One of my most widely read posts became widely read mainly by being linked to by a very popular blog. I’m not normally including such posts in this retrospective Year in Review, for obvious reasons. However, in this case, because I think this post is good for you, I am going to send you there…

This Year in Review item was not written by me, but rather, Guest Blogger Stephanie Zvan of Almost Diamonds. …Once again, we discover that there are differences between bloggers. What hasn’t been borne out is the idea that writing about things other than science requires that there be less science content in a blog. In…

“I don’t mind that they work over at the factory, but I don’t want one of those lactose intolerant people moving in next door…” or “Some of my best friends are lactose intolerant. But I sure don’t want my sister marrying one….” Say what? (this is a Year in Review post)

An out of this world Year in Review item: One day, the Emperor sentenced a man to be beheaded, and the man was executed immediately. However, it was not entirely clear that this was an act of justice or an act of anger. The historian recorded the event: “The Emperor, on becoming angry at so…

Another Year in Review Item: “I don’t think creationists are stupid. I wish people would not attribute that to me, because I simply don’t believe it. In fact, most of the active creationists are pretty darn smart.” Who said that?

There IS a conspiracy … If you analyze the language that is bandied about by the creationist children and parents, it is clear that they are all on the same page. They are getting their information from their local creationist group, or their pastor, or particular internet sites. If fighting evolutionary biology in schools was…

Wild cats (Felis silvestris) are or were found in a roughly continuous distribution across much of Africa (not restricted only to savannas, as is often stated), the Middle East, and Europe, and possibly disjunct in Southeast Asia (though I suspect that wild populations were continuous across southern Asia). The most “wild” (not admixed with domestic…

It is common knowledge that most Americans are creationists, and prefer creationist stories of human origins and evolution in general over the findings of evolutionary biology. But this is only true if you ask the questions a certain way, and a new study shows very different results. Year In Review: This story, which you can…

Meet Noona and Sammy:

Drillers accidentally hit a pocket of molten rock underneath a working geothermal energy field in Hawaii, a lucky break for geologists that could allow them to map the geological plumbing that created everything we know as land. The unprecedented discovery could act as a “magma observatory,” allowing scientists to test their theories about how processes…

“Yesterday the voters spoke. We prevailed,” … [my opponent could opt to waive the recount.] “It’s up to him whether such a step is worth the tax dollars it will take to conduct,” He said, telling reporters he would “step back” if he were in [his opponent's] position… Oh. No, wait, sorry. I got that…

“Yesterday the voters spoke. We prevailed,” … [my opponent could opt to waive the recount.] “It’s up to him whether such a step is worth the tax dollars it will take to conduct,” He said, telling reporters he would “step back” if he were in [his opponent's] position… Oh. No, wait, sorry. I got that…