🧠Mad Scientist Supreme: Science Roundup – April 2021 Edition
Welcome back, folks! The Mad Scientist Supreme dives into two editions of Science magazine from April 2021, pulling out four intriguing stories that blend practical potential with the spirit of mad invention. From nutrient flows in the ocean to the politics of vaccination, to tumor therapy sequences and gravity-powered batteries—it's a smorgasbord of ideas for mad scientists and careful thinkers alike.
🌊 Diagnosing Nutritional Stress in the Ocean (Apr 16, p.239)
Warming oceans mean shifting currents—and that means nutrient balances change, affecting plankton growth. A study by Forsyth confirms what many suspected: different areas become rich or poor in vital minerals depending on temperature and season.
💡 Why it matters? When we finally start farming the oceans, we’ll need to know what nutrients are missing and when to add them. This kind of research is a foundational tool for ocean-based agriculture, which may soon become a necessity as land-based farming reaches its limits.
🧬 Tumor Immunotherapy Timing (Apr 16, p.251)
It turns out the order in which cancer treatments are administered can dramatically affect outcomes. Whether you're using chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy, sequence matters.
👨‍⚕️ Mad Tip: If you're undergoing cancer treatment, bring this study to your oncologist. Ask questions. There may be a better path through treatment just by shifting the order of operations. This is science saving lives in real time.
🏫 Vaccine Discrimination? (Apr 30, p.440)
A private school in Miami-Dade made headlines by refusing to employ anyone who had taken the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s right—no jab, or no job becomes jab and you're OUT.
🧠The Mad View: Medical privacy is sacred. Employers should neither require nor prohibit personal medical decisions. Whether it’s vaccines, medications, or conditions—your biology should not be a job qualification. This is a troubling trend in medical discrimination from both extremes.
🪨 Gravity-Powered Batteries for Energy Storage (Apr 30, p.446)
Here’s the coolest engineering idea of the month: storing solar and wind energy by raising massive weights, then dropping them later to generate power.
🔋 The system works like this:
Sun shines → solar panels generate electricity
Motor lifts a heavy weight to the top of a tower
Night falls → the weight drops slowly, turning a generator
VoilĂ : instant electricity, no delay like steam turbines
⚡ Benefits:
Responds immediately to demand spikes
Stores green energy with no toxic battery waste
Supplements overloaded grids during peak hours
Perfect partner for solar and wind in remote or unstable areas
🎯 Mad Insight: It’s low-tech genius, like using a grandfather clock to run a city. Combine this with thorium reactors or tornado energy, and you’ve got a resilient, adaptive grid for the future.
🧪 Final Thoughts
This round of scientific discoveries touches everything from global ecology to personal autonomy, from engineering ingenuity to life-saving medical protocols. Whether you’re farming the seas, curing cancer, or powering cities with gravity, the future is here—if we’re willing to act on it.
đź“š Source: Science Magazine, April 16 & April 30, 2021.
đź‘‹ This has been the Mad Tactician, signing off with curiosity, critique, and a pinch of chaos.
Science Magazine 16, 30 April
