The Science of Christmas

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and there’s so much science to explore with Christmas. Santa Claus’s bright red coat and white fur trimmings may be in honour of the white-speckled, red-capped mushroom we know so well from fairy tales. Freshly picked fly agaric [Amanita muscaria] contains ibotenic acid, which converts to muscimol when the mushroom is dried. This is a powerful hallucinogen, which interacts with receptors in the brain resulting in hallucinations.

In the past, Shamans of the tribes that herd reindeer in Siberia and Lapland would collect the mushrooms and carefully prepare them to optimise the mind-enhancing properties – and minimise the other dangerous toxins within the mushroom (of which there are several). At that time, the shamans believed they could use the mushrooms to travel to the spirit realm in search of answers to local problems, such as a sudden outbreak of illness. The effect of the muscimol gave the impression of flying out through the chimney of the shaman’s abode and travelling to the spirit world where they could seek advice. Muscimol passes through the body relatively unchanged which means that the shaman’s urine also had potent hallucinogenic properties. Reindeer happening upon these patches of yellow snow left by the shaman might well jump and skip around in the snow, off their antlers on mind-altering drugs. Perhaps, even, as they jumped up in the air, the sun in the northern regions would be low in the sky, silhouetting them in a characteristic flying pose. Clothing is another Christmas link to consider, since the shamans dressed in red and white clothes and to protect themselves from the snow they used large reindeer leather boots that over time turned black.

Oh and don’t forget you can track Santa using the Santa Norad tracker !! https://www.noradsanta.org/

Stranger Things Science

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There is a small town right next to a mysterious lab and portals to another world. Of course, it’s “Stranger Things”, the hit series set in 1980’s Indiana. A group of young people discover supernatural forces and secret government activity, Russians and much more. Along the way, these young people discover psychokinetic powers and go the Upside Down, an alternate dimension accessed through a portal. As well as being highly entertaining, it provides a great opportunity to explore some real science as the show does include real science concepts like parallel dimensions, sensory deprivation, and the potential for hive minds. These are often explained through analogies in the show. The series also draws from real-world historical events and scientific theories, such as the government experiments of Project MKUltra and the physics of quantum mechanics.

The Upside Down isn’t the most hospitable place to live. The demogorgon can be compared to some of the peculiar and scary creatures found in deep oceans. They have evolved to live in their environment, with little oxygen or food and there on sunlight. In such places in the ocean, there are bioluminescent or transparent fish and seaworms, giant spider crabs, vampire squid and anglerfish.

In “Stranger Things,” Hawkins Middle School science teacher Scott Clarke tells the story of a famous neuroscience patient, Phineas Gage. He was a 25 year old foreman of a railroad crew in 1848. A tamping rod ripped through his left cheek, brain and skull and he survived. He lost his left eye and his personality and it was the first recorded case of brain trauma being linked with personality change. This story links well with the Mindflayer creature in the series. He uses a character Will as a spy, taking over his brain until he no longer knows who he is.

Project MKUltra is a good real life link to the show’s Hawkins National Laboratory and the experiments conducted there. The real-life CIA experiments of Project MKUltra involved mind control and psychotropic drugs. CIA chemist Sidney Gottlieb headed up the agency’s secret programme, which was charged with developing a mind control drug that could be weaponized against enemies. In 1977, a Freedom of Information Act request uncovered a cache of 20,000 documents relating to MKUltra, which led to Senate hearings. Some surviving information about MKUltra was declassified in 2001.

Are there parallel universes in real life? Theoretically, yes. String Theory, a theory in quantum physics tries to explain the existence of the multiverse — multiple parallel universes. Recent discoveries in physics explore the idea that our universe may be one of many universes in a greater multiverse, and String Theory, which attempts to link two seemingly irreconcilable yet fundamental theories of physics — Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum mechanics — does so by basically admitting the possibility of multiple dimensions. “String theory smooths out the mathematical inconsistencies that currently exist between quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity. It proposes that the entire universe can be explained in terms of very tiny strings that vibrate in 10 or 11 dimensions — meaning dimensions we can’t see. If they exist, this could explain literally everything in the universe — from subatomic particles to the laws of speed and gravity. Maybe nothing is stranger than reality and science.

There are lots of scientific prompts in “Stranger Things “— so when you start the much-anticipated fifth season, watch out for them, do some research, and unlock the show’s unexpected benefit of being a portal into science.