Jess Romeo
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Senior associate editor @Scholastic Science World | jromeo@scholastic.com | she/her
Articles by Jess Romeo
Karate physics: How your hand can break concrete without breaking itself
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Karate physics: How your hand can break concrete without breaking itself
In the late 1970s, a team of karate-loving physicists decided to perform an experiment inspired by their collective passion for martial arts. The group was made up of physicist Michael Feld, a brown belt who liked to illustrate the physics of karate via live demonstrations to his classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ronald McNair, future astronaut and fifth-degree black belt; and undergraduate Stephen Wilk.
The rise and fall of the jetpack
The human body is not well-suited for flight. We’re somehow both bulky and gangly, with legs that kick and flail once they leave the ground. Our anatomy is not built to glide through the air—or even fall gracefully. We’ve tried to game nature with kites and gliders and wax wings. But no amount of self-flapping could lift us off the earth. So imagine the excitement in the 1950s, when the Army contacted Bell Aerospace Corporation to develop a device that would realize this fantastical idea.
ADHD: The history of a diagnosis
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has gone by a slew of different names over the years: organic drivenness, minimal brain dysfunction, hyperkinesis, hyperactive syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and ADHD. ADHD was originally thought of as “minimal brain dysfunction,” according to scholar Robert Erk.
The Real Science of the Multiverse
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is immense—and with the addition of the “multiverse,” it’s growing even bigger. It’s a classic science fiction trope, allowing characters to jump between timelines and realities and even encounter alternative versions of themselves. Marvel’s latest Spider-man film showcases a rogues gallery from across parallel universes. And as fantastical as it sounds, Marvel’s web of timey-wimey weirdness may not be that far off from reality.
Food...in...Space! - JSTOR Daily
The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR. When scientists sent the first humans careening into the vacuum of space, they had no idea what food would do to a body in orbit. Could a person swallow while in weightless flight? Does digestion even work without gravity? In 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin quelled this fear by successfully swallowing and digesting a paste of beef and liver. That same year, cosmonaut Gherman Titov ate crackers while orbiting Earth.
The Ecological Prescience of Dune
The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR. On the dedication page for the 1965 sci-fi epic novel Dune, author Frank Herbert writes that this is for “the people whose labors go beyond ideas into the realm of ‘real materials’—to the dry-land ecologists, wherever they may be, in whatever time they work, this effort at prediction is dedicated in humility and admiration.” Unlike most science fiction of its time, Dune isn’t about so much about technology as it is about ecology.
The Evolution of the Mad Scientist
With a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder, a mad cackle rings out from a dark laboratory. Inside, a frail, large-lobed scientist hunches over his latest abomination. The archetype of the mad genius—a malevolent, weak-bodied creature with an oversized head—didn’t come out of nowhere. It was set in place by early science fiction authors—most notably H.G. Wells, in books like The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) and War of the Worlds (1897–98).
Coping with Climate Anxiety
In a recently published landmark survey, 10,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 were asked to share how they feel about climate change and governments’ response to it. The results paint a dismal picture: more than 50 percent of respondents reported being very or extremely worried about climate change, with 84 percent at least moderately worried.
When Will New York City Be Underwater?
In 1932, an article published in The Science News-Letter proclaimed, in big, bold type: “New York Will Be Flooded by Melting of Great Ice Caps.” “New York is destined to become the American Venice,” reads the copy. “Her streets, canyoned by skyscrapers, will be filled with water to the twelfth floor.” Read Full Article »
New York City, Underwater
In 1932, an article published in The Science News-Letter proclaimed, in big, bold type: “New York Will Be Flooded by Melting of Great Ice Caps.” “New York is destined to become the American Venice,” reads the copy. “Her streets, canyoned by skyscrapers, will be filled with water to the twelfth floor.” This prediction came from the US Weather Bureau—the Earth is getting warmer, it said, causing the ice caps to melt and the oceans to rise.
William Dampier, Pirate Scientist
“It might seem odd to speak in the same breath of piracy and science; of the violent tales of buccaneer adventures and of the growth of enlightenment modes of knowledge,” writes historian Anna Neil.
The Hidden History of Biology Textbooks - JSTOR Daily
In 1925, Tennessee v. Scopes, better known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, captured the attention of the nation. Millions of Americans tuned their radios to listen to the trial of John T. Scopes, a science teacher, who had violated a state law that forbade the teaching of evolution in public schools. After a week-long spectacle, billed as an epic showdown between religion and science, Scopes was found guilty. The law wouldn’t be repealed until 1962.
