November 20, 2009
Category: Evolution
The pitched battle between evolutionary theory and Intelligent Design has become one of the signature conflicts of the decade. On Pharyngula, PZ Myers picks up the pieces after his debate with Jerry Bergman on whether ID should be taught in...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 2:15 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 19, 2009
Category: Genetics
Forget fashion; when it comes to expressing yourself, it's your genes that wear you! On Not Exactly Rocket Science, Ed Yong discusses the explosive evolution of AEM genes in humans and elephants—two long-lived, social animals with "very, very large brains."...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 10:40 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 18, 2009
Category: Nutrition
We often hear that "you are what you eat," but the relationship between what goes in our bodies and what our bodies make of it is really quite complex. On Respectful Insolence, Orac laments that "diet does not have nearly...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 11:21 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 17, 2009
Category: Astronomy/Space
On Friday, NASA scientists confirmed the discovery of water on the moon. Using spectral analysis to determine the composition of the plume resulting from last month's LCROSS rocket collision, they found more than 100 liters of water. Steinn Sigurðsson on...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 10:06 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 16, 2009
Category: Things We Like
In the increasingly competitive and admissions-driven world of high school, learning doesn't always come cheap. SAT-prep programs and college admissions counselors charge a pretty penny for the advantages they (claim to) bestow upon anxious juniors and seniors, and even...
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Posted by Erin Johnson at 12:44 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 15, 2009
Category: Astronomy/Space
In Ethan Siegel's ongoing treatment of dark energy on Starts With A Bang!, he considers a number of alternative explanations for the dimming of redshifted supernovae. Could photon-axion oscillations be to blame, or does a "grey dust" pervade our universe?...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 10:50 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 14, 2009
Category: Geology
When it comes to geologic phenomena, the difference between renewal and cataclysm can walk a fine line. On All of My Faults Are Stress Related, Kim Hannula elucidates the distinction between causes and triggers. Citing an article about the Zipingpu...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 9:28 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 13, 2009
Category: Paleontology
Shakespeare wrote that "past is prologue," but it's not always that easy to read. Brian Switek on Laelaps tells the tale of P. H. Gosse, a man who tried to reconcile the fossil record with the Book of Genesis, at...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 12:20 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 12, 2009
Category: Psychology
Sometimes, present circumstances can belie the uncertainty of the future. On Not Exactly Rocket Science, Ed Yong discusses experiments on "restraint bias" which show that many people overestimate their powers of self-control. He notes that "we're generally bad at predicting...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 12:16 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
November 11, 2009
Category: Anthropology
Humans believe a lot of things, for a lot of reasons. Confronted by a student who had learned lions' manes are an expression of their testosterone level--and not just a bit of claw-catching fluff--Greg Laden observes that when someone finds...
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Posted by Wes Dodson at 1:40 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks