SuppleMentally Blog

A multimedia supplement to the Mensa Bulletin’s SuppleMentally science column

By John Blinke

January 6, 2026

I’ve been thinking about the Great Victorian Manure Crisis, first introduced to me years ago on the Stuff You Missed in History Class podcast. That sent me on a binge of related shows — and here they are.

In the 19th century, cities depended on horses for transportation and freight. That meant huge amounts of manure, urine, and flies, along with dead animals in the streets and real public-health concerns. Some modern retellings exaggerate parts of the story — especially the famous “1894 conference” — but the basic problem was very real: horses created massive sanitation issues in crowded industrial cities.

The arrival of electric streetcars and then gasoline automobiles dramatically reduced the urban horse population, which also meant a big reduction in manure. So in that sense, motor vehicles helped solve one public-health problem while creating new ones of their own.

December 23, 2025

SOME 12,000 YEARS AGO ...

Göbeklitepe is a 12,000-year-old ceremonial site carved into a stone hillside in southeastern Turkey. When it was first discovered, it surprised archaeologists because it predates cities, farming communities, and most of what we think of as organized civilization. Now, even more intriguing details are being uncovered — including pillars with human-like faces carved into them. And there’s likely much more to learn, because only about 5 percent of the site has been excavated so far.

This video from the Amazing Earth YouTube channel looks at Göbeklitepe and the nearby Taş Tepeler sites, and what they might mean for our understanding of early human culture.

December 16, 2025

ÉMILIE DU CHATELET

Émilie du Châtelet was an 18th-century French scientist working at a time when women were largely excluded from formal scientific education and institutions. Despite those barriers, she conducted original research in physics and mathematics and worked from her own laboratory.

She is best known for her translation and commentary on Isaac Newton’s Principia, which helped introduce Newtonian physics to a broader European audience, and for her work on kinetic energy, arguing that energy is proportional to velocity squared — an idea that anticipated later formulations in physics.

Her contributions were long minimized or attributed to the men around her, a reflection of the social and institutional structures of her era that limited women’s recognition in science. This episode of The Science Show explores her life, work, and legacy.

December 16, 2025

MOSQUITOS

If you’re sad to see mosquito season go away, here’s a reminder from Ze Frank, a writer and longtime internet creator known for his True Facts videos that mix humor with real biology. This one is funny and slightly naughty, as usual, but it’s also genuinely informative. Along the way, he digs into what makes mosquitos such effective survivors — and why they’ve been such successful pests for so long. Great photography, too.

December 11, 2025

IN-WHEEL EV MOTORS

This is news I’ve been looking for. A new EV design uses high-torque axial-flux electric motors in each wheel. That means no drivetrain — just a battery and a computer — delivering enormous weight savings. It’s a high-end vehicle for now, but this is the kind of technology that’s certain to trickle down to the consumer level.

Also, the U.S. Postal Service plans to deploy 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028, replacing an aging fleet powered by dinosaur juice that’s become too expensive to maintain.

Check out the video from Miss GoElectric’s YouTube series The Current: Weekly EV News.

December 9, 2025

LOAD-LEVELING BATTERIES

What good are massive batteries connected to the power grid? They can chop the top off peak load and save money — lots of it. Old EV batteries can even be used for this, giving a second life to the growing number of lithium packs that aren’t quite strong enough to power a fire-breathing electric Mustang or Camaro.

Here’s a short video from the Undecided podcast.

December 2, 2025

DISAGREEING PEACEFULLY

Just in time for holiday gatherings, here’s a Short Wave episode about how to disagree without everything falling apart. It’s a quick look at what actually helps conversations stay calm and respectful, even when people don’t see eye to eye.

November 25, 2025

HOW DO TURTLE USE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD?

Sea turtles travel huge distances in the ocean, but somehow still find their way back to the same beaches. Scientists think they do it by sensing the Earth’s magnetic field.

This short video from BBC Earth Science explains how that works and what we’ve learned so far.

November 21, 2025

SAND

Zion National Park in Utah has miles of striking petrified rock formations that are hard to figure out. They’re made of sandstone that was once part of a vast desert system. But where could so much sand come from? And how do we know? Here’s geologist Myron Cook — whose YouTube channel focuses on the geology of the American West — to explain:

November 18, 2025

WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT 3I/ATLAS?

If you’ve seen rumors floating around about the 3i/ATLAS asteroid, you’re not alone. It’s been making the rounds online with plenty of dramatic claims. The reality is far less exciting and far more grounded in actual astronomy.

Fraser Cain, publisher of Universe Today, breaks down what 3i/ATLAS is, why it’s not a threat, and how these misunderstandings spread in the first place. His short explainer walks through what astronomers actually know about the object and why the science doesn’t match the hype.

