January 20, 2008
The Bell Museum, in Minneapolis, will sponsor a Valentine's Day Cafe Scientifique that will be especially close to my heart ...
... mainly because it is me doing it.
Evolution, Cuisine and Romance
Tuesday, February 19, 7 p.m.
Bryant-Lake Bowl, Uptown
Were the opposable thumb, an upright stance…
January 20, 2008
The National Science Board this week said leading science and engineering indicators tell a mixed story regarding the achievement of the US in science, research and development, and math in international comparisons.
For example, US schools continue to lag behind internationally in science and…
January 20, 2008
The World of Emetrece Productions presents:
"Ritmos Unidos"
3rd Annual Afro-Latin Tribute to MLK Day
Featuring Maria Isa & CubanÃa
Sunday, January 20th, 2008 // First Avenue Main Room
Doors 8PM // Show 9PM - 2AM // $8 Advance // $10 Door // 18+
In remembrance of King's legacy, "Ritmos Unidos"…
January 20, 2008
Florida State Board of Education (Panda's thumb)
Ignorance By Design: Florida School Board Resolutions (Panda's Thumb)
What's your school board like? (Pharyngula)
Where did those anti-evolution resolutions come from? (Panda's Thumb)
January 20, 2008
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found that a naturally occurring peptide known for its antibacterial action can also inhibit viral infection.
The study was published in the January 17, 2008 edition of the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
The new study shows that defensins, short…
January 20, 2008
Apropos the fight over excellent science education (as opposed to creationism) in Florida schools, is it OK for a church, which I presume has religious non profit status, to engage actively in an attempt to sway elected officials?
Regarding the State Board of Education meetings to discuss this…
January 20, 2008
Next in the educational series "Look Around You"
[Thanks Marta!]
January 20, 2008
Home School
A big chunk of the reading world is going to have a great time devouring a Home School, new semi erotic, not-very-family values novel by the very author that gave us The Graduate (which was made into that movie with Dustin Hoffman ... one of the classics). This is ironic, because the…
January 20, 2008
What is Atheism? How many Atheists are there? What does the public think about Atheists? How are Christians viewed by non Christians? Also featuring a special interview with Jennifer Tuder of "Sex Across the Curriculum."
AM 950 Air America Minnesota
Sunday 9:00 AM
[Hat Tip PZ Myers]
January 19, 2008
This is Part 1 because there is more than one part. But I'm only going to do one of them, so it is Part 1 of 1. There is more than one "kind" of home schooler, home schooling parent, home schooling family, etc., and thus there are multiple attitudes. But a good chunk of the home schooling…
January 19, 2008
"A fundamental difference in the way men and women respond to chronic liver disease at the genetic level helps explain why men are more prone to liver cancer, according to MIT researchers."
"This is the first genome-wide study that helps explain why there is such a gender effect in a cancer of a…
January 19, 2008
Today's St. Petersburg Times has a letter from Bill Foster. Foster was the outgoing city councilman who wrote a letter to the school board opposing the teaching of modern Evolutionary Biology, or at least, the teaching of modern science without wrapping it in a medieval blanket of Christian…
January 19, 2008
Sorry, this is not as fresh and current as I would like, but you will still find it interesting. The National Center for Science Education has a news release covering a number of topics:
DECISION ON ICR'S GRADUATE SCHOOL DEFERRED
The Institute for Creation Research's quest for Texas certification…
January 19, 2008
Discovery of 'creator' gene for cerebral cortex points to potential stem cell treatments
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a gene that is specifically responsible for generating the cerebral cortex, a finding that could lead to stem cell therapies to treat brain injuries…
January 19, 2008
Education committees are beginning to review the science standards for Texas Schools this month. There are indications that efforts will be made to weaken the standing of evolution, or insinuate creationism, creation science, or intelligent design into the standards.
The current Texas Essential…
January 19, 2008
First, from the standard news sources in Jacksonville:
Despite impassioned opposition from science experts, teachers and some clergy, Clay County School Board members unanimously resolved Tuesday night that evolution should be presented as a theory, and not fact, in the classroom.
The board passed…
January 19, 2008
From the Texas Citizens for Science:
In an email message to its friends, the Institute for Creation Research proposes The Disjunctive Duality of Science Distinction, a new argument to support its effort to obtain Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approval for its masters degree program in…
January 18, 2008
The Year 2038 problem could begin today. Similar to the Y2K problem, certain operating systems cannot handle dates after about 3 AM Universal Time on January 19th, 2038. If your bank is handling a 30 year mortgage starting today, funny things could happen starting now.
The Y2K problem occurred…
January 18, 2008
"A University of Alberta Arctic ice researcher is closing in on some real understanding about the process that might be feeding rising sea levels."
Using satellite microwave data, Martin Sharp, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has helped lead a team of researchers…
January 18, 2008
"MIT researchers have discovered why an unusually short bacterial protein can have many more interactions than would normally be expected of something its size."
The team, led by biology professor Graham Walker, found that the protein, UmuD, belongs to a recently discovered class of proteins called…
January 18, 2008
Enjoy a little on-line learning....
This sounds like a young David Attenborough
[Thanks Marta!]
January 18, 2008
A translocated population of the Critically Endangered Laysan Duck has reached 200 in only three years.Anas laysanensis is commonly known as the Laysan Duck. It occurs in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, and nowhere else, though it was once found across the Hawaiian Island chain.…
January 18, 2008
This grab-you-by-the-throat speech by Ghanaian economist George Ayittey unleashes an almost breathtaking torrent of controlled anger toward corrupt leaders and the complacency that allows them to thrive. These "Hippos" (lazy, slow, ornery) have ruined postcolonial Africa, he says. Why, then, does…
January 18, 2008
Pope Benedict XVI last night called off a visit to Rome's main university in the face of hostility from some of its academics and students, who accused him of despising science and defending the Inquisition's condemnation of Galileo.
The Pope is a Dope, says Rome U
The controversy was unparalleled…
January 18, 2008
The 11th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count, run by Cornell's Ornithology Lab and the National Audubon Society, is set for February 15th to 18th. Anyone can participate, and enter their results on line.
The reports contribute valuable scientific information for conservation, spotlighting changes…
January 18, 2008
They always told you to eat your carrots, to improve your eyesight. Well, a deficiency of vitamin A (found in carrots, and lots of other foods) causes eye disease in a lot of children. In areas where Maize (corn) is a significant staple, there can be a problem because maize varies a great deal in…
January 18, 2008
There is a discussion on the internet about Junk DNA, that includes a discussion at Sandwalk (Larry Moran's blog) ... I made a comment there about genome size that was responded to by T.R. Gregory. I started to write my response in Larry's Little Box, but realized that it would not fit. So it is…
January 18, 2008
[Post Revised]
According to one story:
After a public hearing Thursday evening to discuss a possible change in the way science courses are taught in public schools, the Clay County [Florida] School Board voted unanimously to support a change in the state science curriculum that would use the word…
