Science is So Sexy is 5!

My Dear Sexy Readers,

My little Sexy blog is 5 today!

I started this blog after going to a talk by a lady from Sense about Science about Standing Up for Science! I was inspired to create my own platform where I could lay down answers to my Science questions and my friends/readers' Science questions.

It has grown into this beautiful blog and inspired me to make a career in healthcare communication!

I was a Research Scientist 5 years ago, I am now a Senior Medical Writer, and it's all thanks to the experience I've gained writing for you guys.

Recently, someone asked me to write a little bit about myself and my love for Science as part of her blog series Ladies Who Lab (if you'd like to read it, it's here)
The response has been amazing!!

Science is So Sexy also made me discover the extraordinary life of our gut flora and their impact on our health, mental and physical.
Since January, I've been blogging weekly on My Bugs And I and have been reposting some of them over here as well.

I hope you can follow me over there too, so...

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Pre-launch party for My Bugs and I

My Dear Sexy Readers,

My Bugs and I will be live in less than a month and I wanted to share with you a little bit more information about this new venture in the form of a Giveaway!!!

A fantastic Kindle Fire tablet is to be won, and I know for a fact it is a fantastic little gem as I have purchased one for myself... Hmmm for my son, I mean... so I could download Hollyoaks during my daily commute... Hmmm I mean so I could download cartoons and games for my 3 year old for him to play while daddy and I are having lunch in a quiet restaurant... Yes, you've guessed it, possibilities are endless with this little device, I luuuurve it!!!

Go over HERE for a chance to win this beautiful Fire

Anyoooh, for a chance to win it, please go over to my new blog www.MyBugsAndI.com where you'll be able to enter the giveaway with your FB or email log in details. Alternatively, you can click on the Giveaway tab right here on Science is So Sexy ;)

Good luck and see you soon for more Sexy Science,

What is Stress?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

First of all, I would like to thank Mica from Science Koekje for her blog lovin' and mentioning Science So Sexy in her latest blog article. If you don't know her yet, she's a beauty blogger from Germany based in Belgium (and I shall add "for Love"). You, my Sexy readers, might be interested in her review on her first Belgian BirchBox.

SiSS introduces Seran

My Dear Sexy Readers,

As promised, let me introduce to you Sexy Seran who will be posting her very first SiSS article very soon.
To know her a little better, I sent her a questionnaire about her interest for Science - which BTW you can all fill :) - and here are her answers:

When or why did you first think about pursuing your interest for Science?
When I was in school, I really enjoyed Biology lessons and I had brilliant biology teachers throughout secondary school. When I had to choose subjects to study at A-level, I chose to study Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, English and Critical Thinking. I was one of the few in my class who didn't know at this point what career I wanted, but I knew that I enjoyed these subjects so it made sense to continue to  study them.

What did you do about it?
A-levels, Degree, Master

How did you find it?
Challenging

If you are happy you academically pursued your interest in Science, what was the best bit?
That rare moment when an experiment with a really long protocol actually generates useful results. (Also a big perk was knowing that I don't have to work in front of a computer doing a 9-5pm job near Old Street station wearing office clothes by the end of it).

What is your current career path or what will your next career move be?
Right now it could be anything from carrying out a PhD, to working at a science editorial position to a hospital lab.

Is there anything you would have done differently?
Being completely honest, I know I could have worked a lot harder during my undergraduate degree.

How important do you think Science is?

If you had to choose an adjective for Science, what would it be?
An acquired taste.

That is a very good adjective Seran, one that I'm sure many of our Sexy readers will agree with. Thank you for answering SiSS questionnaire on your interest for Science, we are all looking forward to reading your article,

See you Soon for Seran's Sexy Science,

Science is So Sexy - the launching pad

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Fantastic and exciting news coming up very soon on Science is So Sexy!!!!

First of all, I'd like to apologise for not updating you on all things amazing and Sciencey for the past 2 months!!!! The reason is I have found a job in medical communications and with a little monster approaching the Terrible Twos, life is a bit hectic!!!

But fear not, Science is So Sexy will keep on living: I will try to keep up with your requests and MOST IMPORTANTLY, Science is So Sexy is welcoming new writers!!!!

I'm very excited about creating a launching pad for scientists who dream about engaging with the public and who would like to make a living off science communication.

As you all know, and as in any field, you are more likely to get a job if you have some experience, but you can't get experience without a job!!! Terrible and frustrating! And the eternal question is How do you gain experience?
I was in this situation not a long time ago and because I myself used this platform to launch my career in medical writing, I thought I could extend it to keen and passionate Science graduates who desperately need this thought-after experience.