November 14, 2025

WHAT'S REALLY IN OUR FOOD

Dr. Karl is one of Australia’s best-known science communicators, and his Shirtloads of Science podcast often brings in experts to break down complicated topics. In this episode, he talks with Professor Clare Collins, a leading nutrition researcher at the University of Newcastle, about what really goes into our food.

They sort out the difference between processed and ultra-processed foods, explain why additives like emulsifiers and flavor enhancers show up in so many products, and look at what current research says about their impact on health. Collins also offers practical, everyday advice for navigating the grocery store without feeling overwhelmed.

If you want more from her, she runs a free site called No Money No Time, which offers simple, budget-friendly nutrition guidance and recipes.

November 11, 2025

FACT-CHECKING JURASSIC PARK

If you are reading this, you are probably a fan of the Jurassic Park movies. Have you wondered what they got right and what they got wrong? This video from Wired covers a lot of ground. A paleontologist answers questions from Twitter about what dinosaurs really looked like and how they lived, separating science from movie magic.

November 7, 2025

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

We seem to be in for some interesting weather, especially if you’re in the Pacific Northwest. Ryan Hall is a pretty good weather prognosticator — certainly not the only good one, but he gets to the point. This time he’s talking about a Pineapple Express, a stream of warm, moisture-laden air flowing in from near Hawaii that can soak the West Coast when it collides with cold air.

November 4, 2025

MANTIS

Do you like praying mantises? Do you like Ze Frank? This is your lucky day. Ze Frank — the wry voice behind YouTube’s True Facts series — just released a new episode about the praying mantis. It’s science that won’t put you to sleep, though it might give you nightmares. There’s a chuckle or two, maybe a few mildly naughty asides, but nothing too scandalous. Mostly, it’s delightfully weird and only slightly disturbing.

October 31, 2025

MICROSCOPIC MASTERPIECES

Every year, the Nikon Small World competition celebrates the stunning art and science of microscopy, revealing the hidden beauty of life at its smallest scales.

The contest features two main categories: Photomicrography, for still images taken through a light microscope, and Small World in Motion, for videos and time-lapse microscopy. The results are as mesmerizing as they are educational. Enjoy, friends!

A touring exhibit of this year’s winners will visit Los Angeles, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Durham, N.C., if you happen to be nearby.

October 28, 2025

ZINC ION BATTERIES

I love to read about new kinds of batteries. Lithium-ion is the current golden child, but there are many more battery chemistries on the way. This video from tech enthusiast Matt Ferrell talks about a new kind of zinc battery that resists dendrite formation. You’ll want to check out the entire catalog of “Undecided with Matt Ferrell” videos. They’re all great!

October 24, 2025

THE ANSWER IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Which U.S. state leads the nation in wind-generated electricity? We’ll save you the suspense — it’s Texas. Find out how the Lone Star State became America’s unlikely wind powerhouse in this TED Tech episode.

October 22, 2025

HEY, THIS IS REALLY COOL!

Well, not literally cool. The plasma inside that glowing glass orb is actually hot — ionized gas creating those lightning-like tendrils you can control with a fingertip.

This YouTube Short, “Tokamak in Your Home: A Xenon Plasma Toroid,” is a mesmerizing look at high-voltage physics in action.

October 17, 2025

EVERYDAY PHYSICS

I enjoy simple experiments that illustrate physical principles — little moments when science shows up in the ordinary. Here’s a quick one from YouTube that caught my eye.

October 14, 2025

IT TAKES TWO

The red supergiant Betelgeuse has long puzzled astronomers with its strange fluctuations in brightness — was it about to explode, or hiding a secret companion? NASA scientists have now confirmed the latter, photographing a second star nestled within Betelgeuse’s outer atmosphere. Using the Alopeke speckle instrument on the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, they combined thousands of ultra-short exposures to reveal the hidden partner.

The companion orbits Betelgeuse every six years and likely causes its flickering brightness — though in about 10,000 years, Betelgeuse will probably consume it.

NASA has the full story here, and astrophysicist YouTuber Space Mog breaks it down in this video.

John Blinke has been the Mensa Bulletin’s science editor since 1984 and is a two-time recipient of American Mensa’s National Service Award. He lives in the wilderness of Michigan and keeps busy with a wide range of hobbies, including astronomy, RC models, drones, photography, model rockets, and fooling around with microscopes and other scientific gear. John spent 50 years as an electrician with Ford Motor Company. He holds a BA in English from Wayne State University, completed the UAW-Ford electrical apprenticeship, is a certified Level II Thermographer, and has an Extra Class amateur radio license. Email him at BulletinSupplementally@us.mensa.org.