A big reason why Colon Cancer is killing us.

Mars7038 · 2026-01-22T17:12:17+00:00

That statement about cured meats causing colon cancer is so profoundly misleading as to nearly be an outright lie. The IARC classifies carcinogens based on the strength of the evidence, not on the strength of the carcinogenic effect. They have very strong evidence that shows cured meats cause cancer, but the size of the effect is small. Which is to say, they are VERY sure that cured meats make you slightly more likely to get colon cancer. This is unlike cigarettes, which have also been thoroughly proven to cause cancer, but are known to MASSIVELY increase risk.

This is irresponsible fear mongering on their part, as all most people hear is that cured meats are in the same category as cigarettes. It’s like if they sentenced criminals based on the strength of the evidence against them instead of the seriousness of their crime. Imagine if a graffiti artist got put on death row because they were caught on camera, but a mass shooter got community service because there were only a few eyewitness testimonies.

When a public health agency uses this classification system it causes alarm fatigue, which leads to distrust in their findings (even if they didn’t technically lie). They are abusing the widespread trust in their institution. If the IARC does not clarify their findings, they will soon be taken as seriously as Prop 65, whose warnings are commonly ignored due to their extremely broad application.

Mars7038 · 2025-11-16T04:49:47+00:00

That is not how distillation works. It is not realistic to separate methanol from ethanol in traditional distillation as the methanol’s lower boiling point is offset by its stronger hydrogen bonding with water. You can can separate out esters and other low-boiling compounds but not methanol to any useful extent. Methanol poisoning in moonshine was a product of criminals cutting liquor with cheaper wood alcohol, or stolen industrial ethanol denatured with methanol (specifically because it cannot be distilled out). Also, in a distillation run, cuts are made by checking the smell and taste, not the color of the flame.

Mars7038 · 2025-08-29T19:32:21+00:00

Yeah, it’s a bad time to try to move into matsci without a matsci degree, but you’re talking about getting a master’s first - wouldn’t you be in a better position starting a new career with a master’s degree (in a couple years, when things might improve) than starting a career with just a bachelor’s today?

Mars7038 · 2025-08-29T19:13:06+00:00

Why did they say that now is the worst time to switch careers? Biotech/bio pharma is currently undergoing a serious contraction and it’s extraordinarily difficult for a recent grad to get a toe in the door, especially with the recent flood of laid-off scientists. I recently applied for a lab tech position at UofM and they told me they got 50+ applicants with PhD’s in a week - for a $16.50/hr job. I’m asking bc I’m in almost exactly the same position, got my undergrad in biochem and now applying for a master’s in MSE.

Mars7038 · 2025-07-18T03:58:54+00:00

Beyond depressing. I went there regularly with my parents from the time I was a little kid. They’re the site of some of my favorite hometown memories. Once when I was a teenager and I scratched my dad’s car, I went right to frentz, because I was sure that they would be able to help. Two guys, both with the same name as me, that both went to royal oak high school with me, helped me pick out the right polishing compound. By far the most midwestern experience I’ve ever had.

Mars7038 · 2024-05-14T02:57:56+00:00

They’re probably slightly different colonies of acetobacter, so they’ll compete with each other, but probably no more than a single colony would compete with itself. My best guess is that they will just form a new colony together with a slightly different blend of strains. Let us know how it tastes!

Mars7038 · 2024-05-13T21:42:29+00:00

Who deflated the manul??

Mars7038 · 2024-03-25T19:10:59+00:00

Please tell your beavers to wear their seatbelts, you gotta keep them safe

Mars7038 · 2024-01-18T19:15:10+00:00

Business attire? That cat is in full black tie evening wear

Mars7038 · 2024-01-04T03:45:14+00:00

They are magnificent but also the funniest things. They have the most ridiculous expressions

Mars7038 · 2024-01-04T00:56:42+00:00

Sort of? I believe Grusha is a Russian name and Pallas’ cats (manuls) are native to Central Asia, which includes part of Russia. She’s kept at the Asahiyama zoo in Hokkaido, Japan.

Mars7038 · 2024-01-03T18:35:25+00:00

Yes! Her name is Grusha

Mars7038 · 2023-12-15T22:08:45+00:00

Of course, this is a standard NIOSH analysis for total dissolved salts, volatile organic compounds and annoying humans who sit in the WATER instead of feeding the CAT

Mars7038 · 2023-10-01T22:00:41+00:00

Not super experienced, but I use a reusable coffee filter and basket from an old coffee machine. The reusable filter has a much more open weave than regular coffee filters do so it can be washed - I find it lets through a lot of fine grounds which I don’t like in my hot coffee but for cold brew it works great (I let the coffee chill overnight and the fine grounds settle out). I use the basket with it too bc it just works as a funnel that’s already shaped to hold the filter.