So, with that in mind, I'd like to invite everyone to forward/share/pin/tweet this post with someone they think might be interested. There are loads of topics to cover so any scientific/medical background is appropriate.

My only condition is the writers to be of minimum at degree level because I want to make sure the level of Science is maintained and all information can be appropriately and accurately referenced. I think that is why people come back to this blog, because they know there's no crap and sensational BS going on, what is written is proven and tested Science, there's no suppositions nor extrapolations, yet it's interesting and accessible by everyone.

The recruitment process has already begun and I'm happy to announce that we have a couple of new writers who are super excited about embarking on this Sexy Science journey.

I will introduce them to you very soon, but you can already see their names in the right sidebar. I can't wait for you to read what they have been preparing, it's amazingly interesting!!!

So, See you Soon for Some Sexy Science,

Inspire your daughters with Science, Technology, Maths and Engineering (STEM) subjects

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I'm always on the look out for some amazing sciencey stuff across the net to share on Twitter. I use my twitter account as a list of links to really great reads, videos, pix, etc... So, really, this one should go on there but because it's so relevant, I wanted to share it with you on the blog too!
It's a video about how, from very early on, we can influence our children by repetitive actions or words. This one focuses on the fact that we tell girls they are pretty, not to get messy, that there's no point in exploring manual things, it's best to leave that to boys. This repetitive behaviour would shape a girl into thinking she's not fit for STEM subjects.



What do you think, my Sexy Readers, do you agree? Or do you think it's just a stereotype, it doesn't really happen? What other repetitive words or actions have you heard that influenced you throughout your life?
Let me know in the comments box, thank you for sharing your experiences, you're super Sexy!

See you Soon for Some Sexy Science,

Feeling like a Sexy Scientist with my DNA earrings

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Today, I've got something very special for you!
The other day, I was tweeting away, reading awesome things, when I got a message from a Sexy Scientist called Camille!! We chatted and we got to talk about her Etsy shop called "Tout doucement" and her very special designs. I thought "Oh My, these are perfect for my Sexy Readers!". So she sent me a pair of her Rainbow DNA earrings for me to try them out! Got them all the way from Montreal, they arrived in perfect condition! I was so excited to receive them, I teared the envelop open and put them on straight away!
I've had them on for about 2 hours now, and they are so light, you barely feel them and my ears haven't gone red - which it's what usually happens when I wear the usual heavy earrings for too long. They are quite sturdy, you won't mess up the helix by playing too much with them, and there's no funny ends sticking you in the face as it's usually the case with handmade jewellery.
My partner has been commenting on them a couple of times already saying how pretty they are and how they suit me so well!!
Let me tell you, my dear sexy readers, I do feel like a Sexy Scientist right now!!!
Check them out

Rainbow DNA earrings

Excuse the no make up selfie!

These are part of her Rainbow collection because the DNA ladder is made of amazing and brightly coloured glass beads. This pair is 1.8 inches long and retails at £13.81 on her Etsy shop. She also makes longer ones which I bet must make you feel even sexier!
If you'd like something to go with one frock or another, she does make other DNA earrings of different colours, I particularly like the Amber genes ones because I think they would look very stylish and clever on an evening gown.

Let me know, my dear Sexy Readers, what kind of earrings do you like wearing? Fun, statement, stylish?

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

This item was sent to me for the purpose of review but views are my own :)

Difference between Correlation and Causation

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Maybe you've seen this blog on Correlations on Facebook like I have, it was posted through a group called "I -Blipping- Hate PseudoScience" . Now, you might wonder why the Sexy Hell I would talk about Correlations!!! Well, this is kind of a fun explanation on the difference between Correlation and Causation. So I thought I would apply the concept to something I wrote previously and which I know you guys are very interested in.
You might recall this previous Sexy article on Parabens and the bit about Breast Cancer:

"It has been suggested that the use of Parabens in cosmetics and especially in deodorants and anti-perspirants might contribute to the high incidence of this type of cancer. Parabens were detected in tissue samples from human breast tumors........ It has to be noted that in that famous study (Darbre, 2004) that sparked the whole controversy on Parabens, there were no control tissues to demonstrate specificity of association between Parabens and breast cancer, ie. normal healthy tissues could still contain Parabens and be harmless, the presence of Parabens not being the cause of cancer but merely an innocent spectator. To date, no other study has repeated this 2004 study with the appropriate controls. There were however two epidemiological studies (by questioning patients, no lab testing involved) attempting to address the link between breast cancer and deodorant/antiperspirants. One reported no difference of use between cancer patients and non cancer people. The second one reported an earlier onset of the breast cancer with the use of  underarms cosmetics. But again, both studies lacked appropriate controls and certainly lab experiments to attest the presence of Parabens."

