Month: March 2024

John Wayne Gacy (1942)

Gacy was an American serial killer who was convicted and later executed for murdering 33 boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. Gacy buried dozens of his victims in a crawl space under the floor of his house and threw several others in a nearby river. Known as the “Killer Clown,” he often performed as a clown at local parties and even had drinks at a local bar while in costume on a few occasions. Gacy took up painting while on death row. What motif appeared in many of his art works? Discuss

Destroying Angels

Originally reserved as a delicacy for the elite, edible mushrooms are now extensively grown on a commercial scale. There are, however, many poisonous species of mushroom, and the destroying angels of the Amanita genus are among the most toxic mushrooms known to man. Destroying angels are characterized by their white stalks and gills and have a telltale collar-like structure, or volva, at the base of their stalks. How soon after ingesting the toxic mushroom do symptoms of poisoning appear? Discuss

My Lai Massacre (1968)

During the Vietnam War, US troops searching for Viet Cong fighters massacred hundreds of civilians from the Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai. Though they had not located any insurgents in My Lai, the soldiers opened fire on the villagers, killing men, women, and children. The incident was initially covered up by army officers. When it was revealed in the press nearly two years later, it divided the US public and increased pressure to end the war. How many soldiers were convicted for their crimes? Discuss

Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas (1925)

Miramontes was a Mexican chemist whose extensive scientific contributions include numerous publications and nearly 40 national and international patents in different areas, including organic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, petrochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, and polluting agents. However, Miramontes is best remembered for his synthesis, in 1951, of norethindrone, a progestational hormone that would be used as the base of one of the first forms of what? Discuss

Prokaryota: The First Living Cells

It is generally accepted that the first living cells on Earth were some form of prokaryote. In biology, a prokaryote is generally a single-celled organism that lacks membrane-bound organelles such as a nucleus, mitochondria, and chloroplasts. Genetic material is instead organized into a ring-like structure called a nucleoid. Most prokaryotes are bacteria, and the two terms are often treated as synonyms. What are the four basic shapes of prokaryotic cells? Discuss