… similar diets, similar physiology, and they are even very intelligent …

Human growth has strained the Earth’s resources, but as Johan Rockstrom reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine “planetary boundaries” that can guide us in protecting our planet’s many overlapping ecosystems.

While the world was focused on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a BP refinery here released huge amounts of toxic chemicals into the air that went unnoticed by residents until many saw their children come down with respiratory problems. Ick, BP! Fossil Hunters in Romania Find a 2-Clawed Relative of Velociraptor. Here.…

The current edition of Berry Go Round is at Seeds Aside, here.

If not, you should join it. This is a good time of year, with school starting and all, to show some support for science education.

She was a church lady. I could see it a mile away. Her hair cut, her clothing, her way of standing, and as I got closer, her way of speaking and, eventually, the things she said. I will call her Joan. It is not that surprising to find a church lady like Joan at Har…

Creationists have often argued that they did not come from apes, a view usually ridiculed by the scientific community. Recent evidence, however, suggests that they may have actually been right. Scientists think that at the dawn of mankind, when the rest of the human race was busy evolving and adapting to their environment, creationists were…

I’m skeptical that it is possible to make fried beer. I find it hard to believe that one can be human and not be a hypocrite at least some times. I’m skeptical that atheist doctors will actually conspire to kill you sooner than other doctors. I’m skeptical that science experiments always work.

I know a lot of you are interested in the Yellowstone Caldera. WEll, a recent article has come out on the topic in Geophysical Research Letters. Chris Rowan has summarized, reviewed, and analyzed the paper here. The way the CDC talks about flu mortality has changed. This is interesting, important, and possibly even annoying. Superbug…

Skeptically Speaking’s Podcase show Karl Mamer is now a podcast, here. (Includes Josh Witten on irrational beliefs and evolutionary theory.)

Five years ago, on August 29th, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coast of Louisiana with sustained winds of 125 mph. In what Republicans at the time claimed to be an utterly unrelated event, New Orleans was devastated by a flood around the same time. Apparently, New Orleans remains pretty much still devastated. Well, the poor…

ultimate showdown

Wanted; A storage container for data media (cd’s, dvd’s, SD cards, etc.) that is not made of materials that seem to be even more delicate, subject to weathering, and flamable than the data medium itself. See the whole “WANTED” list here.

With each new drop of information spilled by the media, the case seems clearer that Hauser made up data. As Nicholas Wade reports, this would potentially be “the unforgivable sin.”

Source