December 23, 2008
What a Christmas present - there are 32 new articles in PLoS ONE today and they are amazing! As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea…
December 23, 2008
It's hard to tell which one is the original, I think it's this one, as YouTube is full of well-done parodies of the Citroen Tranformers commercial. Of course, I am partial to this one:
December 23, 2008
Four Stone Hearth #26 is up on The Greenbelt
Carnival of Space Week #84 is up on Next Big Future
Grand Rounds 5.14 are up on Highlight HEALTH
December 23, 2008
Mechanism That Triggers Differentiation Of Embryo Cells Discovered:
The mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The discovery has significant…
December 22, 2008
The invention of the teenager was a mistake, in Miss Manners' opinion.... Once you identify a period of life in which people have few restrictions and, at the same time, few responsibilities - they get to stay out late but don't have to pay taxes - naturally, nobody wants to live any other way…
December 22, 2008
There is no clearer and better example of Artificial controversy than the War on Christmas, as Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity re-invent it every year in order to boost their tanking ratings. What War on Christmas? Just drive along a street and see all the lights on houses, go into a store and…
December 22, 2008
Lots of cool new papers in PLoS Biology, PLoS Medicine and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases today. My picks are under the fold, but you look around and see what you are interested in:
Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on Contemporary Biology by Evelyn Fox Keller:
The work of historians and…
December 22, 2008
There are 12 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one…
December 22, 2008
Hat-tip: Mom
December 22, 2008
Encephalon #61: Brain & Mind Reading for the Holidays is up on SharpBrains
Friday Ark #222 is up on Modulator
159th edition of the Carnival of The Green is up on Lighter Footstep
December 22, 2008
Snails And Humans Use Same Genes To Tell Right From Left:
Biologists have tracked down genes that control the handedness of snail shells, and they turn out to be similar to the genes used by humans to set up the left and right sides of the body.
Selflessness -- Core Of All Major World Religions --…
December 21, 2008
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation.
- Hector Hugh Munro (1870-1916)
December 21, 2008
There was a good reason why the form and format, as well as the rhetoric of the scientific paper were instituted the way they were back in the early days of scientific journals. Science was trying to come on its own and to differentiate itself from philosophy, theology and lay literature about…
December 21, 2008
Say It In Song: Researcher Deciphers Meaning Within Bird Communication:
To many people, bird song can herald the coming of spring, reveal what kind of bird is perched nearby or be merely an unwelcome early morning intrusion. But to Sandra Vehrencamp, Cornell professor of neurobiology and behavior,…
December 20, 2008
Anytime I've gone to a movie for a first date, it's been bad.
- Tom Everett Scott
December 20, 2008
At the Western RCAC Symposium last week:
Rodd Lucier: Fertilizing the Grass Roots:
My personal suspicions are that most attendees will fail to make effective use of any of the many tools introduced today. Even with everyone recognizing that we have a long way to go: A significant knowing-doing gap…
December 20, 2008
Because the truth is that promoting science isn't just about providing resources--it's about protecting free and open inquiry. It's about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's…
December 20, 2008
It is rare that I pick the winners in any contest, but this time I picked three! Congratulations to all the winners of the 2008 EduBlog Awards, but especially to my friend David Warlick who led the session on 'blogs in science education' at the last year's Science Blogging Conference, and to Miss…
December 20, 2008
Happy Anniversary, PLoS ONE!
Today is PLoS ONE's second anniversary and we're celebrating by announcing that the winner of the second PLoS synchroblogging competition is SciCurious of the Neurotopia 2.0 blog.
"This fluent post captures the essence of the research and accurately communicates it in…
December 19, 2008
I did not know there were so many of them:
Student science publishing: an exploratory study of undergraduate science research journals and popular science magazines in the US and Europe:
Science magazines have an important role in disseminating scientific knowledge into the public sphere and in…
December 19, 2008
We're a sentimental people. We like a few kind words better than millions of dollars given in a humiliating way. (Refusing economic aid from the West)
- Gamal Abdel Nasser
December 19, 2008
Changes in publication statistics when electronic submission was introduced in an international applied science journal:
In a refereed journal in the food and agriculture sector, papers were tracked over a five-year period during the introduction of electronic submissions. Papers originated in the…
December 19, 2008
Polygamy, Paternal Care In Birds Linked To Dinosaur Ancestors:
Sure, they're polygamous, but male emus and several other ground-dwelling birds also are devoted dads, serving as the sole incubators and caregivers to oversized broods from multiple mothers. It is rare behavior, but research described…
December 19, 2008
January issue of Scientific American is devoted to Darwin's 200th birthday and contains several excellent articles. Check out The Latest Face of Creationism in the Classroom by Glenn Branch and Eugenie C. Scott for starters.
But beware, there are other (and I would say better) ways of thinking…
December 19, 2008
Pam Spaulding and Wayne Sutton discuss blogs, election, Rick Warren and more:
Location: Carrboro Creative Coworking space. Who needs Silicon Valley when there are people and facilities like this right here in North Carolina?
December 19, 2008
From WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) of Duke:
WiSE is partnering with ScienceOnline'09, a national science blogging and communication conference, to host a Triangle-wide networking event for women scientists, engineers, educators, researchers, science writers, and students. This event also…
December 19, 2008
You may have heard the story that Scarlett Johansson had a cold when she appeared on Jay Leno's show the other day. And you may have heard that she got the cold from her 'The Spirit' co-star Samuel L. Jackson. And you may have heard that she had to blow her nose into a tissue during the show. And…
December 19, 2008
From The Big Picture
2008 has been an eventful year to say the least - it is difficult to sum up the thousands of stories in just a handful of photographs. That said, I will try to do what I've done with other photo narratives here, and tell a story of 2008 in photographs. It's not the story of…
December 19, 2008
There are 11 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one…