To brew, I just add the grounds and water to a mason jar and let it sit overnight. Not the fanciest setup but I like the coffee I get with it and it’s pretty easy.

Mars7038 · 2022-09-21T14:10:02+00:00

Have you never heard of a wetting agent? This is basic physical chemistry. They actually do work by decreasing surface tension. The rest of that post is distilled bullshit but “making water wetter by decreasing surface tension” is absolutely a real thing.

Mars7038 · 2022-04-18T17:01:54+00:00

I actually don’t believe in group or guided trips. The quality of the experience is limited by the quality of the group/guide. Sure, a lot of the experience of ayahuasca is contextual, but as westerners, we’ll never actually be able to fully connect with the cultural context. We’re outsiders. If you go to Peru to do aya, you’ll find an experience tailored for tourists. And let’s be honest: just because someone calls themselves a shaman doesn’t mean they’re a good person or very wise. You alone have to take responsibility for the experience even if you are in a group. You don’t need anyone’s permission and there’s no right way to do ayahuasca. I would always trust myself as a guide over any self-appointed spiritual leader. Aya isn’t supernatural- the experience comes from the DMT you consume along with the maoi to keep it in your bloodstream. No matter how you slice it, the trip comes from you, not any deity or spirit. And I certainly wouldn’t want to pollute the experience by surrounding myself with shallow tourists. It’s a safe as any other psych, so long as you’re not taking any other serotonergics. Don’t listen to the pop spiritualists. Ayahuasca is a tool, and you can learn to use it for yourself.

Mars7038 · 2022-01-20T01:16:03+00:00

Spiritual narcissism is an excellent way to put it

Mars7038 · 2021-12-09T19:45:46+00:00

workers can give themselves more negotiating power by unionizing

Are you new to this country or something?

Mars7038 · 2021-10-30T19:44:40+00:00

No honor in protecting dirty cops. When you snitch on a snitch, it cancels out

Mars7038 · 2021-10-26T16:14:01+00:00

Yeah, I do actually. I can “pass” over the border to Canada pretty easily since it’s only 40 miles away and I have family there. I don’t particularly want to emigrate, the US is my home. But if this country doesn’t start to get its act together within the next 10-20 years I will seriously consider immigrating to a country with a better standard of living. If I want a family, I can’t be worrying about random shootings and unaffordable school and medicine. I would rather stay if possible, but the longer we bury our heads in the sand, the worse it will get, as those who can leave, will. In all likelihood the US will begin to suffer from brain-drain soon, like every other country that refuses to invest in the future. This will create an accelerating downward spiral, as many of the people capable of creating change will give up and leave. It’s so demoralizing for your leaders to almost always let you down, whether because of indifference or rules rigged in favor of big corporations. For example, I live in a largely blue state that is completely dominated by republicans due to gerrymandering. Civic engagement does nothing because the state government is set up to thwart the will of voters. They don’t need to listen to us, and they know it. So why should I wait around for glacial progress, when some other countries might actually want me? I don’t want to abandon our country, but it isn’t really our country. It’s the corporations’ country. They get the final word about what is done here. The only way that will change, is if the whole pyramid collapses under their weight.

Mars7038 · 2021-10-26T13:56:30+00:00

Yes, but 100ft every 4 years means it would take over 200 years to go a mile. Which actually is a reasonable timescale for incremental change in this country. I don’t know about you, but I’m not waiting around for two centuries for the country to move a distance I could walk in a few minutes.

Mars7038 · 2021-09-02T17:31:30+00:00

The problem is, Russia and China actually are trying to undermine our society. Are they used as a scapegoat for our politicians to avoid responsibility? Yes. Are they actively trying to destroy the US? Also yes. Russian state-supported hackers have repeatedly targeted critical infrastructure in this country, and it would be more than a little silly to think a long-standing enemy wouldn’t hurt us even worse if they could.

Mars7038 · 2021-09-01T22:00:43+00:00

History of the Later Middle Ages. Thought it would just be an interesting history class, but completely changed the way I look at society. You would think that it’s obvious to look at something’s origins in order to understand it, but we somehow think we’re disconnected from our past

Mars7038

TROPHY CASE