How Computer Science Became a Boys' Club
When people picture the archetypal computer nerd, they probably imagine a certain character: unkempt, eccentric, maybe a bit awkward around women—embodying a very specific, and perhaps unexpected, form of masculinity. Yet computer programming wasn’t born male. As computing historian Nathan Ensmenger notes, programming was initially seen as a woman’s job. So how did the male nerd come to dominate the field and popular ideas about it?
Policing the Bodies of Women Athletes Is Nothing New
In 1891, Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball. A year later, physical education teacher Senda Berenson Abbott of Smith College decided to adapt the game for the nineteenth-century woman, complete with a set of modified rules. Each player was confined to a small zone on the court. She was not allowed to bounce the ball more than three times. Otherwise, she might risk overexerting herself—or potentially dislodging her uterus.
Space Medicine for the Inexperienced Astronaut
Space travel: it’s all the rage for the ultra-wealthy. Fueled by an increasing supply of billionaire- (and taxpayer-) funded rockets and a growing demand from the 1 percent, the commercial space industry is eager to launch. But the promise of commercial spaceflight raises questions about how untrained “space tourists” will endure the extreme hostility of space.
ADHD: The History of a Diagnosis
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has gone by a slew of different names over the years: organic drivenness, minimal brain dysfunction, hyperkinesis, hyperactive syndrome, attention deficit disorder, and ADHD. ADHD was originally thought of as “minimal brain dysfunction,” according to scholar Robert Erk.
There’s Something About Lizard Blood
Ticks suck—literally and figuratively. The tiny arachnids inspire almost universal heebie-jeebies, with their seemingly indestructible bodies and Terminator-like determination to gorge themselves on our blood. But the biggest threat to humans isn’t the ticks themselves—it’s the pathogens in their gut. Some species of tick carry a type of spiral-shaped bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, better known as the pathogen that causes Lyme disease.
The Mediums Who Helped Kick-Start the Oil Industry
In the 1860s, the petroleum industry was in its infancy. As with the gold rush, hordes of inexperienced prospectors tried to strike it rich. But according to oil historian Paul H. Giddens, they didn’t trust scientists to tell them where to drill. The few professional geologists who tried to use “scientific means” to locate wells were “regarded as quacks” by the practical oilmen.
Recipe for an Ancient Roman Glow Up
As pandemic restrictions ease in the US, restaurants reopen, mask mandates lift, and vaccinated people begin to venture, hesitantly, back into the world, they squint into the sunlight. As the new day dawns, so does this realization: it’s time for a total makeover. But where to start? For the best post-pandemic glow up, consider some beauty hacks from ancient Rome.
Chien-Shiung Wu, the First Lady of Physics - JSTOR Daily
Born near Shanghai in 1912, Chien-Shiung Wu boarded a ship to the United States in 1936 to study physics at the University of Michigan. She intended to get her PhD and then return home. Instead, while visiting a friend, she was persuaded to join the cutting-edge physics graduate program at the University of California, Berkeley. Flash-forward to 1956, when an experiment of Wu’s demonstrated that a fundamental assumption of physics—the “conservation of parity”—was false.
RV144: The Largest HIV Vaccine Trial in History
In a little under a year, scientists developed several vaccines against COVID-19. But as we line up for our shots, we are still living in the shadow of another pandemic. The search for a vaccine against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been ongoing for nearly four decades. To this day, only one large-scale trial has demonstrated even marginal efficacy at preventing infection from the virus: the RV144 trial in Thailand—the largest HIV vaccine trial in history.
The Tragicomedy of Johanna the Super Whale
Is there any sentiment more quintessentially “Earth Day” than “Save the Whales”? Since the 1960s, pop culture and environmental activism have transformed the whale “from objectified litres of oil, kilos of meat and blubber…into sacrosanct symbols of threatened oceans and nature,” writes anthropologist Rob van Ginkel.
The Whole Earth Catalog, Where Counterculture Met Cyberculture
It all started with the Whole Earth Catalog. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Catalog was a “celebration of disembodied, spiritual unity,” according to communications professor Fred Turner. What began as a collection of reviews grew into a print-and-ink embodiment of the tribal, anti-hierarchical politics of the day.
Why Do We Listen to Sad Music?
Even though pop music has allegedly become more upbeat during the pandemic, there’s something satisfying about queuing up a sad song and letting the melancholy feelings wash over you. This commonplace experience actually raises “one of the most intriguing questions in the history of music scholarship,” according to psychologists Jonna Vuoskoski, William Thompson, Doris McIlwain, and Tuomas Eerola: Why do people enjoy listening to sad music?
What’s the Deal with Crypto Art?
