Archives for November 19, 2007
A little night cap video …
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 Researchers Create Robot Driven by Moth’s Brain
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 I just thought you should know about this: Researchers Create Robot Driven by Moth’s Brain from PhysOrg.com In a notion taken from science fiction afficionados, University of Arizona researchers presented a robot that moves by using the brain impulses of a moth at the 37th annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego. [...]
How To Make Gravy
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 You’ve got your turkey all planned out, and you’ve got some stock. Now, it’s time to explore the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Gravy. (And maybe something to put it on.) I will tell you how to make excellent gravy with no stress and guaranteed success. Without lumps.
Too Strange to Blog
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 The Pandas are getting smart. Have a look at the film Corpus Callosum smuggled out of somewhere… Scientists in Utah make transsexual worms I always thought worms were hermaphrodites (both male and female) but the story, as usual, turns out to be a bit more complex. From Discovering Biology in a Digital World. Researchers Create…
Judgment Day Posts
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 For the record, a certainly incomplete list of posts on Judgment Day, the PBS special on Dover, Creationism and Intelligent Design. If you know of other posts discussing this, from any particular perspective, feel free to add them in the comments. Afarensis: My Thoughts On Judgement Day Dispatches: Thoughts on Judgment Day? Pharyngula: The morning…
Global Warming, the Blog Epic ~ 04 ~ Forcing
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 This is the fourth in a series of reposts from gregladen.com on global warming. “Climate Studies” is a “causal” science. Most sciences are “causal” in nature, which is why the sciences and scientists are often loathed and distrusted by people in the humanities and some of the soft sciences. There is not the time or…
I hate these guys
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 There are a handful of street preachers around on our campus. Some are just stoners standing on boxes babbling about Jesus, others are older guys, more typical, telling us we are all going to hell and handing out literature, often somewhat aggressively. There was one who was habitually blocking a major building entrance way with…
The Nematode Vulva and the Nature of Evolution
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 The question is basic: Is evolutionary change largely random or is it more often shaped by selective forces? The former is linked to what is called Neutral Theory, and it has a lot of support, to the extent that it most likely true. The latter is part of what is sometimes known as the Adaptationist…
Evolution Directed, Not Random…
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 Well, this is interesting: Evolution is deterministic, not random, biologists conclude from multi-species study from PhysOrg.com A multi-national team of biologists has concluded that developmental evolution is deterministic and orderly, rather than random, based on a study of different species of roundworms. The findings are reported in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology.…
Fish Oil, Statins, and Neural Disease
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 The “statins” make up a class of cholesterol lowering drugs. Fish oil (oil derived from fish) is rich in certain fatty acids. Both types of compounds can have powerful positive and protective effects in the brain. A study just now coming out (to be published in Brain Research Reviews) looks at the biochemical effects of…
Separation of Church and State in Mexico
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 A group of opposition lawmakers said Friday they will introduce a measure to strengthen Mexico’s long-standing separation of church and state, which they see as imperiled. “There are increasing signs that the secular republic, based on the Mexican legal system, is at risk,” Rep. Maria Beatriz Pages Llergo, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, said at…
Sidr
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 As has been reported in various places, the death toll from Sidr has slowly and steadily climbed, topping 3,000 according to a fairly recent report from the BBC. The Bangladesh Red Crescent is estimating that the death toll may reach 10,000. A half million homes have been destroyed, and a couple/few million people displaced. Aid…
Making fun of Kirk Cameron and Bill O’Reilly
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 Judgment Day On Line Now Free
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 Intelligent design. Creationism. Evolution. Fossils. Controversy. Charles Darwin. The Controversy, and Teaching the Controversy. The Dover Trial reconstructed with Oscar Winning Performances. Thank you VERY much NOVA and PBS for making “Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial” available on line. It is unfortunately that it is not available in formats that everyone can use easily…
Bird Limericks
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 There once was a bird from Nantucket Who built her nest in a bucket…. no, no, wait, my rating is already in fast decline, I’ll stop now. Please visit 10K Birds for the Annual Bird Limerick Posting (I’m not sure it is annual)
Ooops.
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 from the rating agency: This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words: * puke (3x) * fuck (1x)
I find this hard to believe
Posted by Greg Laden on November 19, 2007 My blog is rated G for General Audiences: I did get a warning from the rating agency: This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words: * puke (1x) Since I didn’t remember ever using the word “puke” in writing for this blog, I ran a search. It wasn’t me, it was…
, which is now available for the 