 Now, this is an example of graph you can find on this extraordinary blog:

Correlation between Divorce rate in Maine and Consumption of margarine per capita. From HERE

This graphs shows that Divorce rate in Maine CORRELATES with consumption of margarine (per capita) in the US - However it doesn't mean that if you eat margarine and you live in Maine, it will CAUSE you to get divorced or that if you eat margarine, people in Maine will have an increased chance of getting a divorce.

Correlation between the age of Miss America and the number of murders by steam, hot vapours and hot objects. From HERE

This graphs shows that the Age of Miss America CORRELATES with the number of Murders by steam, hot vapours and hot objects - However, it doesn't mean that if Miss America is 23 years old, it will CAUSE 7 murders due to steam, hot vapours and hot objects.

So, of course these examples are dramatic but I think they illustrate quite well the difference between Correlation and Causation, and they make me laugh so much, I thought I would share it with you, Sexy Reader!
Now... Coming back to the above correlation about Parabens and Breast cancer:

If you find Parabens in nanograms in breast cancer tissue, it doesn't mean that it was the CAUSE of breast cancer, nor doesn't it mean that if you use anti-perspirant, it will cause you to be more likely to develop breast cancer.

This infamous 10 year old study has never seen its sequel, maybe simply because there is NO causation.

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Disclaimer: I haven't come across any new study on this but I can't keep up to date with everything, so apologies if the causative link has been scientifically proven and I'll be happy to amend my articles.

Are you a Calorie or a Chemical counter?

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I know it is not possible to argue with everything and anything scientifically inaccurate that is happening on the net and especially on Facebook, but really... It IS difficult to let it go! Now I love social media, I love blogging, I love how all international communities come together, but with the amount of information that we are absorbing everyday, I think we are all guilty of forgetting to, once in a while, stop in our tracks and wonder 'Is it really true?'. Now, this article is certainly not a post about debugging some fact or another but about using my beloved Sexy blog to do just what its primary functions are supposed to be which are to 1. rant about something and 2. share information I deem useful/interesting/Sexy for my beloved Sexy readers! And now that I've finished 1. Let's get on with 2.:

The image that sparked this ranting is this one ==>

I'm sure all of you have seen it and I know from the number of Sexy requests I get that the majority of us are concerned about chemicals, whatever anyone refers to when using this word.
Also, my Sexy followers are Sexy because they are concerned about adopting a healthy lifestyle.
And as a Sexy note, I would like to define Sexiness as the level of confidence one can exhube when feeling healthy through whatever mean one employs to reach one's desired healthy state.

As a community blogger, I would like to share with you a couple of blog articles I particularly enjoyed and found most interesting and relate to this picture:

On the subject of calories
Everyday, I receive updates from the ScienceBlog. It's a very interesting and efficient way to keep up to date with the latest news on diverse subjects and be sure these are scientifically treated and accurately reported. A few months ago, I came across a particularly intriguing post on the confusing science behind weight loss. The concepts explained challenge what we know or think about weight loss-inducing diet as well as the relation between exercise and weight loss. If we are all interested in improving our health by adopting a healthy lifestyle, we are not so very good at implementing common sense in our quest. This article is certainly food for thought But beware it is not for extreme senseless decision making such as 'no point exercising then'.
As always, all in good measure!!

On the subject of chemicals
I wrote many articles on chemicals, notably a mini-series on chemicals in our make up as well as a mini-series on chemicals in shampoos with a special focus on Parabens and SLS.
Time and time again, we are getting confused by the scary nature of the word itself 'Chemicals', but do we really need to make a hotch potch of it all? That is precisely what I'm worried about when I read all these articles and see these pictures on FB/Pinterest.
To make sense of it all, I call upon a fellow #scienceblogger but also a #nailblogger well recognized on the blogosphere who is Michelle aka Lab Muffin.
She wrote a well explained article on the very nature of the word 'Chemical' that should highlight a few concepts that unfortunately get lost among the vast information pool that is Internet.

Let me know your thoughts on all these pseudo Scientific facts that you can encounter and how do you do to make sense of it all? And of course, are you a calorie or a chemical counter?

