Archives for December 4, 2007
Jesus-based Cultism lead to murder, suicide
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 The suicide of a young man and the murder he committed before he killed himself are being blamed on a cult led by his mother. Also disturbing, former members who spoke to CNN say they witnessed Ricky Rodriguez having sex with his mother, Karen Zerby, the leader of the sect now known as “The Family…
differential interference contrast microscopy to visualize cell division
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 Where’s PZ?
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 PZ Myers has posted his third grade class photo on his blog and asks the question, “can you find me?” Here’s the picture: View Larger Image I keep looking and looking, but I can’t find him. He’s harder to find than Waldo.
NYT covers Kristine Comer’s Resignation
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 After 27 years as a science teacher and 9 years as the Texas Education Agency’s director of science, Christine Castillo Comer said she did not think she had to remain “neutral” about teaching the theory of evolution. “It’s not just a good idea; it’s the law,” said Ms. Comer, citing the state’s science curriculum. But…
Academic uncovers Holy Grail of palaeontology
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 According to this press release from Manchester..
Microsoft softens? I think not…
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 Microsoft Softens Response to Piracy from PhysOrg.com (AP) — Microsoft Corp. is pulling back from a system that disables programs on users’ computers if it suspects the software is pirated, opting instead for a gentler approach based on nagging alerts. [...] Whenever Microsoft Softens you know something or someone is about to get bit….
Topi or not Topi …
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 Go to any bar and you’ll see a lot of males standing and sitting around not mating. I’ll bet you would have guessed that the reason they are not mating is that no females will mate with them for one reason or another. But there is the distinct possibility that they are very inconspicuously resisting…
Science News Tidbits
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 Kids of depressed moms more prone to behavioral problems and injury from PhysOrg.com Young children whose mothers are depressed are more prone to behavioural problems and injury, suggests US research published in Injury Prevention. [...] Matrimony inhibits Polo kinase from PhysOrg.com Suspended animation is something we only associate with Sci Fi programs, but something remarkably…
The First 100 Dot Coms
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 … as in the internet address, not the concept of an IT company…
Blogospherics
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 Fired from a community college for saying Adam and Eve are mythical? … This story could develop into something interesting, as pointed out in this post over at Dispatches from the Culture Wars. Glenn Beck + Ben Stein at Pharyngula. Nora the Amazing Piano Playing Cat, on A Blog Around the Clock. … Wow. Get…
Evangelical Ted Haggard and Senator Larry Craig Boinked the Same Guy
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 The allegations against the Rev. Ted Haggard and Sen. Larry Craig have a common thread: A 50-year-old former prostitute from Denver named Mike Jones claims he had sex with both. * What are the odds of that happening? [hat tip: CMF]
Bacteria Modify DNA in a way previously unobserved
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 Researchers have discovered a form of DNA modification not previously known to occur in nature. Lab scientists often use the addition of sulfer to the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone to make the DNA resistant to nucleases (DNA-cutting enzymes) in order to use the DNA for other (i.e. theraputic) purposes. This was assumed to be something invented…
Canadian Bird Returns
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 The Kirtland’s Warbler is now breeding in Canada after a 60 year hiatus.
Prairie Grasses Can Run Your Car
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 This topic is being discussed elsewhere, so I thought I’d post something on it: Back to the future: Prairie grasses emerge as rich energy source Mixtures of grasses make best source of biofuel By Deane Morrison Dec. 8, 2006 With shrinking glaciers and other signs of global warming upon us, the search is on for…
Girls Smash Glass Ceiling
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 NEW YORK – Girls swept a prestigious high school science competition for the first time Monday, winning top prizes of $100,000 scholarships for their work on potential tuberculosis cures and bone growth in zebrafish. It was the first time girls had ever won the grand prizes in both the team and individual divisions of the…
Kill Dash Nine
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 Thanks to Greg Buchholz!
New, Really Big Sea-dwelling Dinosaur
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 The small fragments of bone are spread out on a workbench in tiny pieces that could fit into a matchbox, betraying the size of their owner: a fearsome sea predator considered the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the oceans. … a pliosaur, a reptile that swam the oceans 150 million years ago and was so big it…
And if you thought licking toads was bad…
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 While smoking toad venom might sound extreme, an even more disturbing method to get high possibly includes sniffing fermented human waste. Vicky Ward, manager of prevention services at Tri-County Mental Health Services in Kansas City, said she has read e-mail warnings about a drug called jenkem. The drug is made from fermented feces and urine.…
Busted For Possession of a Toad…
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 People in Kansas City, MO are smoking toads. This, apparently, is better than licking toads. Either way, you apparently get high. Look out toads. “Toad smoking,” which is a substitute for “toad licking,” is done by extracting venom from the Sonoran Desert toad of the Colorado River. The toad’s venom — which is secreted when…
The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 The yahoos at Yahoo report: Donnie Register has a new reason to be thankful he’s married … his wedding band deflected a bullet and probably saved his life. Police Sgt. Jeffrey Scott says two men walked into Register’s shop at The Antique Market on Saturday and asked to see a coin collection. When Register retrieved…
Darwin’s Dust
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 All I have is the press release, but it’s fun: Cosmopolitan microbes — hitchhikers on Darwin’s dust Scientists have analysed aerial dust samples collected by Charles Darwin and confirmed that microbes can travel across continents without the need for planes or trains – rather bacteria and fungi hitch-hike by attaching to dust particles. In a…
The Human Langauge Gene in Song Birds
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 A recent paper in PLoS Biology examines the role of the so called “language gene” in neural development related to vocalization. It was previously found that FOXP2 gene is up-regulated in a certain area of the brain that is important for neural plasticity related to vocalization. The present study reduces the levels of expression of…
A video…
Posted by Greg Laden on December 4, 2007 For you. Just for the halibut…
, which is now available for the 
