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If you’d like to get letters in the mail from me. I send wine information, general education, as well as news and updates you probably don’t want to miss.
Nightmare Poetry
This raw poem captures the emotional toll of PTSD and night terrors. Michele writes through the waves of trauma, the stories that won’t burn, and what it means to survive another sleepless night.
When the Earth Was a Single Continent: What Pangaea Can Teach Us About Now
The Atlantic hasn’t always been an ocean, and a fossil leaf can help explain why. I followed Pangaea’s story from moving plates and ancient landscapes to the connections crossing the ocean today.
What Artisan Butchers Do With the Whole Animal
There’s a lot of animal left after the ribeyes sell. Here’s how whole-animal butchers turn their knowledge into useful cuts, sausages, cooking advice, and a better plan for dinner.
The Lost Smells of the 20th Century
Purple school copies, pencil shavings, cold cream, and video-store cases all have stories attached. I look at the smells we miss, the ones still around, and why a familiar scent can bring so much back.
How Japan’s HAL Exoskeleton Uses Muscle Signals to Help People Move
HAL can use faint electrical activity detected at the skin to assist movement. I look at how the system works, what studies have found, and the people and practical decisions behind the robotic suit.
China’s HEPS: A Giant X-Ray Light Source for Tiny Questions
HEPS is an enormous machine built to ask very small questions. I look at how its X-rays work, what researchers can study, and why brightness, detail, and speed tell us different things.
KAIST’s Cancer-Reversion Research: Can We Change What a Cancer Cell Does?
KAIST researchers are studying whether changing a cell’s regulatory networks can shift cancer-related behavior toward a normal-like state. I look at the actual experiments, the related studies, and why the possibility still fascinates me.
The Legacy in the Barrel: Remembering Nicolas Potel
Nicolas Potel’s career took him from Volnay to businesses and wines that reached far beyond Burgundy. I look at the work he built, the labels that can confuse us, and the people who remembered him.
Why European Butter Can Taste So Good
Butter gives us a surprising amount to talk about, from fermentation and grass-fed milk to pastry and the salt on our bread. I look at what changes the flavor and why the particular butter matters more than its passport.
Can You Wake Up Speaking a Different Language?
A story about waking up speaking differently sends me into the strange science of accents, language, and all the work behind an ordinary conversation. The real cases are fascinating, with a few important details the headlines tend to leave behind.
Do Animals Know They’ll Die? What We Can Learn From Their Behavior
Elephants investigate remains, crows learn about danger, and dogs can change after losing a companion. I look at what those responses might mean, with a few thoughts about Riesling and why kindness doesn’t need to wait for a complete answer.
The Rise and Fall of Lard in American Cooking
Lard helped make American pie crusts, then acquired a century of baggage. Here’s how advertising, convenience, and changing ideas about fat reshaped its place in the kitchen, and why some cooks never stopped using it.
How Salt Changed History, From Ancient Mines to the Dinner Table
I love salt, but its history goes well beyond seasoning. Ancient mines, compulsory purchases, Gandhi’s march, and the people doing the work all connect through the same useful mineral.
What Did Ancient Egyptians Eat? A Look Inside a Pharaoh’s Pantry
I wanted to know what ancient Egyptians ate and ended up reading about bread rations, busy breweries, grain accountants, and the names on Tutankhamun’s wine jars.
Real-Life Shape-Shifters: The Science of Biological Camouflage
Cuttlefish can change their skin, chameleons shift reflected light, and some caterpillars get mistaken for twigs. I wanted to know how all these different defenses work.
Why Telomeres Matter, and What They Can’t Tell Us About Aging
I wanted to understand the chromosome ends that keep appearing in aging stories. The biology is fascinating, but longer telomeres and a precise biological-age score aren’t the same as better health.
The Science of Decomposition: What Really Happens When We Die
I wanted to understand what actually happens to a body after death, without the rigid timelines or the gruesome details. The answer involves microbes, insects, changing conditions, and some remarkable exceptions.
Soul-Sized Work: What Happens When Your Passion Can’t Pay the Bills
I love the idea of making a living from something you care about. I’d also like the electricity to stay on while it happens, so let’s talk about the space between meaningful work and a reliable income.
The Strange Side of Space: Dark Worlds, Cosmic Voids and Unanswered Signals
I love space, especially the parts that make everyday intuition stop working. Here are dark worlds, bent light, unusual signals, and a few mysteries that need a clearer explanation than “probably aliens.”
Jeffrey Katzenberg and the Disney Renaissance: How the Comeback Came Together
I love what an animated musical can get away with. The story behind Disney’s comeback is just as interesting, especially when we give the filmmakers, songwriters, and artists room alongside the executives.