Adventures in Ethics and Science

Announcing your findings (but not really).

Category: Astronomy/astrophysics

Over at Cosmic Variance, Julianne Dalcanton describes a strategy for scientific communication that raises some interesting ethical issues: Suppose you (and perhaps a competing team) had an incredibly exciting discovery that you wrote up and submitted to Nature. Now suppose...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 3:38 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Movie review: Orphans of Apollo.

Category: Astronomy/astrophysics

I've mentioned before that I grew up in a family that was fairly captivated by the U.S. space program, especially the Apollo program that brought humans to the Moon. But as impressive as those manned missions to the Moon...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 7:29 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Book review: Maria Mitchell and the Sexing of Science.

Category: Book review

Maria Mitchell and the Sexing of Science: An Astronomer among the American Romantics by Renée Bergland Boston: Beacon Press 2008 What is it like to be a woman scientist? In a society where being a woman is somehow a...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 11:58 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Friday Sprog Blogging: a song with secret science content?

Category: Astronomy/astrophysics

This week, in SprogCast #4, the younger Free-Ride offspring sings and then suggests that the song bears on the planetary subject of the very first Friday Sprog Blogging entry, which also involved singing. You can download the sound file for...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 11:45 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Seeking advice from stargazers.

Reader hp asks: Do you (or your commenters) know what to look out for in a small-child-friendly telescope? My daughter (now aged 4.5) has been space-obsessed for over a year now, and I'd like to encourage her but am nervous...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 1:47 PM • 23 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Data paparazzi.

How public are data in a conference presentation? And what happens if someone else gives them more exposure?

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 6:12 PM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Colleagues behaving badly: symmetry considerations.

Go to Cosmic Variance at once to read Julianne Dalcanton's musings on why spherical jerks (not the word she uses) are preferable to the asymmetric ones: No one is surprised when a known, calibrated asshole acts up. We all just...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 3:28 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

A plea to vote in the Weblog Awards poll

... despite the fact that I'm deeply suspicious of claims that getting the most votes is truly indicative of being the best. Anyhow, the category in which your vote might make a real difference (here at the last minute) is...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 2:29 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Fifty years after Sputnik.

Fifty years ago today, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, Earth's first artificial satellite. I don't remember it (because I wouldn't be born for another decade), but the "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP" heard 'round the world left indelible traces on...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 12:48 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Three cheers for Dr. May!

A reader made sure I saw this today. (Thank you, reader!) From Brian May's website: Yes. It's done, and after about 37 years, I am finally a doctor. The oral examination of my thesis, and of me, lasted about 3...

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Posted by Janet D. Stemwedel at 11:42 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks