iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 14h

Get ready for World Anatomy Day, Oct 15: a joint initiative of the IFAA and national Anatomical Societies. In 2019 the IFAA General Assembly set World Anatomy Day as October 15th each year: the anniversary of the death of Andreas Vesalius (father of modern anatomy) in 1564 (Julian, Oct 25 now).

Graphic of 2 arms divided into a series of segments wrapped around a sketch of the Earth with the Old World facing the viewer. Text reads, Anatomy is for Everyone: IFAA World Anatomy Day.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Antiviral action "evicts" DNA from host nucleus. hms.harvard.edu/news/new-mec.... See fluorescent bits of viral DNA kicked out of host nucleus. Romero et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2026;123(34):e2614472123. doi:10.1073/pnas.2614472123 Your tax $ at work make us healthier (SSH! Don't tell HHS).

Fluorescent image of infected host nucleus. Shows DNA from infecting virus as small green "blobs" both outside the nucleus and emerging from the surface.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It's the demography, stupid! There has been a "greying" trend in VT over the last 20+ years. Folks moving in are older without children. Fewer families with young children. This poll asked how to advise young adults to find a successful life and career. 51% said leave the state; only 23% said stay.

Poll results from Vermont Public media poll ahead of Nov elections. Respondents asked whether they would recommend a young adult should stay or leave the state for a "successful life and career". 51% say their advice is to leave. 23% said to stay.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Reminds one of an omen during pre-doc research in the Leeward Islands. There were also barrels the size of oil drums.

Red refuse bucket seen on street corner in St Kitts. Has the letters p h d inscribed on the side in large white letters.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

In 1968 our local pharmacy stocked "Lydia Pinkham's" remedies for women's troubles. When I asked the pharmacist what was in it, his succinct answer was "Booze!" Unicorn root, black cohosh, fenugreek, life root, pleurisy root in ethanol. Derivatives still available numarkbrands.com/products/lyd....

Photo of the bottle and packaging for Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Although (non)vaccination status is the immediate causal variable, an explanatory variable that precedes it is political identity. Remember this map posted here 2 weeks ago: 84% of cases were in districts that elected Republicans to Congress in 2024. Relative risk 5.25 by party of representative.

Map of measles outbreaks by Congressional districts. 84% of cases in districts that elected Republicans to Congress in 2024.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Seen today in the supermarket. Tie dye never goes out of style, ain'a?

Tie dyed t-shirt with the slogan "Public health saves lives."

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

When force in foreign relations mistaken for power & authority. Is the "big stick" really a modern penile sheath? "to act as a visible sign of newly acquired social status or as a restatement of existing social hierarchy." Ucko PJ. Proc Roy Anthropol Inst GB Irl. 1969:24A–67 doi.org/10.2307/3031...

Cover pages of journal article with bilbiographic details. Ucko PJ. Penis sheaths: a comparative study. Proceedings of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 1969:24A–67. Doi:10.2307/3031745. The DOI returns a location in JSTOR which requires a subscription to access.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Are these the war mongrels? Collection of mongrels at Portugal-Avenida do Mar, Funchal

Gathering of mongrel dogs on a street corner in Portugal. Credits: By Hansueli Krapf - Own work: Hansueli Krapf (User Simisa (talk · contribs)), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9807501

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

A predator has figured out that its prey are attracted to this flying insect trap, so it built a web just above.

Predatory arachnid (maybe a boatman) in a web just above a flying insect trap.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

If you believe that people pass from one plane of existence to another...behold Tropical Storm Dolly.

Predicted path of Tropical Storm Dolly. Expected to pass between Barbados and Venezuela.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Prevalence of CTE in NFL players 2008-21. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/u... Research in BMJ www.bmj.com/content/394/... visual abstract: www.bmj.com/content/bmj/... Note: Average NFL career: 5.4 years 🧪

Visual abstract of article. Study examined 1712 former NFL players who died between 2001 and 2021, brain donors and non-donors with and without signs of dementia. Among donors, over 90% showed signs of brain injury; 80% with stage 3 or 4 injury.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Better yet, travel to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line, Vermont. Once inside, just step over the border into Stanstead QC, and start your vacation. CBP tried to limit access from Canada, but Vermonters know how to be good neighbors: www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/art...

The international boundary is marked as a black-tape line on the floor of what is now used as the children’s room of the Haskell Library. In this picture, Canada is on the right side of the line and the United States is on the left.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

And that problem is EVERYwhere, as this cartoon shows. After all, who REALLY does the work that companies (and governments) need to accomplish their goals?

Image of an old ship. On upper deck, a board of executives meets. Below there is one person with oars to row the boat, but the weight of the execs pulls the stern up so the oars are not in the water. One exec says, "I don't get it... After all the budget cuts to streamline the workforce, why aren't we moving faster?"

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Another effect of climate change on health: www.nature.com/articles/d41... Check out "sleep deficit map" but be wary that the some locations have better monitoring (or monitoring at all) than others, and that could affect the data available for the graphic (www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...).

Map of "sleep deficit": heat-related sleep loss. Largest impacts recorded in souther Asia, Indonesia, and southern USA and nothern Mexico. Larger impact, though fewer data points, in equatorial countries.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

One of the elephants in the room WRT rural health care: how far away is life-saving care? hms.harvard.edu/news/bicycle... More emphasis on preventive care MAY lesson the need for these services, but one wonders what the maps are like for primary care, obstetrics, mental health, pediatrics????

Map shows bike route along the continental divide from southern Alberta to northern Mexico. For various communities along the way, the map lays out the driving time (in summer months) from those locations to the nearest comprehensive stroke center. Most of the map shows times of 2–4 hours.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

If anyone wants to see the article: bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/... Details of the retraction are noted here: bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/3/... There were both institutional and journal inquiries. Click the link to Supplementary files in the frame on the right side of the page.

Retraction notice for the article "Excess mortality across countries in the Wester World since the COVID-19 pandemic: 'Our World in Data' estimates of January 2020 to December 2022." The article site except first, an "expression of concern" June 2024, a "correction" in August 2026, and a "retraction" on .

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Who's looking at your data? 45,928 tracking attempts in 7 days!

Short list at data tracking even from "friendly" apps... including the Internet security app.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Forensic genomics of the Shroud of Turin. scitechdaily.com/scientists-r... Lots of DNA from lots of organisms. Barcaccia G et al. DNA signatures preserved in the official 1978 sample collection of the Shroud of Turin. Sci Rep 16, 21206 (2026). doi.org/10.1038/s415.... mtDNA intrigues. Y-chrom next?🧪

Image of the shroud of Turin showing faint impressions of the back (left) and front (right) of a human who was wrapped in the linen cloth. Image from Wikipedia, curid=2448566.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Alcohol consumption in pregnancy...UP! Bruzelius E, et al. Trends in Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy in the US. JAMA. Published online July 27, 2026. doi:10.1001/jama.2026.11864. Tho a lot lower, alcohol use in pregnant👯‍♀️increased dramatically: total use, bingeing, & heavy drinking. [1/2]

Trends in alcohol use in women 2011–2024. Consumption patterns, though higher in non-pregnant women, are relatively flat during the study period. Among pregnant women, current alcohol use is up 50%, binge drinking up close to 2x (but lower than 5% of sample); heavy drinking also doubled (but from 15–2% of sample).

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Could AI do YOUR job? Some of it maybe, but the agent failed some tasks that humans do well. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... In the end, there was a VERY human-like response. Declare victory and move on.

AI agent failed to complete task of filling out I-9 employment forms. Excerpt reads: "Gave up and downplayed its failures. After carefully working on the problem for about 17 minutes and not finding a solution, the agent marked the task as complete."
Message sent by agent after failure reads: "The forms are correctly filled and saved locally; the drive folder structure exists."

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Apropos of biblical inspirations. Received from #1 son (living in DC):

Still from Marx Brothers' movie. Woman on left: "I believe Donald J Trump was send by God." Groucho Mark on right replies: Why? Did he run out of locusts?"

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Infinite monkey theorem at work. Characters generated by simple sequencing algorithm to make a 4-letter–2-number string for automobile registration plates was issued in Florida. Some are horrified; some disgusted, some amused. www.wesh.com/article/flor... Humans impose meaning where there is none.

Sequential assignment of characters in 4-letter–2-number format in Florida issues plate with text "SQZ A55" to elderly woman. Some see objectionable message in the string of characters.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Or even farther north...doe and fawn visit the side yard about once a week!

