Archives for November, 2011
Silent Summer: Global warming is real, folks
Posted by Greg Laden on November 14, 2011 Hot off the presses (stolen summarily from Here). This land temperature anomoly video showing both the growth of the global dataset and global warming was shown by the BEST group to Congress just a few moments ago.
I had no idea Salman Rushdie was a pseudonym
Posted by Greg Laden on November 14, 2011 I have only one Salman Rushdie story, so I’ll tell it quick then point you to something you’ve GOT to see.
Chinese spacecraft to ‘kiss’ in space
Posted by Greg Laden on November 14, 2011 I guess you don’t want the Big Red X when you are kissing in space!
Holiday Shopping Suggestion
Posted by Greg Laden on November 14, 2011 A friend of mine who is an excellent writer and critic, fellow blogger and social scientist, is trying to make ends meet by enhancing sales at the family business. Distracted by other things, I didn’t know about this until this morning. Welcome to Howling Pig, the uncommon soap company for uncommon people. Our soaps (and…
Why should a scientist participate in social media?
Posted by Greg Laden on November 14, 2011 Bug Girl’s Talk fresh off the conference circuit: Context, comments, more, here.
NASA fakes another video
Posted by Greg Laden on November 14, 2011 This is obviously a fake. Can’t be real:
A new island is about to be borned!
Posted by Greg Laden on November 13, 2011 There are thirteen canary islands. But there are about to be fourteen. Well, actually, there’s probably more than 13 as these island chains usually have a few extra rocks sticking up that people aren’t sure about including in the final count. The point is, there is a volcano erupting under the sea in the Canary…
The line between life and not-life
Posted by Greg Laden on November 13, 2011 Institutional research misconduct: Call for MMR scare inquiry
Posted by Greg Laden on November 13, 2011 The British Medical Journal has published an editorial calling for a Parliamentary investigation realted to Andrew Wakefield’s dishonesty:
American Academy of Pediatrics on the Delta Airline Video (and a petition for you to sign)
Posted by Greg Laden on November 13, 2011 Below is a letter from the Amerian Academy of Pediatrics to the President of Delta Airlines. Apparently, Delta Airlines has decided to continue to show the video in question. Dear Mr. Anderson, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) objects to the paid advertisement/public service message from the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) being shown throughout…
A map of the brain
Posted by Greg Laden on November 12, 2011 How can we begin to understand the way the brain works? The same way we begin to understand a city: by making a map. In this visually stunning talk, Allan Jones shows how his team is mapping which genes are turned on in each tiny region, and how it all connects up.
New Bird Book: Birds of North America and Greenland
Posted by Greg Laden on November 12, 2011 Face it. Half the time … most of the time, really … you use your Peterson (or some other favorite “field guide”) as a checklist. You see a bird and you pretty much know in your head what it is, but you need to look it up to see what the three or four similar…
Western Browsing Rhino Is No More
Posted by Greg Laden on November 11, 2011 This refers to a subspecies of “Black Rhino” also known as the “browsing rhino.” The Western Black Rhino of Africa was declared officially extinct Thursday by a leading conservation group. The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that two other subspecies of rhinoceros were close to meeting the same fate. The Northern White Rhino…
Radar Movie of Asteroid 2005 YU55
Posted by Greg Laden on November 11, 2011 Learn more about the asteroid here.
The Atlas of Birds: Diversity, Behavior, and Conservation
Posted by Greg Laden on November 11, 2011 How are birds related to dinosaurs, crocodiles, and pterosaurs? Where do birds live, and not live? How many bird species are there, and how many actual birds, and how does this vary across the glob? What about endemics?; Where ate the most local species found? Mike Unwin’s The Atlas of Birds: Diversity, Behavior, and Conservation…
Google gmail and ads and “Importance Signals”
Posted by Greg Laden on November 11, 2011 A Republican and Climate Change Skeptic Talks About Climate Change
Posted by Greg Laden on November 11, 2011 Here’s the talk: And here’s the web site. Eventually, there will probably be a book.
Eagan Minnesota Overrun by Coyotes!?!?!?
Posted by Greg Laden on November 11, 2011 Check it out: This is more coyote activity than usual for these parts. They are fairly common generally. The solution? Bring in wolves!
Eugenie Scott: “Crusader against Creationism”
Posted by Greg Laden on November 10, 2011 November 10, 1975 . A day that will live in infamy.
Posted by Greg Laden on November 10, 2011 Evolution and Politics: November 13th
Posted by Greg Laden on November 10, 2011 Skeptically Speaking: This week, we’re looking at what happens when a bedrock scientific theory goes up for debate in the contentious realm of politics. We’ll speak to Dr. Eugenie Scott, Executive Director, and Steven Newton, Programs and Policy Director, at the National Center for Science Education, about evolution as a political issue. And on the…
It is time to start thinking about nesting
Posted by Greg Laden on November 10, 2011 Birds don’t live in nests. They make nests for specific purposes, use them for that purpose, then abandon them. Or, sometimes they don’t abandon them, but rather add on and use them again and again, but in between they don’t live in or on them. Well, sometimes they hang out on them a lot. And…
Tonight’s the Night
Posted by Greg Laden on November 9, 2011 That you get to listen to the XFactor contestants and then Vote For LeRoy Bell! On in five minutes central time and in the East.
Team LeRoy Bell Idaho
Posted by Greg Laden on November 8, 2011 It’s hard to round up a bunch of cowboys! (I assume everybody in Idaho is a cowboy, right??!!??) Anyway, great job, guys!
Why it is OK that LeRoy Bell Sucks at Faking It
Posted by Greg Laden on November 8, 2011 Some people have been complaining about LeRoy and I want to make clear why they are wrong to do so. This is not a subtle or nuanced situation at all. People with the complaint to which I refer are embarrassing themselves. So this missive is just as much in support of LeRoy as it is…
Asteroid Will Pass Within Moon’s Orbit on November 8th
Posted by Greg Laden on November 7, 2011 YU55 is in the vicinity now, and will pass within the Moon’s orbit tomorrow. NASA sent me a pretty crappy image but I fixed it up for you: The image was taken on Nov. 7 at 11:45 a.m. PST (2:45 p.m. EST/1945 UTC), when the asteroid was approximately 860,000 miles (1.38 million kilometers) away from…
Can you identify this insect?
Posted by Greg Laden on November 7, 2011 Malcolm Gladwell: The strange tale of the Norden bombsight
Posted by Greg Laden on November 7, 2011 Murmuration
Posted by Greg Laden on November 7, 2011 Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
“In the beginning: The Creationist Controversy”
Posted by Greg Laden on November 7, 2011 A blast from the past:
, which is now available for the 
