Perhaps soil science doesn’t seem like the most fast-paced business in the world. But Dr. Tom Wood was no slow poke.

A tropical soil biologist from the UK, Wood devoted his career to tiny invertebrates, like termites, and their impact on nutrient cycles. But when he wasn’t playing with bugs in the dirt, he took to leaving a trail of dust on the field. Wood was a skilled runner; he participated in numerous long-distance competitions and won the South Australia Marathon Championship in 1972—just shy of qualifying for the Munich Olympics! Wood also ran in the first London Marathon, never losing sight of the finish line, or his scientific aspirations.

In other words, Dr. Wood had a secret life before there was a Secret Life (…of Scientists & Engineers on NOVA, that is).

Dr. Tom Wood ran marathons—and experiments—with great skill and passion.

Among Tom’s dirty endeavors was an agriculture project in Nigeria that would become crucial to the field of soil biodiversity. With colleagues, Wood revealed that termites play a central role in carbon processing—a discovery with huge implications for soil fertility and sustainable agriculture. Though always speedy, Tom was able to unveil this important discovery by taking time to stop and appreciate the little things in life…like termites.

Read Dr. Wood’s Guardian obituary here., and check out our own scientist/runner, Eva Vertes.

Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini discovered a chemical that altered our understanding of the brain, earning her a Nobel Prize and the prestigious title of Italian “senator for life.” These accomplishments would be impressive for anyone, but considering the obstacles of Rita’s early life, her success was extraordinary.

“It is imperfection — not perfection — that is the end result of the program written into that formidably complex engine that is the human brain.” -Dr. Levi-Montalcini, in her 1988 autobiography.

For starters, being a woman in early 20th century Italy, Rita was expected to devote her young adulthood to finding a husband. Not interested in this route, Rita tactfully convinced her father that she should, instead, attend medical school—and that he should foot the bill. After earning her degree, the challenges were far from over. World War II was in full swing and non-Aryans were prohibited from publicly pursuing science (or much else, for that matter). So Rita, who was Jewish, set up a makeshift lab in her room and began the research that would earn her notoriety.

Experimenting with chick embryos, Rita discovered a substance, nerve growth-promoting factor (NGF), that facilitates the growth and health of certain nerve cells. This discovery has since led to important advancements in the treatment of such neurological and psychiatric conditions as depression and Alzheimer’s disease. As for Rita, she managed to escape age-related dementia: in 2009, she commented, “At 100, I have a mind that is superior — thanks to experience — than when I was 20.” And thanks to Rita’s genius, perhaps many more individuals will live such long and lucid lives.

Read Dr. Levi-Montalcini’s Times obituary here.

N. Joseph Woodward was an ambitious and creative engineeer from New Jersey who had a number of inventive ideas throughout his life. From the very serious (he worked on the Manhattan Project during WWII) to the quirky (a new system to play elevator music), Woodward approached a wide range of projects with characteristic passion and ingenuity.

“N. Joseph Woodward”—it’s code for “brilliant.”

Thus, when Woodward heard that a supermarket executive was looking for a novel way to encode product information, he jumped at the opportunity to help. A graduate student at that time, Woodward dropped out of school and headed to his grandparents’ house in Miami to brainstorm. While it may have looked like Woodward was ditching school to play on the beach, in truth, the engineer’s mind was at work inventing the barcode. One winter’s day, he drew from his boy scout familiarity with morse code, and dug into the sand.

“I poked my four fingers into the sand and for whatever reason — I didn’t know — I pulled my hand toward me and drew four lines,” Woodward described in a 1999 interview. “I said: ‘Golly! Now I have four lines, and they could be wide lines and narrow lines instead of dots and dashes.’ ” With that, the barcode was born.

While the invention would endure some permutations—from circles to rectangles and, clearly, from sand to paper—cashiers today have Woodward and his colleague, Bernard Silver, to thank. Though the two only ever received $15,000 for their efforts, they were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Read Woodward’s NYTimes obituary here.

Between solving physics equations, writing hit books, and figure skating, Secret Lifer Michio Kaku doesn’t have time to sit around and stare at the wall. But if he did, the wall staring back might be a heck of a lot more interesting than you imagine.

Michio Kaku talks high-tech, requests high-five.