Fawn and doe come by about once a week to snack in the side yard.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

57% of USAnian households used AI, June 16–25, 2025 (US Census data). Respondents could check several answers, so data represent the percentage of answers, not the percentage of households. Most relevant for the relative % of usage types. Additional context and info: usafacts.org/articles/how...

Graph showing how US households used AI June 15–25, 2025. Factual info: 35%; Brainstorming 23%; Work-related, 21%; Creative tasks, 20%; Using product with AI included: 19%; School-related: 12%; "Performing a task instead of hiring (someone else): 5%; Other: 2%; No answer, 2%. All values rounded to nearest integer.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

One would think this is a no-brainer. Prohibition limited to early voting period and election day.

Poster outside local town hall. Image of pistol set in "prohibited" icon (red circle with diagonal line). Text reads: New state law. Firearms not allowed at polling places. Prohibition limited to election day and early voting period.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Fits with US Census report on trends in household composition 1960–2025: Big increase in percentages living alone; smaller increases in single parents & "other". Married no kids stays about the same. Biggest decline in married parents. Graph is interactive online usafacts.org/search/?quer....

Trends in USA household composition 1960–2025. Big increase in percentages living alone (13% to ~30%); slight increase in single parents (~4% to ~17%) and "other" (~ 8% to ~16%). Married no kids stays about the same (~30% to ~29%). Biggest decline in married parents (~44% to ~17%).

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Fits in with this summary from KFF reported in USA Facts: 1/3 USAnians lives alone. BIG decline in "married parents". So many social programs are based on demographic profiles prior to 1960, that this change could be more important than proposed "fixes". usafacts.org/search/?quer... USCensus data.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Sometimes one has to go Elizabethan on these buys. The Shakespeare Insult Generator responds to the video: codepo8.github.io/shakespeare-...

Screen capture from Shakespeare Insult Generator.
Text reads: : Thou dissembling dizzy-eyed ratsbane"

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Sometimes you just don't have the vocabulary. The Elizabethans had a way with insults: codepo8.github.io/shakespeare-... These guys had a way with words, ain'a?

Image title reads "Shakespearean Insult Generator"
Image text reads "Thou wayward fool-born measle"

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

1 in 3 USAnians live alone: trends 1960–2025. Also BIG decline in "married parents". So many of our social programs are based on population proportions and demographic profiles prior to 1960, that this change could be more important than proposed "fixes". manage.kmail-lists.com/subscription...

Chart showing changes in household composition from 1960–2025. Significant increases in categories of adults living alone and "other". "Married, no kids" about the same, "Married parents" shows steep decline.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Reminds me of my all-time fave article: Stanaway FF et al. How fast does the Grim Reaper walk? Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis in healthy men aged 70 and over. BMJ. 2011;343:d7679. Published 2011 Dec 15. doi:10.1136/bmj.d7679 Main finding: walking speed predicts mortality risk

Illustration from the BMJ article How fast does the Grim Reaper walk? Shows

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Familiarity with the risk tend to underestimate its importance. Great old example here: Wilson R. Analyzing the daily risks of life. Tech Rev 1979 (Feb);81(4):41–6. Great health ed. exercise based on table p. 45 getting people to rank dangers of various activities. Alcohol always ranked low.

Table adapted from p 45 of Richard Wilson's "Analyzing the daily risks of life." Includes 21 items for people to rank in terms of perceived risk. In reality (at the time) each of these examples increased the risk of mortality by 1 in 1 million. The items in the table read: Smoke 1.4 cigarettes, drink 500 cc of wine, spend 1 hour in a coal mine (black lung), live 2 days in New York, spend 6 minutes in a canoe, ride 10 miles on a bike, drive 300 miles in a car, Receive 1 standard chest Xray, eat 40 tablespoons peanut butter, fly 6000 miles in a jet, live 2 months with a cigarette smoker, drink Miami water for 1 year, drink 30 12-oz. cans diet soda (saccharin), eat 100 charcoal broiled steaks, spend 3 hours in a coal mine (accident), live 20 years near a PVC plant, drink 1000 24-oz. soft drinks from banned plastic bottles, camp out 5 years at a nuclear plant boundary, live 2 months in average stone or brick building, live 5 miles from nuclear reactor for 50 years, spend 2 months in Denver on vacation from NY.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

