As someone who makes pharmaceuticals for a living and has helped bring a peptide based therapeutic into the clinic, injecting yourself with research grade chemicals is a terrible idea. There are many things involved in peptide synthesis that you really, really, do not want in your body.

You probably already do that though. I feel for you, that sounds really tough.

In a way, you could spin this as a positive. In science we actively look for and try to eliminate bullshit and fakery. With few exceptions, that doesn’t happen in other professions. It’s also good to drill into their heads that science is a process, not a belief system. It’s a data-driven, iterative procees, and one…

I work in drug discovery and the consensus opinion of everyone in the Pharma industry is that he’s a dumb asshole, please don’t lump us together. Reading about his latest venture just reinforces that notion.

In any western country, a robot like that would need to operate behind a safety shield. A a minimum, there would be a perimeter sensor that would stop the robot if a human stuck a hand or whatnot into the work area before it was safe. Aside from very large industrial units, modern robotic arms are designed to…

As you mentioned, there’s still the perception that white collar workers are highly paid, educated, and subsequently will have an easy time getting a new job. That might have been the case up until the early 90's, but it’s certainly not true now. In reality, Ford’s axing white collar workers because they aren’t…

Oh they do. If they didn’t, Fox news and OAN wouldn’t have tried to undo the damage with on-air corrections. Those kinds of cases can take several years to litigate though. 

Most song birds are pretty dumb, but may get a bit smarter during mating season. Certain nuclei within the brains of songbirds display massive neurogenesis and grow dramatically during mating season. Typically that’s associated with song production and recognition, but there’s no reason it couldnt influence other…

Most song birds are pretty dumb, but may get a bit smarter during mating season. Certain nuclei within the brains of songbirds display massive neurogenesis and grow dramatically during mating season. Typically that's associated with song production and recognition, but there's no reason that it's limited to that…

Citric acid (available in bulk from most Indian or Asian specialty food markets) works way better than vinegar. It’s a stronger acid, and it’s conjugate base Citrate is far more soluble, and less likely to precipitate when it interacts with the metal “salts” in most detergents than acetate.

Some family friends were featured on one of the home purchasing shows (I forget the exact one). They had already purchased the home that they ended up “selecting” at the end up the episode. The other house tours and faux (or real issues) were done or repeated to create dramatic tension. There’s nothing at all…

Exactly, with generous terms for forgiveness. I don’t think people realize that just cancelling student debt would be seen very negatively by centrists and non-college educated union and other workers in the Rust Belt and Midwest critical for Senate or Presidential elections. 

Flexible work weeks should absolutely be a thing. I was way more productive during the 2 months or so I was able to use part of my family leave to work 4 days a week. I wouldn’t exactly call the extra day I was taking to take care of my kiddo downtime, but it made a huge difference. That’s also doing a job that can’t…

Those showed up as an Ad in my Instagram feed several months ago. I’ve seen similar devices, but this brand seems to have the best marketing. While the idea is sound, this particular product’s execution is very poor. I’m an avid rock climber and there’s no way I’d entrust that bag with my gear, let alone my child.

There’s basically no way you could make it at home safely or effectively. Making formula requires the same kinds of equipment, skills, and processes as pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The components in baby formula aren’t unknown, they’re listed on the side of the container or can be obtained from the manufacturer.

As others mentioned, wet nurses generally took up the slack (or the child died). Sometimes goat or sheep’s milk was used, but it’s a poor substitute.

The bigger issue with they gray market import of baby formulas isn’t necessarily composition, but that the FDA does not have mechanisms to initiate, coordinate, or inform consumers about recalls. (Recalls do happen in Europe too.)

Etsy is a prime example of why we need additional regulations for tech companies. Sellers are frequently at the mercy of an algorithmic promotion and rating system that is rife with mistakes. On several occasions. I’ve encountered business with 100% positive reviews but which Etsy shows as having 1 star. 

Professional chefs and bakers have access to suppliers of goods that aren’t available for average consumers. Restaurant and bakery purveyors are generally supply higher items and are only cheaper because their customers buy in bulk.