Kaku recently delivered the keynote speech at Supercomputing 2012 (SC12) in Salt Lake City, where he described endless possibilities of a future where mass-produced computer chips cost close to a penny, and walls are “smart.” HPC Wire explains, “As computer chips are imprinted onto almost everything, from walls to paper, to clothing, to contact lenses, the entire world becomes, in essence, one large, networked computer.”

Kaku’s speech described the many implications of computer chip ubiquity, including an increasingly automated society. To those interpreting such automation as robot world takeover, Michio assuages, “You can mass-produce hardware, you cannot mass-produce software—you cannot mass-produce the human mind.”

Read HPC Wire’s coverage of SC12 here or watch the video of his speech. And be sure to check out Michio’s homepage here!

Patrick Moore was a friend to the stars—both the ones on earth and those way out in the cosmos. As an astronomer, Moore created a detailed catalog of deep-sky objects; and as an eccentric television personality and author, he brushed shoulders with international icons of science and pop culture alike.

Moore dons his signature monocle—think of it as a mini-telescope for the face.

Moore hosted The Sky at Night on the BBC for 55 years, and interviewed the worlds most prominent astronauts and astronomers, including Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Carl Sagan. When he wasn’t chatting with these space greats, Moore hung out with celebs like Queen guitarist (and Secret Life celebrity scientist) Brian May. The two co-authored a book called Bang! The Complete History of the Universe, and May appeared on Sky at Night on several occasions.

Even next to rockers and glowing nebulae, Moore managed to shine. The New York Times describes, “With his trademark monocle, frumpy suits and penchant for playing the xylophone, Mr. Moore, who was knighted in 2001, was known as much for his outsize personality as his scientific work.” Illuminating audiences through contributions in science and television, Moore was truly a star.

Read Moore’s Times obituary here.

Liars everywhere take comfort in the fact that, unlike a certain cartoon marionette, our noses do not grow when we fib. However, they may not be completely off the hook.

Thermal cameras measure the amount of radiation emitted by an object to create a color representation of its temperature.

New data from researchers at the University of Grenada suggests that lying is associated with an increase in the nose’s temperature, as measured by a thermal camera. This phenomenon, aptly referred to as the “Pinocchio effect” is thought to arise via activation of the insula, part of the brain’s cerebral cortex. As POPSI describes, “The insula is believed to control both emotion and body temperature (among other things, like consciousness and pH), and the researchers found a strong negative correlation between insula activity and temperature increase. They also found that feelings of high anxiety tend to increase facial temperature.”

To the naked eye, this effect is not as conspicuous as a swollen schnoz…but liars should proceed with caution—you never know when someone might be carrying a thermal camera.

Read POPSCI’s summary of the research here!

Forget what you think you know about taxidermists. David Schwendeman did not simply stuff inanimate roadkill—he brought nature to life.

Schwendeman served as chief taxidermist for the Natural History Museum for 29 years.

The job of a taxidermist, officially referred to as “mounting,” is a complex process. The task involves cleaning and reassembling the animal’s skeleton, sculpting synthetic internal tissue, and restoring the creature’s exterior to a meticulous and appealing likeness. David Schwendeman was a master of these skills.

Schwendeman’s work is famously featured at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. One of his coworkers at the museum, Steve Quinn, described Schwendeman as “An extraordinary artist, an expert sculptor.” Quinn praised, “He could pose animals accurately and scientifically, and at the same time make them aesthetically beautiful. He saw as his goal to inspire wonder and nurture concern for nature.”

Schwendeman devoted his life to the art of mounting, starting at a young age. He learned the trade from his father, who, in 1938, opened Schwendeman’s Taxidermy Studio in Milltown, New Jersey. The studio is still open, now in the hands of David Jr—the third generation of Schwendeman mounters (see Schwendeman & Schwendeman in action here). Leaving behind him a museum of specimens and a family business, Schwendeman’s legacy is well preserved.

Read Schwendeman’s Times obituary here.

