Author: Prentice, the Science Platypus

Prentice is the mascot of Insanitek.

Why a platypus? Well, why not? It's unusual, somewhat crazy, and evolution pretty much smashed a bunch of concepts together and said, "Try that."

Street Turtle Rescue Squad: Do’s and Don’t’s of Helping a Little Ol’ Turtle Cross the Street

Welcome! Let me be the first to congratulate you on joining the Street Turtle Rescue Squad. The Street Turtle Rescue Squad, or STRS, is an elite team of wildlife rescue personnel completely and solely dedicated to serving the turtle population in your neighborhood. Our work is vital. Without the heroic efforts of the Street Turtle …

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mosquito

Tick and Mosquito-borne Illnesses Are On The Rise: What Can You Do?

Summer is the season for spending time outdoors, but unfortunately, this can put us in contact with pests that carry disease. Ticks and mosquitoes, for instance, can both transmit illness to humans, and new research shows that they are doing just that this season. Federal health officials now say that the number of people getting …

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Dinosaur Chompers May Have Inhibited Their Ability to Chow Down

Carnivorous dinosaurs were thought to have ferocious bites that are unimaginable compared to the animals we see today. However, new research suggests that the bite force of some of these meat eaters was not as threatening as we might perceive. In addition, the formation of their teeth also made the “puncture and pull” method more …

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Report: 44 Genomic Variants Now Tied to Major Depression

Major depression can interfere with everyday life and make it difficult to function. Now, researchers claim that they have identified 44 different genomic variants (loci) that have a statistically significant association with depression. With this information, it may be easier for doctors to spot and treat the condition in patients in the future (“Forty-four genomic …

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fruit, juice

Confusion in the Produce Aisle: Team Fruit vs Team Veggie

Imagine ordering a fruit smoothie only to find out it is made with bell peppers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, peas, olives, and corn. Ewww. While not the sweet treat you expected, the restaurant didn’t make a mistake. Technically speaking, you got what you ordered…a mixture of blended fruit. This misunderstanding stems for our muddled classification of …

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