The Ocean is the Dog. Atmospheric Temperature is the Tail.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2013 
Let me ‘splain. If you want to know exactly where your dog is, you could put at GPS sensor in the middle of it’s body, perhaps near the pancreas. It would give you an average position for your dog, and would be most accurate most of the time. If you put the GPS sensor on…
SkepchickCON 2013 at CONvergence
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2013 
CONvergence is the world’s largest fan run science fiction and fantasy convention held in Bloomington, MN on or around July 4th every year. An informal subset of the activities that occur at this huge gathering of people wearing costumes and stuff is a set of panels organized by Skepchick, focusing on various aspects of skepticism…
Why you sound so stupid when you say “global warming has stopped”
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2013 
Science is good at seeing things that you can’t really see. For example, science can provide an accurate three dimensional model of a critically important molecule even though no one has ever directly seen what this molecule looks like. That three dimensional model of the molecule can be used to understand things such as a)…
CNBC stands for Could Not Be Correct?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2013 
… or Climate Noobs Bork Climate-science? … or Can’t News Be Correct? (add your own below) The thing is, CNBC, which is supposed to be a news station, is fueling public misunderstanding of climate science. This is bad journalism, and virtually criminal given the importance of climate change and the need for good science based…
Algae. Not just a soft drink any more.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2013 
Intel ISEF finalist Evie Sobczak creates viable algae biofuel without using chemicals in processing. ________________ Photo of Science Fair Credit: RinzeWind via Compfight cc
How high can the sea level rise if all the glacial ice melted?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2013 
There have been times in the past when there was very little ice trapped in glaciers. During this time, sea levels were higher because that water was in the ocean (most of it, anyway). It has been a long time since then. However, with global warming, more and more glacial ice is returning to the…
Amazon Throws Tantrum, Screws Minnesota Associates
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2013 Amazon has sent a letter to all of its associates based in Minnesota. All Minnesota based associates are being thrown out of the Amazon Associates program as of July 1st. This is because the State of Minnesota passed a bill that Amazon does not like. Amazon may well have a good reason to not like…
Example Review
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2013 Example Show is a Netflix production consisting of two seasons, each with two episodes. All four episodes appear to be identical, but I’ve only seen the first two. Each episode opens with a mesmerizing fountain scene, and a playful hand, followed by a man moon walking across a courtyard while typing on his Apple notebook.…
A very complicated political process
Posted by Greg Laden on June 16, 2013 
Yesterday, Minneapolis had a convention pursuant to the process of electing a new Mayor. Also, sausages were made. I dare you to look: An Outsider’s View of the DFL Minneapolis Mayoral Convention ————- Photo Credit: Sri Dhanush via Compfight cc
Are men’s brains really just testosterone damaged women’s brains?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 13, 2013 Let’s look at the evidence … Hmmmmm…. Hat Tip: Aviva Shen
Is Global Warming Causing More and Bigger Fires in Colorado?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 13, 2013 
High temperatures and dry conditions have caused the outbreak, increased intensity, and rapid spread of numerous wildfires in Colorado. Again. Fires happen, but the number, size, and intensity of wildfires in the western United States has been very high in recent years, and this is caused by global warming. Global warming causes more rain and…
Can you patent DNA?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 13, 2013 
No. Not if it is natural. In a decision that could have broad-reaching effects on the future of science and medicine, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that: — “A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated.” — But, synthetically created “strands of…
TV Weathermen and Climate Scientists Kiss and Make Up
Posted by Greg Laden on June 12, 2013 This is a long but excellent presentation of The Climate Desk, originally posted HERE where there is a blog post by Chris Mooney giving more details. climatenexus on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free A recent post of mine on the topic is HERE.