Every scientist is a winner in his or her own special way. But let’s face it, not everyone can win a Nobel Prize. For a lucky few, however, there is an alternative award, and one that may be even more fun to receive: The Ig Nobel Prize. “The Stinker,” proud mascot of the Ig Nobel Prizes

According to the Ig Nobel website, the awards “honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.” Winning papers at this year’s ceremony, for example, included “Shape of a Ponytail and the Statistical Physics of Hair Fiber Bundles” and “Leaning to the Left Makes the Eiffel Tower Seem Smaller: Posture-Modulated Estimation.” Yes, those are real scientific papers. As you can imagine, the Ig Nobel Prize party is a bit whackier than standard science conventions.

Jean Berko Gleason, always prepared to give the queen’s speech.

Among the brilliant and entertaining scientists at this year’s ceremony was a Secret Lifer, our own Jean Berko Gleason, who is somewhat of a regular at the event. Each year, Jean delivers the “Welcome, Welcome” and “Goodbye, Goodbye” speeches that bookend the proceedings—and if there’s one thing Jean knows, it’s speech (watch Jean talk about psycholinguistics on her homepage!). We’re sure Jean delivered a lovely address, but more importantly, she ended up in a tiara—a level of quirk fairly typical of the Igs.

With everything from a live mini-opera to a “Win-a-Date-With-a-Nobel-Laureate Contest,” the Ig Nobel ceremony seems to offer the perfect venue for scientists to let their secret sides run free. And for that, the Igs earn a prize in our book!

Check out Science Friday‘s coverage of the 2012 Igs here!

Will.i.am doesn’t mind being a pop star, but in his opinion, science is where it’s really at.

The Black Eyed Peas singer stated that, though he means “no disrespect to [his] fellow musicians,” he is distressed “that American culture celebrates athletes and pop stars because they are cool, exciting and glamourous.” He continued, “As a nation, everyone should be celebrating kids who are smart, have found their spark, and have a thirst for knowledge in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics].”

Will.i.am is super passionate about technology education…just don’t ask him to do the robot.

To put his money where his Grammy-award-winning mouth is, will.i.am teamed up with inventor Dean Kamen to present i.am.FIRST, a combination rock concert and science competition promoting STEM. This summer, i.am.FIRST hosted a science contest called Wouldn’t It Be Cool If…, which challenged kids to think of everyday problems that could be solved using science and technology.

Speaking of cool, will.i.am was also the first recording artist to have his music played on another planet. That’s right, in August, his song, “Reach For The Stars,” was broadcast from the Curiosity rover on Mars. Coolness aside, Will says his real mission is to promote STEM education. He explained, “This is about inspiring young people to lead a life without limits placed on their potential and to pursue collaboration between humanity and technology”. Consider us inspired!

Read more about will.i.am’s interplanetary broadcast here and check out wouldntitbecoolif.com for the winner of this year’s competition.

Maria Petrou designed complex machines that could solve problems in forest regeneration, medical scanning, and astrophysics. However, one challenge eluded her: that darn laundry.

Petrou had a long and successful career in data analysis and robotics. She wrote multiple books on image processing, and, in 2004, was elected to be a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. However, Maria’s great aunt was unimpressed by these accomplishments, once asking her, “Why can’t they develop something really useful, like an ironing robot?” “Leave the Laundry to the Robots.”

In response to her great aunt’s inquiry, Maria created the Clothes Perception and Manipulation project (CloPeMa). According to the CloPeMa website, the goal of this initiative is “to advance the state of the art in the autonomous perception and manipulation of fabrics, textiles and garments.” Sure, that description sounds a bit complicated…but then again, ironing is not easy.

CloPeMa has not developed a full service laundry robot yet, but the project continues in dedication to Maria’s memory.

Read Petrou’s Telegraph obituary here.

“Secret Lifers Revisited” keeps track of those Secret Lifers who are back in the news for their exciting and innovative science work.

Two heroes join forces: Superman in collaboration with Neil deGrasse Tyson

We all know Secret Lifer Neil deGrasse Tyson as an astrophysicist and a cosmic tie collector, but lately, he’s taken on yet another secret life: moonlighting as an animated comic book character. The newest installment of Superman, “Star Light, Star Bright,” features our hero’s search for his home planet, Krypton. When the folks at DC Comics went about creating this super-tale, they needed some guidance in pinpointing where Krypton might be located. Naturally, they turned to Neil (learn more about Neil’s science on his homepage).

