Author Archives: bigkingken

About bigkingken

A science writer dedicated to proving that the Big Ten - or the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, if you will - is more than athletics.

Cloaking Device Alters Appearance Instead of Hiding an Object Altogether

Posted on December 11, 2014

Metamaterials are meta-awesome. They look deceptively simple, and yet they’re probably the building blocks of future Star Trek technologies come to life. To the untrained eye, they just look like a sheet of grids or squares of geometrically repeating copper … Continue reading →

Posted in Penn State | Leave a comment

Playing Video Games a Lot Linked to Healthier Young Adults…or Not

Posted on December 3, 2014

I came across this headline recently from the University of Illinois, “Teen gaming addicts may wind up physically healthier as young adults, study says.” That’s a big head-scratcher. I mean, really? You’d think that the more a teen is plopped … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois | Leave a comment

Competition Produces Giant(er) Noggins

Posted on December 2, 2014

I have a large head. When I first started playing peewee football, they had to grab me a helmet from the varsity team. Once I got to junior high, they had to run over to the high school to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois | Leave a comment

Messing with Bacterial Roll Calls

Posted on December 1, 2014

In politics, quorum is the number of people you need present to vote on legislation. It’s that minimum target you avoid by having politicians leave the state to stop ridiculous policies from being rammed through the system. It’s the number … Continue reading →

Posted in Wisconsin | Leave a comment

What You Can’t Smell Might Kill You

Posted on November 25, 2014

Besides decreased mobility and ability to clean and bathe properly, there’s a good reason for that old person smell that everyone knows and hates—your sense of smell deteriorates as you get older. So even those who are blessed with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago | Leave a comment

Showing Upwardly Mobile Chinese Your Face

Posted on November 24, 2014

If you’re looking to make a few bucks in the stock markets in the next decade, a good recommendation might be hotels catering to the Chinese. And if you’re really smart, you’ll look for brands who understand face. No, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Illinois, Purdue | Leave a comment

Shocking Memory Improvements

Posted on November 19, 2014

Want to improve your memory? Just zap the hell out of it with some magnetic fields! According to a new study from Northwestern University, targeted electric shocks to the surface of the brain can improve memory in adults more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Northwestern | Leave a comment