Archives for January 11, 2008
Science News Tidbits
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Giant Cloud of Gas Heading For Our Galaxy; Winter Ice a Thing of the Past in Many Places; Space Ship will Fly By Mercury (again); Global Warming Will Cause Fish To Shrink (sort of)
Electoral Compass
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 I will not be outdone by my fellow bloggers 3-quarks, Thoughts from Kansas, Pure Pedantry and A Blog Around the Clock. They are all putting up these “electoral compass things” where you ask a bunch of questions and get in return a graph showing where you are in relation to the US presidential candidates.
Elusive Double Einstein Ring Observed for the First Time
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 An Einstein Ring is one of those freaky relativistic predictions that can’t possibly be true unless Einstein was right. Well, Einstein Rings have been observed in the past, and now, we have a double Einstein Ring. Doubly proving that Einstein was right!
New Twist in microRNA biology
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 MIT scientists have found a new way that DNA can carry out its work that is about as surprising as discovering that a mold used to cast a metal tool can also serve as a tool itself, with two complementary shapes each showing distinct functional roles. Professor Manolis Kellis and postdoctoral research fellow Alexander Stark…
Gemina is Dead
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Gemina (pronunced Gem eee na) the Crocket Neck Giraffe died for reasons unrelated to her neck. We prefer to remember Gemina in life rather than as, well, a dead giraffe. Details of her death are here.
It’s Friday, so Here’s a Cat Video
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Translation below the fold…
Unexpected Black Holes
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 This just in from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has detected plump black holes where least expected — skinny galaxies. … Scientists have long held that all galaxies except the slender, bulgeless spirals harbor supermassive black holes at their cores. Furthermore, bulges were thought to be required for black holes to grow.…
Florida: Evolution could be coming to a classroom near you…
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 The latest on the Florida fight over the use of the actual word “evolution” in the classroom. (Or, more specifically, in the science standards)
Blogospherics – Recommended reads
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Weird sex gone horribly wrong How bad could Huckabee be? Is most of the human genome functional? Video Collection of Optical Illusions The Real (and Perceived) Cause of the Black Plague: Part 1 Part II is here.
Science News Tidbits
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Bird Flu Risks Overblown; Ecuador Volcano; Killer Bees Found in Louisiana; Cloning Trees;
Interplanetary collision called off
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 An asteroid heading for Mars is going to miss the angry red planet. Too bad, that would have been cool. But there is a very cool graphic that results from the science surrounding this non event. This is a moving GIF showing the evolution over time of the uncertainty region for the collision. You can…
More Florida Creationism Woes
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Sure, the Taylor County school board was apparently the first to pass a resolution complaining about evolution, but they’re not the only one. Two more counties passed resolutions, too: Baker County and Holmes County. Florida Citizens for Science and Dispatches from the Culture Wars are covering this.
The Island Effect in Dinosaurs
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Everyone these days knows about the “island effect” where certain animals evolve to a diminutive size because they live on islands. You know this because of the Flores hominid. Now, it has been shown to have operated in a dinosaur.
Federal Court: Bible Distribution in Schools Violates U.S. Constitution
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 In a very important ruling, a Federal district court in Missouri has ruled that allowing the Gideons to come into elementary schools and distribute Bibles to students is a violation of the establishment clause …. This is a key ruling that could be replicated nationwide, where many schools still allow the Gideons to go into…
Religious Mother Murders Children
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 They were possessed by the devil. She claims the demons did the killing but authorities may not be buying it.
Texas Official: Call it a “Creationism Degree”
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Here’s a novel idea for creationists: Be honest!
The Call for A Science Debate …
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 … will be featured on Science Friday with Ira Flatow, today (Friday), January 11th. Details are here. Thanks Sheril for the info.
Bush Will Invade Iran, Obtain 45% Approval Rating
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 I’m going to make a prediction. Just remember, you heard it here first….
Sir Edmund Hillary Died Today
Posted by Greg Laden on January 11, 2008 Sir Edmund Hillary Died of Heart Failure at the Auckland City Hospital at the age of 88. Hillary is most famous for being the first european, with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, to reach the top of Mount Everest and return alive (and possibly the first to reach the summit).
, which is now available for the 
