"Where da Higgs at?" That is perhaps the most succinct formulation of one of the hottest questions in physics, as coined by funky49 (his hip-hop nerdcore challenge to Euro-science closes out the latest Clever Apes). Meanwhile, there's actually some news to report on that question: Fermilab scientists announced today in Paris that they've closed in further on the elusive "God Particle." 
Atom smashers, skull crackers and a volcano on the prairie
Jul. 26, 2010Clever Apes #2: The Shakedown
Jul. 26, 2010
So much of science is about finding patterns -- repetitions that let us predict outcomes for given circumstances. The universe is full of these rhythms -- from the vibrating loops of string theory to the orbits of stars and planets to the pulsing of our heart. On this episode of Clever Apes, we delve into these deep rhythms.
When you're walking and not consciously thinking "put one foot in front of the other," that's because little drummers are keeping time for you in your brain. If you want to see what the planet looks like deep beneath the crust, then you can use the earth's vibrations like sonar to scan the structures. And if you use beats and rhythms to crow about your lab, than you best watch out for rival science MCs.
Speaking of which, in this episode you'll hear about the particle physics community's answer to Tupac and Biggie.
Clever Apes: Wear this. You'll feel better.
Jul. 23, 2010
There are certainly scarier examples of historical medical instruments out there. But somehow, this one gets me.
Chemotherapy: From chemical warfare to nanotech assassins
Jul. 16, 2010Some intriguing news out of Northwestern yesterday: Researchers have taken a poison -- arsenic -- worked some nanotech mojo on it, and come up with a chemotherapy treatment that seems to be effective in treating an aggressive form of breast cancer. At least, in mice. This got me thinking about chemotherapy, that signature cancer treatment, and how it has evolved. Chemotherapy is not pleasant. A breast cancer survivor named Eloise Orr told me chemo was the worst experience of her life -- this from a person who had holes drilled in her skull for multiple brain surgeries. Chemo, after all, is poison -- based on a concept from a more primitive era of medicine, and unchanged in some ways for about 60 years.
Clever Apes: Invisible Gorillas
Jul. 12, 2010What if during the World Cup finals, a unicorn pranced out onto the field. Or a woman on stilts appeared. Or, say, Wilford Brimley. You'd probably notice, right? Not necessarily, as psychologist Daniel Simons has shown.
In the late 1990s, Simons produced a video in which players dressed in either black or white are passing around a basketball.
How Sue Hespos' baby stole blood from her brain "¦ and other tales
Jun. 23, 2010Sue Hespos of Northwestern's Infant Cognition Lab told me a great story that didn't make it into the first Clever Apes show: Audio
Clever Apes #1: Seeing in the Dark
Jun. 21, 2010The apes are us -- the latest version of a critter that has evolved to be curious. This thirst of ours seems to be hard-wired -- to know ourselves, to find truth and to seek beauty in the universe. So much of scientific understanding can be traced back to the curiosity of a bunch of clever apes.
Clever Apes is a nano-sized show with a cosmic scope. It tells the stories of the Chicago-area's rich scientific community, its quirky characters and the fascinating, often mind-bending questions they're out to answer. Today we get the first monthly dispatch from the frontiers of science, without ever leaving the Chicago region. "Like" us on Facebook, follow @CleverApes on Twitter, or email with feedback. And of course, subscribe to the podcast. Keep up with evolving science from Clever Apes.
Why is Gabriel Spitzer taking a test designed for a toddler?
Jun. 18, 2010The Project on Child Development at Northwestern University uses this eye tracker contraption to measure minute movements of a baby's eyes -- or in this case, mine. Those red dots tell you what I'm looking at "¦ and that's my mug there in the lower-right corner. For a baby, those eye wiggles reveal, basically, what he or she feels like looking at. That may not sound like much, but that little toehold on a baby's cognition can, to a resourceful researcher, reveal all kinds of cool stuff about how tiny humans learn, organize information and acquire language. To me, it's just a great example of how creative these scientists are at solving problems.