Education
New book on sexuality in the animal kingdom
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on May 17, 2013 I was just digitally flipping through a new book called “Crime Against Nature“, which describes various reproductive behaviors in the animal kingdom. It is written by an artist, Gwenn Seemel, not a scientist, so I cannot vouch for the scientific accuracy of the book as a whole. However, the illustrations are quite nice and the content is seemingly scandalous,…
In Praise of Unsung Heroes in Science at the USA Science & Engineering Festival
Posted by carlyo of USA Science & Engineering Festival on May 16, 2013 Heroes should never be forgotten, but unfortunately too many of them in the field of science go missing from our classroom textbooks. Equally disturbing is that a disproportionate number of these heroes overlooked are women and minorities. While the average American young person will likely have no trouble detailing the latest antics of such stars…
Homework Is Evil?: “The benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory physics course”
Posted by Chad Orzel on May 14, 2013 
One of the perennial problems of teaching intro physics is getting students to do their homework, so I was very interested to see Andy Rundquist on Twitter post a link to a paper on the arxiv titled “How different incentives affect homework completion in introductory physics courses.” When I shared this with the rest of…
Dog DNA may hold clues to eczema for humans
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on May 13, 2013 Dr. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at Uppsala University (Sweden) who specializes in comparative genomics and Dr. Åke Hedhammar, SLU (Sweden) recently identified a novel gene in German shepherd dogs, PKP-2, that encodes a protein (plakophilin-2) important for regulating proper skin structure and function. This protein was found to be associated with canine atopic dermatitis (i.e. doggy eczema), a…
Bunker Bats
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on May 9, 2013 Scientists in Maine have converted two Cold War bunkers at Loring Air Force Base into winter havens for bats in an effort to protect the animals from the fungus that causes white nose syndrome. What is nice about using a man-made space is that they can actually clean up the area as opposed to trying to kill…
Greenhouse Gas Demonstration
Posted by Greg Laden on May 8, 2013 Simulate the ruination of the planet using common household ingredients!
“Evolution vs. Creationism” free book exerpt
Posted by Greg Laden on May 8, 2013 
In honor of Genie Scott’s imminent retirement as Executive Director of the NCSE, you are hereby offered a free downloadable PDF excerpt form Genie’s classic book. Click here to download the PDF. Click here to read my review of the book. Click here to find out about other books and resources related to creationism. Click…
Genie Scott: Denialism of Climate Change and Evolution
Posted by Greg Laden on May 7, 2013 
Here is a presentation by Genie Scott of the National Center for Science Education. Far more people are climate change deniers than evolution deniers, but both camps use similar strategies to promote their views. Genie Scott explores the connections, the similarities, and the divergent ideologies. Where: New York. When: 10/23/2011. Hosted by the New York…
Clinging tightly
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on May 7, 2013 Live Science posted a story recently on the sticking power of clingfish. Northern clingfish, like the one shown in the image above, live in turbulent waters off the Pacific Coast of North America. In order to cling to surfaces, the animals have what are called adhesion discs on their bellies that they use to hold…
NCSE’s Genie Scott will Retire
Posted by Greg Laden on May 6, 2013 My friend and colleague, executive director of the National Center for Science Education’s Genie Scott, will retire by the end of the year. She’s been director of the NCSE for 26 years. Genie is a key player, perhaps the key player, in the battle to keep science in the classroom and other things that are…