“As a native of Metropolis, I was delighted to help Superman, who has done so much for my city over all these years,” said Tyson in a statement. “And it’s clear that if he weren’t a superhero he would have made quite an astrophysicist.”

Check out this article from HuffPost Science to find out just where in the universe Superman was born.

Farish Jenkins liked to think outside the box—and he liked to research outside the cage. Don’t let the books and grandfatherly kind eyes fool you—Farish Jenkins was a wild child.

A versatile biologist and zoologist, Jenkins’ subjects ranged from mammals to birds, live animals to fossils. Jenkins contributed important findings to various disciplines, including respiratory physiology and evolutionary biology, and was known for his theatrical lectures in these fields.

When he wasn’t teaching at Harvard, Jenkins took his curiosity on the road. The professor studied animals all over the world, and did so donning distinctly un-professorial apparel. According to his obituary in The Telegraph, “Jenkins would exchange his crisp, tailored shirt and immaculately knotted tie for a rabbit-fur hat, pocket-watch, flask of vodka and a high-powered rifle, an eccentric jumble of kit that caused his students to cast him as a real-life Indiana Jones.”

Even when tending to his academic conventions, Jenkins was far from conventional. He was known to keep live animals in his office, which would run amok, creating a scene he described as “circus-like.” Jenkins, it seems, could be taken out of the wild…but the wild could not be taken out of Jenkins.

Read more in Jenkins’ Telegraph obituary.

This entry is the first in a new series called “Secret Life Revisted.” In these posts we will revisit scientists who have already revealed their secret lives, and are back in the news for their exciting work in science—as it turns out, these folks get a lot done when they’re not busy talking to us!

Katharine Clarifies Climate Confusion

When an unprecedented storm devastates the country, you might expect a climate scientist or an Evangelical Christian to make some strong claims based on personal views. Katharine Hayhoe is both of those things—and yet, she’s not taking the bait.

Katharine Hayhoe wants you to know what’s REALLY going on with climate change.

Hayhoe researches how climate change affects our lives (see Katharine in action on her homepage!), so as tweeters and mainstream media speculated that Sandy might be “caused” by global warming, naturally, they looked to her to confirm their suspicions. But she would do no such thing—instead, she spent a week clarifying misconceptions about the storm by sticking to the facts.

In response to a tweet pointing to climate change as Sandy’s cause, Hayhoe corrected, “Caused, NO. Lg hurricanes not unusual this time of yr. Exacerbated, v likely.”

For some people, launching a rocket just doesn’t beat the thrill of catching a good wave. Herman Bank started his career as a “rocket boy” at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory—an aerospace research center that would later become part of NASA. Working as a project engineer, Bank helped develop early rockets, and oversaw design of the nation’s first satellite successfully launched into orbit.

Herman Bank: dressed for the lab, prepared for the beach. But Bank’s passion project was a little bit closer to Earth…or rather, water. In 1966 Bank invented “the collapsible surfboard.” He saw his invention as a solution to the problem of transporting boards, which, at the time, ran about 10 feet in length. Bank enjoyed a short stint of fame for his invention, but this wave of success did not last long. Unfortunately, once shorter boards became available, the business, well, collapsed. A man of many talents, Bank soon returned to NASA, where he would go on to develop life-saving medical technology.

And if you’re wondering, “Why didn’t he try to invent rocket-powered surfboards?” So are we.

Read more in Bank’s LA Times obituary.

Are you a teacher and a Secret Life fan? Interested in having your own “secret life” as a blogger?

We want to hear from you! In an effort to further strengthen the connection between scientists and the classroom, we are looking for teachers to contribute to our blog. This year, we’re featuring a number of opportunities for classroom engagement, offering students the opportunity to ask our scientists questions on camera (Questions from Kids), helping students and teachers to produce videos telling us what they think a scientist does, and providing opportunities for kids to ask scientists questions on our site. As a teacher-blogger you can share your experience with these interactive opportunities and help fellow educators do the same.

If interested, write to us at novasecretlife@gmail.com.

Dr. Ian Lipkin answers 10 questions and clarifies the age-old debate: Soap? Or Purell? He also gets into a lesser known dilemma: Matt Damon? Or Elliot Gould?

Watch Ian discuss infectious diseases—including the Hollywood bug—in the player above and on his Secret Life homepage.