February 8, 2012
Obama instantly reacts by hiring his new science advisor!
February 8, 2012
If all the water currently trapped in all the glaciers across the entire world melted, the sea level would rise far more than most people imagine. Almost everyone living anywhere in the world at an elevation of below about 500 feet with a direct drainage to the sea would be directly affected; The…
February 8, 2012
At the moment, the Wandering Albatross of the Southern Ocean is getting a free ride; Changes in wind patterns due to Global Warming seem to enhance the efficiency of foraging of this pelagic bird. However, as Global Warming continues, this rare case of a positive benefit of anthropocentric climate…
February 8, 2012
Actually, they can't, but they're having fun.
February 8, 2012
There is a guest commentary by Genie Scott at Real Climate:
Imagine you're a middle-school science teacher, and you get to the section of the course where you're to talk about climate change. You mention the "C" words, and two students walk out of the class.
Or you mention global warming and a hand…
February 8, 2012
I know some of you are Piercians, and some of you are interested in Neuroscience. So, without comment I give you this abstract of a recent paper:
Past experience provides a rich source of predictive information about the world that could be used to guide and optimize ongoing perception. However,…
February 8, 2012
I like the way the solar heat dives into the ocean at the last moment.
February 7, 2012
This August, Mars Science Robot Curiosity will land on the surface of the Angry Red Planet equipped with a Penny to tell how big things are.
The camera at the end of the robotic arm on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has its own calibration target, a smartphone-size plaque that looks like an eye chart…
February 7, 2012
Should we worry about calderas, like Santorini or the Yellowstone Caldera, blowing up with little warning? Sort of, in geological time that is. Turns out that the period of time between not much happening and the buildup of magma prior to a major eruption is startlingly short.
Read More
February 5, 2012
I support and endorse Sharon Sund for US Congress. Sharon will represent the Third District in Minnesota.
For years, the Third District, in which I live, was represented by a moderate Republican, Jim Ramstad. Though I never voted for him, it was not all that annoying that he was in Congress…
February 5, 2012
It is not a bowl, but rather, a football game.
The 2010 Super Bowl would have been won by the Minnesota Vikings had the New Orleans Saints not cheated.
It is not true that if your city is destroyed by an Act of God that you get to win the Super Bowl for that reason at a later time. Were that true…
February 2, 2012
The first study that looks at telomere length in a large sample of animals from birth to death is out. Check it out.
February 2, 2012
Over the last few weeks, there has been quite a bit of discussion on the Blogosphere about certain global warming related issues. Denialists have come on strong with two major and widely disseminated distortions of scientific reports and consensus, and scientists and those interested in saving the…
February 2, 2012
Climate change denialism has it's Dave Mabus, and his name is Markus Fitzhenry. I just got this note slipped under my eDoor.
You made a big mistake, lying about me.
MEMBERS
There is enlightenment coming, it will be a cleansing wind throughout academia. This is just the tip of an iceberg, that is…
February 1, 2012
There's some stuff I don't want you to miss.
Related to the Komen Maneno:
Stop Giving Money to Susah G. Komen for the Cure, and tell everyone else you know to do the same.
We Stand with Planned Parenthood
Poor Women Have Breasts Too, You Know!
Another fight about gun control:
Seven Year Old…
February 1, 2012
State Legislator Ellen Anderson is an energy expert, who authored seven energy related bills one of which became a national model, all of which were signed into law by a Republican Governor. She was recently appointed by Governor Dayton to the Public Utilities Commission. Republicans, however,…
February 1, 2012
And I suspect he's done so willingly. Well, you know what they say about statistics and liars.
Here's the story. The Wall Street Journal and the Daily Mail independently published highly misleading and blatantly idiotic pieces on climate change. We've covered this extensively already over the…
February 1, 2012
A Carin Bodnar's Crib.
January 31, 2012
... can be found HERE.
What I'm talking about is the complete series of stories told at The Monti at ScienceOnline 2012. (I mentioned them here.)
You will laugh, you will cry, you will go "WTF?"
January 31, 2012
It starts like this:
Do you consult your dentist about your heart condition? In science, as in any area, reputations are based on knowledge and expertise in a field and on published, peer-reviewed work. If you need surgery, you want a highly experienced expert in the field who has done a large…
January 31, 2012
Brad Johnson at Think Progress has written a piece on Meteorologist Mark Johnson, of ABC's WEWS-TV in Cleveland Ohio. Johnson has apparently purposefully misrepresented data that was previously pre-misrepresented by the Daily Mail to make the statement that the earth has been cooling since 1998…
January 31, 2012
Jessica M. Budke has the Berry Go Round carnival up at her site. Have you heard about the plants that eat nematodes? Solar powered sea slugs? Have you considered covering your house instead of painting it?
Go here to find out all about these amazing topics and more.
January 31, 2012
But with a twist. A Republican sponsored bill required the teaching of Christian Religion ni the science class, but a Democratic Senator has added wording that will require science teachers to teach the origin stories of ALL of the religions.
Legislators on Monday broadened a proposal aimed at…
January 31, 2012
"Parallel Evolution" is not really a kind of evolution, but rather, an observation we make about the pattern of evolution in particular cases. Many species have a "woodpecker adaptation" by which a hard sharp thing is used to get at grubs and other insect (or non insect) meat hidden beneath bark.…
January 31, 2012
The vast majority of American public school students are not proficient in the level of science learning expected for their age group. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute has issued "The State of Science Standards 2012" as part of an effort to assess the causes of this dismal state of affairs. Here's…
January 31, 2012
Michael Mann, famous climate scientist, has released a book called The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines (also available as a Kindle edition). I've not read it yet but I thought you'd like to know about it.
Michael Mann is the guy who came up with the Hockey Stick…
January 31, 2012
The following is a fictionalized version of a true story recently told to me by two of the people involved. All the names of those still living have been changed. Please do not let this happen to you.
[This is a timely repost]
~~~~~
No one is sure why Fred took the chance he took that day, but…
January 30, 2012
Let's have a look.
Bonus commentary HERE.
January 30, 2012
I remember the first time I visited a penguin colony. It was not hard to find. Penguin colonies smell really really bad. Here's why:
Further details at Huffington Post.
Hat Tip Richard Wilson.
January 30, 2012
Organizers with the Lake Elmo Lions Club announced the cancellation of next Sunday's ice fishing contest...
Organizers measured the ice on the lake at about 12 inches, and said it needed to be 18 inches for everyone's safety, especially because most participants would be parking their vehicles…
