Category: science

  • The University of Iowa Role in the Science Behind Psilocybin for Psychiatric Treatment

    The University of Iowa Role in the Science Behind Psilocybin for Psychiatric Treatment

    On April 9, 2024, the University of Iowa educational podcast, Rounding@Iowa presented a discussion about the study of the use of psilocybin in the treatment of psychiatric and addiction disorders. You can access the podcast below. The title is “Psilocybin Benefits and Risks.” The format involves an interview by Dr. Gerard Clancy, MD, Senior Associate…

  • Cat-astrophizing About the Association Between Cats and Schizophrenia Risk

    Cat-astrophizing About the Association Between Cats and Schizophrenia Risk

    It seems like every few years there is a spate of news stories about the supposed risk of developing schizophrenia from having a pet cat. The bottom line is that there is no direct link, but you can’t tell a reporter that. I mentioned the issue in a blog post about a feral cat in…

  • Reminder: FDA Advisory Committee to Meet in May 2024 to Discuss Updating Covid-19 Vaccine:

    Reminder: FDA Advisory Committee to Meet in May 2024 to Discuss Updating Covid-19 Vaccine:

    Just a reminder: the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet on May 16, 2024 to make recommendations on Covid-19 strain selections for the fall vaccine of 2024-2025.

  • Our Solar Eclipse Day: A Happening on Terry Trueblood Trail

    Our Solar Eclipse Day: A Happening on Terry Trueblood Trail

    Yesterday, we went out to Terry Trueblood Recreation Area to see the solar eclipse. It was a gorgeous day for it, although a bit chilly. When we got there about 11:30 AM, the parking lot was pretty empty and only a few people were there. We even ran into a few on the trail who…

  • Off to See the Eclipse!

    Off to See the Eclipse!

    We’ll be off to try to see the eclipse today, because the weather report yesterday (and this morning!) said it would be sunny and warm. For the occasion, I made a cereal box eclipse viewer just for fun. We’ll see if it works. I sacrificed a box of Raisin Bran for it. Sena wondered where…

  • Partial Social Eclipse Viewing on the Pentacrest April 8, 2024!

    Partial Social Eclipse Viewing on the Pentacrest April 8, 2024!

    The University of Iowa Dept of Physics and Astronomy and the Sciences Library invites the public to view the partial solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 between 12:30 PM-3:00 PM at the Pentacrest and the Sciences Library courtyard. Solar eclipse glasses free while they last.

  • Solar Eclipse Around the Corner So We May Need to Protect the Cicadas!

    Solar Eclipse Around the Corner So We May Need to Protect the Cicadas!

    The solar eclipse is just around the corner! We’re hoping for decent weather. We’re also hoping that everyone views the event with safety in mind. University of Iowa Health Care ophthalmologist Dr. Ian Han has great tips on how to observe the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. He pointed out that eclipse glasses that…

  • Cicada Zombieland

    Cicada Zombieland

    I’m sure you’ve heard the zombie cicada horror movie-like story in the news which sounds like it would make a great episode for the Svengoolie TV show. “Attack of the hallucinating zombie cicadas without gonads” would make a good title. One possible torrid scene suggestion would open in the “living” room (although zombies are not…

  • The FDA Did Send a 252 Page Recommendation to Reschedule Marijuana

    The FDA Did Send a 252 Page Recommendation to Reschedule Marijuana

    Finally, I have found a copy of the FDA recommendation to the DEA to reschedule Marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. The whole document is in Dropbox and is 252 pages long. The actual recommendation starts on page 62. The basis for the recommendation is three-fold: The third one sounds like a reason not…

  • The Science on Super Beets?

    The Science on Super Beets?

    Sena recently got her bottle of Super Beets with Grape Seed Extract delivered the other day. They are capsules and the label enthusiastically advertises that they are “non-GMO” and will enable the average human to leap tall buildings in a single bound within just minutes of swallowing a total of 9,000 capsules (3 caps per…