BTW; for the original: Madupe PP, Taurozzi AJ, Koenig C, et al. Proteomic analysis of dental enamel from 20 Homo naledi individuals shows no male markers. Cell. Published online June 24, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2026.05.044 Graphical abstract

Graphic abstract of the results. Upper panel depicts "typical" results of analysis of enamel proteins in fossil hominans showing sexual dimorphism in protein sequences. One version encoded on the female sex chromosome (X), and one encoded on the male sex chromosome (Y) when present. Lower panel shows results from H. naledi remains returning ONLY proteins encoded on the female sex chromosome. Most likely conclusion is that the Y chromosomes were not present because there were no males in the assemblage.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Today's NY Times spelling bee pangram!

pangram word for June 23, 2026 is Marijuana.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Wouldn't this make life a lot easier? Old cartoon from 2010 showing how little things have changed (except now people don't seem to be ashamed of catering to the big donors instead of to the people they are SUPPOSED to serve).

Shows photos of US Senators wearing "Branded" jumpsuits like those in professional racing, covered with the names of those who give them money and perqs.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

FIFA World Cup Crisis: www.msn.com/en-us/travel... Our cup apparently runneth...out! Never thought I would see the day when my home town was out of beer!

Photo of World Cup fans (?) drinking in a bar in Boston

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Ah, the new laetrile. It is such good medicine for horses, so why wouldn't it be good for people? Can you says "clinical trials", boys and girls? Imagine this conversation in grand rounds:

Imaginary conversation between medical chief and one of his staff on choosing the right medicine (as a metaphor for ineffective teaching practices in the book "Teaching as a Subversive Activity" by N Postman and C Baumgartner, 1969, Delacorte Press. Here is the dialog:
GILLUPSIE: …. Carstairs, how have things been going?
CARSTAIRS: I'm afraid I've had some bad luck, Dr Gillupsie. No operations this week, but three of my patients died.
GILLUPSIE: Well, well have to do something about this, won’t we? What did they die of?
CARSTAIRS: I’m not sure; Dr Gillupsie, but I did give each one of them plenty of penicillin.
GILLUPSIE: Ah! The traditional 'good for its own sake' approach, eh, Carstairs?
CARSTAIRS: Well, not exactly, Chief. I just thought that penicillin would help them get better.
GILLUPSIE: What were you treating them for?
CARSTAIRS: Well, each one was awful sick Chief, and I know that penicillin helps sick people get better.
GILLUPSIE: It certainly does, Carstairs. I think you acted wisely.
CARSTAIRS: And the deaths, Chief?
GILLUPSIE: Bad patients, son, bad patients. There's nothing a good doctor can do about bad patients. And there's nothing a good medicine can do for bad patients, either.
CARSTAIRS: But still, I have a nagging feeing that perhaps they didn't need penicillin, that they might have needed something else.
GILLUPSIE: Nonsense! Penicillin never fails to work on good patients. We all know that. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Carstairs.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Interesting set of links in the page sidebar. News: www.nature.com/articles/d41...; Editorial: www.nature.com/articles/d41...; Article: www.nature.com/articles/d41...; Podcast: www.nature.com/articles/d41.... 🧪

Image of sidebar in Nature 19 May 2026 with associated content related to the article on the Co-Scientist AI agent.
In the following list: title, author, type of communication;
Teams of AI agents boost speed of research:
Heidi Ledford, News;
Why AI cannot do good science without humans;
Editorial;
A multi-agent system for automating scientific discovery:
Ali Essam Ghareeb, Benjamin Chang, Samuel G. Rodriques, Article;
AI ‘scientists’ promise to accelerate research — how do they work?:
Nick Petrić Howe, Benjamin Thompson, Nature Podcast.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I can't believe it! My parents just paid over $350,000 for me to get my BA! It was $10,000 when I was an undergrad. Expected tuition, fess, R&B for next year $92k (yes, that is ONE year!).

Young woman in academic gown and mortarboard laughing and celebrating her college graduation.

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vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social @vt-sci-ctzn.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

From the "They-don't-give-out-those-PhDs-for-nothing" Dept. Needing to find studs behind old plaster walls? Couple of rare-earth magnets do the trick.

Stack of 3 rare-earth magnets attached to plaster wall indicate location of nails in wall studs.

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