The Future Is Here. And It Wears Braces.

Last Tuesday I had the great pleasure - and honor - of being invited to attend the second annual White House Science Fair on behalf of SCI. I may be dating myself here, but the last time I was inside the White House was when teachers could still drop off a busload of kids at the front door for a tour almost any time.

We weren't sure if we'd be attending, so when we got the news on Monday, we had to put a plan together in short order. Luckily, our intrepid staff photographer, Beth Caldwell, agreed to drop everything and attend with me. Beth and I channeled our inner Rosalind Russels (remember her fast-talking reporter character from "His Girl Friday"?) as we checked in with the White House security team and got our shiny red Press badges. The reporters who regularly cover WH events have their own hangout with lots of cameras, computers, lockers, and a somewhat dingy espresso machine. We felt like real Washington insiders!

Getting Buggy

Spiders. Cockroaches. Giant Centipedes. Scorpions. Do the words give cold chills? Ever since I saw the movie "Arachnophobia" as a teenager, I've struggled to make peace with the insect denizens of our planet. As a science enthusiast, I appreciate the role they play in our ecosystem; I can even appreciate the curiously alien expressions that insects have (if you don't believe me, check out this amazing macro photo of a midge from our SciSpy community). Everyone seems to have one "kryptonite" critter - a creepy crawler that can turn you into a frozen weakling with one unexpected tickle. For me, terror marches in on long, skinny legs ... harvestmen, millipedes, and silverfish reduce me to squeaks and hand-rubbing.

Are We Alone in the Universe?

When Jodie Foster's "Contact" came out, I was a graduate  student studying the impact of media and technology in our society. I remember being both disappointed and relieved at the thought that moment of alien contact depicted was only a film world sci-fi fabrication. I couldn't imagine that humans, with all our ego and ignorance, could handle meeting beings whose intelligence we could never hope to surpass. We prefer more knowable beings: clear-cut enemies like the voracious predators of "Alien," or the little goofballs from "E.T." and "Men in Black."

Little did I know at the time, Jodie Foster's character was largely based on a real person: Jill Tarter, director of the SETI Institute and a world leader in the search for intelligent life beyond Earth. Over the past year, I have had the good fortune to be able to work directly with Ms. Tarter on an exciting project here at Science Channel.