Quick Picks on ScienceBlogs, January 2nd, 2007

Ring in 2007 with manna for the science-starved.

From Mike the Mad Biologist, So This is What Theistic Geology Looks Like.
"You might not know this, but, due to pressure from Republicans beholden to batshit lunatic creationists theological conservatives, park rangers at the Grand Canyon are not allowed to discuss how old the Grand Canyon is."

From Framing Science, Communicating Climate Change.
"Despite historic amounts of media attention to global warming in 2006, most Americans still rank global warming as a lower level concern than other contemporary issues such as terrorism, the economy, or education. Republicans rank global warming below flag burning and the estate tax in importance."

From Aardvarchaeology, An Archaeologist in a Lab Coat.
"An elk killed and eaten by people is archaeology. An elk killed and eaten by wolves is not."

From Discovering Biology in a Digital World, How Do Antibiotics Kill Bacteria?
"In general, antibiotics keep bacteria from building the parts that are needed for growth: DNA replication, transcription, the synthesis of cell walls, and so on. "

From Retrospectacle, Neural Pathway Explains Why Addicts Become Addicts.
"Why is it that, over time, opiate drugs lose their rewarding effects? A new study published in Nature this month explains."