September 3, 2010
Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design is a must read for those interested in the Evolution - Creationism controversy. In particular, this volume is an essential part of the personal library of every science educator, for reasons that I will describe below. If you know a Life…
September 3, 2010
A little over a year ago, there was a meeting of the Minnesota Atheists that included a one hour panel discussion of evolution, creationism, science education, and so on. The panel was moderated by Lynn Fellman, and included (in order from right to left as the audience gazed on) Randy Moore,…
September 2, 2010
As Earl bears down on North Carolina and environs (well, slides by rudely if not bears down) I'll be stepping back from regular discussions of the Tropical Weather situation as I engage in labor day weekend activities. Meanwhile, have a look at this post at the NASA web site with more interesting…
September 2, 2010
As you know, I often write blog posts that are reviews or evaluations (or, often, just English translations) of Peer Reviewed Research. Those blog posts, and all the other ones written by dozens of bloggers around the world, are aggregated at Research Blogging Dot Org. It is a great place to get…
September 2, 2010
At this very moment, PLoS Currents is expanding. Here is the information from PLoS:
PLoS (Public Library of Science) is expanding PLoS Currents with the launch of two new sections, one on Huntington disease produced with support from CHDI Foundation, Inc., and the other entitled Evidence on…
September 2, 2010
This is interesting: Drupal has released a new code of conduct for their community. It has five points:
* Be considerate
* Be respectful
* When we disagree, we consult others
* When we are unsure, we ask for help
* Step down considerately
The fucker stole the whole thing from…
September 2, 2010
If you teach biology, you probably get to hydrogen bonding pretty early in the term. Here's an inspirational video for you:
hat tip: Bora
Hydrogen bonding explains everything!!!!
Why does water hold so much heat? Why does ice float? How does a water bug not sink? Why does a dog smell everyone's…
September 2, 2010
An offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, west of the site of the April blast that caused the massive oil spill.
A commercial helicopter company reported the blast around 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel said. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and…
September 2, 2010
I lifted this from the fourth in a series on "why we vaccinate" from Elyse the Skepchick's blog. The first one is here.
September 2, 2010
My old friend, colleague, suaboya, and educator extraordinaire, Jay Phelan has written what many believe will be the next Campbell. The name of the book is What Is Life?. There are two versions: one regular, and one with extra physiology. And both are based firmly on and integrated thoroughly…
September 1, 2010
As predicted, Gaston has emerged from from the ITCZ as a named tropical storm in the eastern Atlantic. Unlike Fiona, Gaston will reach hurricane status, and in fact, there is a pretty good chance that Gaston will be a major hurricane. What matters, of course, is where it goes. In any event,…
September 1, 2010
No, not that Cedric. This Cedric.
A Tasmanian devil named Cedric, once thought to be immune to a contagious facial cancer threatening the iconic creatures with extinction, has been euthanized after succumbing to the disease, researchers said Wednesday.
The death of the devil -- previously…
September 1, 2010
Blogs and schools often don't mix. Many blogs are free ranging entities untethered to an institutional or editorial framework. In public discussions of Scienceblogs.com, the fact that every blogger is editorially independent of each other and of the hosting organization, Seed Media Group, is…
September 1, 2010
Natalie Munro (UCONN) and Leore Grosman (Hebrew University) have reported an interesting site dating to about 12,000 years ago in northern Israel. It is interesting because it seems to be the remains of feasting, a specific activity that any cultures around the world engage in. I'm actually…
September 1, 2010
This post has been moved HERE.
September 1, 2010
North Carolina will receive hurricane warnings (a significant notch above watches) within a few hours, as the forecasted path for earl shift a bit to the west than previously thought and b) becomes less certain.
From NOAA/Hurricane Prediction Center:
Hurricane Watch:
North of Surf City North…
September 1, 2010
When I go to meet the teachers or administrators at my daughter's school, I whisper these words to each of them:
"I just want you to know that I'm involved in a number of organizations that seek to protect the quality of science education in our public schools. If you ever need any support, if…
August 31, 2010
First, go read this homeopathic web comic, and when you're done, like in ten minutes, come back.
Then, this:
A study in Michigan to learn why Bald Eagles are not recovering post-DDT exposure as fast as expected has discovered that nestlings are ingesting flame retardants and pesticides via their…
August 31, 2010
... similar diets, similar physiology, and they are even very intelligent ...
They say a lot of stupid stuff.
August 31, 2010
Human growth has strained the Earth's resources, but as Johan Rockstrom reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine "planetary boundaries" that can guide us in protecting our planet's many overlapping ecosystems.
August 31, 2010
While the world was focused on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a BP refinery here released huge amounts of toxic chemicals into the air that went unnoticed by residents until many saw their children come down with respiratory problems.
Ick, BP!
Fossil Hunters in Romania Find a 2-Clawed…
August 31, 2010
Starting tomorrow, September 1st, and running through the entire month, I'll be posting one or two (or more) items each day specifically written for (or at least, that I think will be useful for) teachers, as part of the usual "Back to school" effort I do every year. This year's effort will be…
August 31, 2010
The current edition of Berry Go Round is at Seeds Aside, here.
August 31, 2010
If not, you should join it. This is a good time of year, with school starting and all, to show some support for science education.
August 31, 2010
She was a church lady. I could see it a mile away. Her hair cut, her clothing, her way of standing, and as I got closer, her way of speaking and, eventually, the things she said. I will call her Joan.
It is not that surprising to find a church lady like Joan at Har Mar Shopping Mall. Har Mar…
August 31, 2010
Despite rather bizarre rumors to the contrary, Earl was never headed straight for Haiti, but it is a large and strong hurricane, and strong tropical force winds are affecting and will continue to affect the northern regions of the island.
Earl is now a Category Four hurricane and will remain so…
August 30, 2010
Danielle is now a Tropical Storm heading to it's watery grave west of Iceland. Earl, on the other hand, has a non-zero chance of hitting something.
Earl has become a hurricane, and is seemingly leveling off in its intensity. Earl is a Category Four storm with maximum sustained winds of almost…
August 30, 2010
No. But unfortunately, of the 12 candidates running for school board in one Florida County, only three, Rick Nesbit, Gunnar Paulson and Carol Oyenarte, said "No" when recently asked the question.
Two candidates thought it should be taught in a world religion class (and I've got to wonder about a…
August 30, 2010
By now, this news is a few days old, but there was something I wanted to check on before noting it. Here's the story:
NASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered the first confirmed planetary system with more than one planet crossing in front of, or transiting, the same star.
The transit signatures of…