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

More Reading
The Confusing Science Behind Weight Loss
Chemicals vs Natural

Scientists = Science Artists III

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Yep, that's right! So many scientists out there are sharing their artistic prouesse! We have already enjoyed a lady Gaga parody as well as a a Gotye parody. Here is a Queen's one:
Enjoy ;)


See you soon for more Sexy Science,

I love my readers!

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Last night, I received a notification from my twitter account saying I got a review from a fellow blogger! WHAT A NICE SURPRISE! I was so happy!! It couldn't have come at a better time to boost my confidence in my ability to translate science and make it accessible to everyone!

So, thank you SO much Vivre dans le Blog for your kind words and faith in Science So Sexy in making Science sounds cool!!!

Feel free to show your love and go check out his other posts too, Vivre Dans le Blog is new in our blogosphere ;)

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

So Sexy Sciencey Things on Pinterest #11

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Welcome back on SSS. Today we are looking at a snapshot of Science So Sexy Pinterest board focusing on the beautiful and sexy variety of our hair colour. A quick reminder that SSS latest post is on the genetics of hair colour. A very complex matter which has eluded many scientists so far! If you are interested in our genetics, please check out the Mystery behind the colour of your eyes.You might also be interested in checking up SSS previous post on DNA, genes and proteins.

SSS Pinterest #11

For similar posts, check out SSS Pinterest Collection

See you Soon for more Sexy Science,

Blog community: ScienceBlog.com - FDA to trans fats: Get the h*ll outta here!

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I need to share this information with you as a lot of you are interested in  what you put on your face/in your body.

FDA to trans fats: Get the h*ll outta here! | ScienceBlog.com

In brief,
 The American Food and Drug Association is reviewing whether to classify Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHO), better known as Artificial Transfats as products that are generally recognised as safe (GRAS) or not!

From Pinterest

 This article might be of interest for SSS readers as we addressed the question in a previous post 'Olive oil - better than butter?'
If you are interested in keeping up with a healthy diet, please note SSS previous post on how not to waste your cash on fake diet/detox.

See you soon for more Sexy Science,

So Sexy Sciencey Things on Pinterest #10

My Dear Sexy Readers,

We are coming back to our wonderful Pinterest collection where I assemble all sciencey things!

Today's snapshot is about Nutella, cord blood stem cells (post coming soon) and stand up for cancer! Feel free to come visit and follow the entire board.

See you soon for more Sexy Science,

A vaccine for AIDS

I compiled a few messages from different social networks to illustrate the story behind the new HIV vaccine. This is my first attempt at Storify so bear with me :)

Youtube Geek Week

My dear Sexy Readers,

Special week on youtube where you can let your geek out and check out some cool and nerdy videos! WHY NOT???
I selected this one out for you, 10 cool experiments to do at home:

See you soon for more Sexy Science,

Break #2

My Dear Sexy Readers,

I'm sorry I wasn't able to update you on all things amazing, cool and sexy for the last few months. The reason for this sudden act of disappearance was that I lived in an internet-free house!!!!!
I hope you were able to catch up on some reading around here by checking out the "Previously, on Science So Sexy" (adopt a deep "American serie" kind of voice while reading this) for all the previous posts I wrote you, also don't forget to check out Karen's first post on "Why do hair fall on chemo?".
I'm hoping to be back with some interesting reading in the next few days. Please stay tuned, I'll update you via our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and of course G+ pages!

Here is a map of where you, sexy readers, are all from!

See you soon for some Sexy Science,

A boy and his Atom - the smallet movie...

Far from advertising IBM, this mini-movie had to find its place on SSS!!! Have a look


See you soon for more SSS,

So Sexy Sciencey Things on Pinterest #9

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Today is the 100th day of the year 2013!!!

To celebrate it, I would like to share with you my latest snapshot of my SSS Pinterest board with a focus on Vinegar to remind you that our Did you Know Series is well underway and the latest instalment, the 5th already!!!, was on the fabulous uses of Vinegar ;)

For more Pinterest, check out the Collection of So Sexy Sciencey Things

See you Soon for more SSS,

So Sexy Sciencey Things on Pinterest #8

My Dear Sexy Readers,

Here is my special Easter snapshot of Pinterest SSS board with a close up on Eggs. Beautiful, colorful or simply deliciously chocolatey eggs!

For more Pinterest, check out the Collection of So Sexy Sciencey Things

 

See you soon for more SSS,