The whole subject of crypto technology can seem surreal, esoteric, almost comically futuristic. So when a digital file built on blockchain technology sells at auction for $69.3 million in cryptocurrency, it’s no surprise that some people are baffled. That’s what happened with Everydays: The First 5000 Days, by digital artist Beeple. The work is a collection of pixels, made unique, and therefore valuable, by a “non-fungible token” (NFT).
The Rise and Fall of the Jet Pack
AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy, file The human body is not well-suited for flight. We’re somehow both bulky and gangly, with legs that kick and flail once they leave the ground. Our anatomy is not built to glide through the air—or even fall gracefully. We’ve tried to game nature with kites and gliders and wax wings. But no amount of self-flapping could lift us off the earth. Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments Related Articles
The Rise and Fall of the Jet Pack
The human body is not well-suited for flight. We’re somehow both bulky and gangly, with legs that kick and flail once they leave the ground. Our anatomy is not built to glide through the air—or even fall gracefully. We’ve tried to game nature with kites and gliders and wax wings. But no amount of self-flapping could lift us off the earth. So imagine the excitement in the 1950s, when the Army contacted Bell Aerospace Corporation to develop a device that would realize this fantastical idea.
How Octavia E. Butler Became a Legend
Octavia Estelle Butler was inspired to write science fiction after watching a schlocky B-movie, Devil Girl from Mars. She was twelve years old and thought: “Geez, I can write a better story than that.” Her mother did domestic work, an experience that would shape Butler’s writing.
Erasing Women from Science? There's a Name for That
If you base your understanding of science history on what the textbooks tell you, you might believe that up until about a hundred years ago, Marie Curie was one of the only women in science to have achieved anything notable. In reality, Curie was just one of many groundbreaking women scientists—what sets her apart is the fact that her accomplishments were recognized in her time, mostly due to her own efforts. Other women in science haven’t been so lucky.
The Invention of the Test Tube
So much depends upon the tiny glass vials being used to transport COVID-19 vaccines around the world. The basic process that produces these little bottles is almost 4,000 years old: A powdery pile of silicate sand is heated into a gooey, lava-hot liquid, which is then rolled and shaped into a glass vessel. Throughout history, glass vessels have played a key role in science—especially in the laboratory.
How Do Martial Artists Break Wood and Concrete?
In the late 1970s, a team of karate-loving physicists decided to perform an experiment inspired by their collective passion for martial arts. The group was made up of physicist Michael Feld, a brown belt who liked to illustrate the physics of karate via live demonstrations to his classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ronald McNair, future astronaut and fifth-degree black belt; and undergraduate Stephen Wilk. Read Full Article »
The Physics of Karate
In the late 1970s, a team of karate-loving physicists decided to perform an experiment inspired by their collective passion for martial arts. The group was made up of physicist Michael Feld, a brown belt who liked to illustrate the physics of karate via live demonstrations to his classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ronald McNair, future astronaut and fifth-degree black belt; and undergraduate Stephen Wilk.
Do Viruses Cheat to Win at Evolution?
Cheating is a tried-and-true strategy for survival. In fact, for decades scientists have studied the different ways organisms stack the deck in their favor. For example, biologists frequently observe weaker male lions forgoing traditional courtship to sneakily copulate with females on other males’ territories. But cheating doesn’t stop with large mammals, or even living things. Viruses compete with each other—and they fight dirty. In 2005, biologist Paul E.
Why Hasn’t NASA Sent Anyone to Mars?
In 1969, humans first set foot on the Moon. With each step, the entire universe seemed to open up. Where would NASA and its brave astronauts go next? As it turns out, nowhere. In the half-century following Apollo 11, NASA’s human spaceflight program stagnated. Even our closest planetary neighbor, Mars, seems like an impossible destination—but this wasn’t always the case. After 1972, no astronaut would stray further than 300 miles from Earth.
Annie M. Alexander: Paleontologist and Silent Benefactor
In 1900, Annie Montague Alexander started attending paleontology lectures at the University of California at Berkeley. These talks changed her life. She fell in love with paleontology and didn’t miss a lecture for more than a year straight. Despite her keen interest in science, Alexander thought she wasn’t cut out for the minutiae of research.
The “Scientific” Antifeminists of Victorian England
It was a common belief of the Victorian era that women and men were fundamentally different and that a woman’s natural place was in the home. Many male scientists clung to this popular belief, even in the face of a growing movement pushing for female emancipation and woman suffrage.
An Archeologist’s Guide to Beer Cans
In 1993, David Maxwell noticed a troubling shortage of foolproof guides for dating beer cans.
Why Are So Many Romances Set in the Regency Period?
On December 25, 2020, Netflix released Bridgerton, a book-to-screen adaption of Julia Quinn’s popular romance novel The Duke and I. Only four weeks after its debut, the series reportedly became one of the streaming giant’s most-watched shows. According to Netflix, around 63 million households immersed themselves in this steamy historical romance.
What's the Difference between a Shanty and a Sea Song?
Yo ho ho! Hoist the sails, lads, and embark on an adventure through history. For the past week, Sea Shanty TikTok, aptly named “ShantyTok,” has been providing hours of sea-themed entertainment to those stuck in quarantine. By far, the most popular song making the rounds is “Soon May the Wellerman Come.” But this catchy number isn’t actually a shanty—it’s a sea song. This may seem like semantic nitpicking, but for some scholars the distinction between shanties and sea songs is a really big deal.
You Don't Get Colds from Being Cold
For many of us, winter is the season of runny noses, coughs, body aches, and stomach bugs. And what else can you expect when it’s so cold and damp outside, with snow and slushy rain that chills you to the bone? Actually, that’s a common misunderstanding. Throughout history, cold-weather theory has been invoked to explain colds (and sometimes the flu).
How Scientists Tried to Find a Universal Flu Vaccine
In 1936, journalist Paul de Kruif made a bold prediction: Medical science was about to conquer influenza. Among scientists and journalists alike, hopes were high after a series of successes isolating antibodies in animal trials. By all accounts, writes historian of medicine John Eyler, this early optimism was well founded.
The Deadly Bilibid Prison Vaccine Trials
On November 16, 1906, American doctor Richard Strong injected a muddy-looking liquid into the arms of twenty-four inmates at the Bilibid Prison in the Philippines. Strong did not tell the men what was inside these hypodermic syringes, and those who resisted the injection were urged on by prison guards. Strong wanted to test the side effects of a popular cholera vaccine.
The Horseshoe Crab: Same as It Ever Was?
Horseshoe crabs are odd-looking, unassuming little critters that play a key role in the development of life-saving vaccines and medications. Drug companies collect them by the hundreds of thousands, hook an IV in between their plated bodies, and drain them of their alien-looking blue blood. A case of evolution gone wacky? Actually, horseshoe crabs have looked this way for millions of years.
How Scientists Became Advocates for Birth Control
The confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has left a lot of American citizens worrying about the long-term security of their reproductive rights—including future access to birth control. This fight is not new. The crusade to make birth control safe, effective, and widely available has been raging for more than a century. In the early 1900s, contraception was taboo (as were all discussions of reproduction and sexuality).
The Decapitation Experiments of Jean César Legallois | RealClearScience
The Decapitation Experiments of Jean César Legallois In the early 1800s, the bloody chaos of post-Revolution France left many citizens uncomfortably familiar with the concept of beheading. Some horrified observers noted that the severed heads often took on an expression of pain—after they had been sliced from the body. Read Full Article »
The Decapitation Experiments of Jean César Legallois
In the early 1800s, the bloody chaos of post-Revolution France left many citizens uncomfortably familiar with the concept of beheading. Some horrified observers noted that the severed heads often took on an expression of pain—after they had been sliced from the body. This postmortem grimace fascinated most scientists, but not French physician Jean César Legallois.
The Scientist Who Wanted Grizzly Bears Eliminated
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) In 1967, two girls were attacked and killed by grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park. This tragic event ignited a public uproar that was “immediate, intense and prolonged,” according to the New York Times. Enter a biologist named Gairdner Moment. In 1969, Moment published an essay responding to the 1967 attack, called “Bears: The Need for a New Sanity in Wildlife Conservation.” Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments
The Scientist Who Wanted Grizzly Bears Eliminated
In 1967, two girls were attacked and killed by grizzly bears in Glacier National Park. This tragic event ignited a public uproar that was “immediate, intense and prolonged,” according to the New York Times. Enter a biologist named Gairdner Moment. In 1969, Moment published an essay responding to the 1967 attack, called “Bears: The Need for a New Sanity in Wildlife Conservation.” The mix of people and grizzly bears in national parks is fundamentally dangerous, he argued.
The Taínos Refused to Grow Food. The Spanish Starved.
In the late fifteenth century, Spanish colonizers in the Caribbean were starving in a land of plenty. They had just established their newest settlement, La Isabela, in what is now the Dominican Republic. The Spaniards planned to survive by exploiting the area’s indigenous people, the Taínos. But the Taínos refused to plant their annual crops, in protest of the Spanish invasion and appropriation of their lands.
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