Climate Change News and Notes
Posted by Greg Laden on June 12, 2013 
This is what came across my desk this morning. A bit more activity than usual, but not by much. Enjoy. Or, rather, Be Afraid. Congressman Demands Obama Apologize To Oklahoma For Investing In Climate Change Research Just as extreme weather season kicks off, freshman Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) demanded that President Obama apologize to Oklahoma…
The Ice Cap is Melting and You Can Help
Posted by Greg Laden on June 12, 2013 
Obviously, you don’t want to help melt the ice cap. But you can help scientists figure out how and why it is happening and to learn important details of what might be one of the most important effects of global warming happening right now. First, a word on why this is important. Look out the…
Bob Alberti. Would you look at that face!?!?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 11, 2013 
Bob Alberti is a friend of mine in Minneapolis (actually, he was even my student for a few weeks). I was rather startled to see is very scary face staring at me from the Internet this morning (see above). All I can say, is if you run into this guy, watch out! His snark is…
It’s almost 2001! Behold the New Mac Pro
Posted by Greg Laden on June 10, 2013 I hope it is very very good because if not the fact that it looks exactly like a trash can I just bought at Target could make it a laughing stock. It is assembled in the USA. That’s a good start! Here’s a question for the true geeks: What prior RAM had the same speed…
Speaking of Cold Fusion …
Posted by Greg Laden on June 9, 2013 I’ve noticed a lot of Internet chatter about the Mantis Shrimp lately, and I don’t know what that is about. But it could be this: How would you design an experiment to test each of the hypotheses suggested here? (Also, I note that I do not endorse the contents of this video. Spiffy music and…
Are you fat? You can’t earn a PhD, according to one Evolutionary Psychologist
Posted by Greg Laden on June 8, 2013 
Geoffrey Miller, author of The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature, has made a goof. Miller is an evolutionary psychologist with an interested in IQ, the usual sex related things Evolutionary Psychologists are interested in, etc. etc. On June 2nd he wrote this tweet: Dear obese PhD applicants: if you…
I’m sure you remember cold fusion, but do you remember gamma ray producing clouds?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 7, 2013 
Cold Fusion was first reported in 1989. The original experiment was supposed to have produced extra heat that could not be explained wiht chemistry or electronics, so naturally, fusion was considered. Contrary to popular belief, that original experiment has been replicated successfully. The problem isn’t that the first experiment produced actual extra heat and no…
Weatherman Bob and the Green Screen
Posted by Greg Laden on June 7, 2013 Weatherman Bob disappeared today. He was consumed, or maybe absorbed, by his Green Screen. A Green Screen is a screen, green in color, with special properties. A TV studio camera and the equipment it is hooked to replace the green screen with an imaginary background. So, a person who is not green can stand in…
The Power of The Sea
Posted by Greg Laden on June 6, 2013 On June 6th, 1944, some 160,000 soldiers aboard about 5,000 boats of diverse design crossed the English Channel and carried out the Invasion of Normandy, one of the more important events in recent history. Many of the soldiers were so sick from choppy seas that leaving the boats and walking or running into German gunfire…
This Day was D-Day
Posted by Greg Laden on June 6, 2013 D-Day was today in 1944. My father was involved. Wikipedia is silly. Kids these days have no idea. There is, of course, a classic movie on the topic.
Right Wing Science
Posted by Greg Laden on June 6, 2013 
I have two items for you. First is a video produced by Media Matters on Right Wing Science. I especially love Bill Nye’s facial expressions as he is assailed with unbelievable stupidity: And now, also from Media Matters, this fun infographic. Share it around!
Waste to Energy Plants Are Good
Posted by Greg Laden on June 6, 2013 
When I was a kid, there was a strange looking garbage can in the back yard. It looked like a regular metal garbage cans (garbage cans were metal back in those days, before plastic was invented) but it was covered with round holes about one inch in diameter. It was also heavily corroded and lived…
The Science of Melting Ice Sheets: New review in Nature
Posted by Greg Laden on June 6, 2013 
A paper came out in today’s Nature about glacial melting and its contribution to sea level rise. This paper does not present new research, but rather summarizes and evaluates the last several years of research on modeling and measuring contiental glaciers and their dynamics. From the Abstract: Since the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…
Andrea
Posted by Greg Laden on June 6, 2013 
The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season has developed. Tropical Storm Andrea formed over the last several hours, and now exhibits winds of 63 knots at 5000 feet, with a surface intensity of about 50 knots, though these winds are only found in the “right hand” side of the storm, now sitting in…
Where the Wild Things Are read by a guy named “Bill”
Posted by Greg Laden on June 5, 2013 
William Shatner reads Where the Wild Things Are to some kids. Get More: MTV Shows
What’s going on with the Arctic Sea ice?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 5, 2013 Since 2001 the amount of Arctic Sea ice that has melted during the summer has generally increased. There may have been a long term trend in melting of ice in the northern hemisphere generally, including mountain glaciers, the Greenland glaciers, and seasonally, Arctic Sea Ice. But the seasonal melting of Arctic Sea ice seems to…
Dr. Donald R. Prothero has been awarded the 2013 James Shea Award by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Posted by Greg Laden on June 5, 2013 
Hey, check this out: Dr. Donald R. Prothero recently retired from his professorship at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA after 27 years of teaching in order to concentrate on his writing and consulting. Dr. Prothero is an indefatigable advocate for geology and paleontology, which he combines with a passion for communicating science to the…
, which is now available for the 
