Ida Noddack (1896)

One of the first prominent female chemists in Germany, Noddack was nominated several times for a Nobel Prize but never won. Still, she made a number of remarkable contributions to science, co-discovering the element rhenium with her future husband and proposing for the first time the idea of nuclear fission. She also participated in the discovery of another element, which her team named masurium, but they could not prove its existence. It was finally isolated by others in 1937 and named what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Black Pudding

Black pudding is a type of sausage made by cooking blood with a filler—often meat, fat, or bread—until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. Called blood sausage in North America, the dish is prepared in many different ways throughout the world, often using pig or cattle blood. It can be eaten uncooked but is often grilled or boiled in its skin. Black pudding is usually served as part of a traditional full breakfast in the United Kingdom and Ireland, along with white pudding, which is what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

In mice, a single vaccine prompts the immune system to fight breast, lung and skin cancers

In the field of regenerative medicine, induced pluripotent stem cells have a lot of neat tricks up their sleeves. One of them may be teaching the immune system how to beat back cancer. In research that could open a new frontier in the young field of … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Diocletian Publishes Edict Calling for Persecution of Christians (303 CE)

Though the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the persecution of Christians several times, his so-called Great Persecution began with an official edict. Churches were razed, scriptures burned, and practitioners executed. A few years later, he became the first Roman emperor to voluntarily abdicate, after which he retired to Croatia to grow cabbages in peace. The reign of Constantine soon made Christianity the empire’s preferred religion. When asked to return to the throne, how did Diocletian reply? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

N’cwala

In 1835, the Ngoni tribe left South Africa and moved into what is now the country of Zambia. The N’cwala festival celebrates the tribe’s satisfaction with its environs since that time, and also marks the beginning of the harvest. This is a festival of thanksgiving and people congregate in the village of Mutenguleni, including the paramount chief. Groups of dancers display their skills for the chief, who traditionally chooses one group as having outdone the others. The chief is also responsible for being the first to sample the season’s new foods and blessing it for the people. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Jacques de Vaucanson (1709)

The mechanically gifted 10th child of a French glove-maker, Vaucanson created some of the world’s first robots. His famous gold-plated “Digesting Duck” had hundreds of moving parts and could eat, drink, and defecate. In 1745, weavers pelted Vaucanson with stones when he created the first fully-automated loom, which utilized punch-card technology. Decades later, his ideas would prove pivotal to the Industrial Revolution. How many songs could his mechanical flutist perform? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Postnatal Depression

Affecting approximately 15 percent of all childbearing women, postnatal, or postpartum, depression is a psychiatric condition characterized by symptoms that range from mild “baby blues” to depressive psychosis. Typically developing in the days and weeks after a woman gives birth, the condition is thought to be influenced by both neurochemical and psychological factors, including hormonal changes and the stress of caring for a newborn infant. Can men suffer from postnatal depression? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary