Pharyngula

The Tangled Bank

Welcome to the Tangled Bank, a version of the "Carnival of the Vanities" for science bloggers. A Carnival is a weekly showcase of good weblog writing, selected by the authors themselves (that's the vanity part). Every other week, one of our crew will highlight a collection of interesting weblog articles in one convenient place, making it easy for everyone to find the good stuff.

Two things will distinguish us from the original "Carnival of the Vanities": 1) we are specifically restricting ourselves to articles in the field of science and medicine, very broadly defined, and 2) we've got a different name. Our weekly compendium of great science weblog articles will be called the Tangled Bank, after Charles Darwin's famous metaphor.

Submissions

Are you a weblogger? Have you recently written something you are proud of, that you think other people with an interest in biology, medicine, science in general, or just the general workings of the natural world might find worth reading? Let me know! Send an e-mail message to pzmyers@gmail.com containing the words "Tangled Bank" somewhere in the subject line, and a link to your article, along with a sentence or two of descriptive summary. Don't hesitate, don't be shy, don't wonder if your work is good enough—flit right into the bank with the rest of us elaborately constructed forms.

This is an egalitarian activity. You do not have to be a Ph.D., you don't have to write articles with ten-syllable words, you don't have to discuss esoteric details. All you have to do is express some enthusiasm for the natural world or encourage study of the same.

The host will review your entry, and if it meets our generous standards, it will be included in that week's Tangled Bank. Our recommendations:

• The subject should be on biology, medicine, or natural history. We will define those categories very broadly, and it's sufficient that you show some passion for the science of the natural world.
• Your entry should reflect your point of view and your writing; give us something more than a couple of links with a brief comment.
• I would like to encourage positive stories; while the occasional cranky rant against creationist legislators or evil malpractice lawyers, if well written, might fit in, entries that talk about the really cool stuff of life are more appropriate.
• The Tangled Bank is apolitical. While we as individuals may care very much about the policies of right vs. left, the focus here should be on the universal subjects of science, not the latest crime against scientific study by the political party you like least.
• Only make one submission per weblog per week. Be selective and pick the best of your writing.

Anyone can submit an entry. Even if you don't routinely write about medicine or biology, if you just happen to have written about your gall bladder surgery that week or the pileated woodpecker that has taken to waking you every morning, if you think you've said something interesting and insightful, send it in.

Hosting

Hosting the Tangled Bank for a week requires a bit more commitment. Ideally, we'll be able to rotate hosting duties among a number of people, minimizing the effort any one person has to put into it.

• Your weblog should have some focus on science or medicine or natural history, but we're very liberal in interpreting this. Are you interested in promoting good science? You're in.
• You should submit your site to me, PZ Myers, and I'll put you in the schedule.
• The week before you host the Tangled Bank, the previous host will announce your e-mail address and solicit submissions, and I'll also announce it here at Pharyngula. You might also want to scout around and look for worthy articles in various weblogs, too.
• Organize the submissions into an article on your weblog, and publish it. Send me notification, and I'll enter a link to it here and generally try to trumpet its existence.

The Schedule