations remain a mystery. What happened next threatened to embarrass his employer, Ball State, which formed a special committee to investigate the class’s subject matter.

“There are actually a lot of fish that have this condition, but I thought it was pretty damn hilarious,” says Matthew Niemiller.

There’s plenty of precedent for trying to extend human lives by studying dogs. Canine research helped pioneer the use of insulin for diabetics and blazed the path for anti-hormonal prostate cancer treatments.

“Maybe it’s not as glamorous as working with Stevie Wonder, but the work in a studio is very much like the work in a laboratory,” he says, speaking as a rock star/neuroscientist hybrid.

Finding a complete set of hyoid, or throat bones, is a huge find. These belong to Fred, a mastodon discovered in Fort Wayne (and pictured here).

“One cannot get into, or out of, the spacesuits as quickly as shown, but that’s okay,” he says.

The Hoosier rocket man talks about life in the International Space Station.