February 5, 2013
In February, Asteroid 2012 DA 14 will come so close to earth that it will be nearer to our planet than many satellites are. This asteroid, which really should get a new name, is about half the size of a football field. Its orbit is similar to that of the Earth itself, in size and shape, but at an…
February 4, 2013
Media Matters takes Fox News to Task. Watch the reasonable person talk, then watch the Republican climate science denialist lie:
Here is a graph from Media Matters that you should post on your Facebook page and elsewhere:
From Media Matters: "The American Geophysical Union and several other…
February 3, 2013
As you know, the permafrost is melting due to global warming, and this is releasing greenhouse gasses which cause global warming. What you may not know is that we could not have had this conversation even a century ago because science has only recently recognized permafrost (it was not clearly…
February 3, 2013
Here's a graph showing the extent of arctic sea ice as measured directly and indirectly for the last several hundred years:
Solid red line is the reconstructed 40 year smoothed, late-summer Arctic sea ice extent from Kinnard et al. (2011). Shaded area shows 95% confidence interval. Blue dashed…
February 3, 2013
Should we be complete morons and force our 6 year old children, by state law, to become gun nuts?
Here's one view:
Here's another view (trigger warning):
February 3, 2013
... Warning abuse triggers ...
Breakthrough's video -Mann ke Manjeeré- winner of the Screen Awards 2001 in India and nominated for MTV's 'Best Indipop Music Video', reached 26 million households via six satellite music television channels, effectively mainstreaming discussions about domestic…
February 2, 2013
... what political party you are a member of...
Climate scientist Anthony Leiserowitz drops some serious knowledge on "Moyers & Company". In two bullet points, he describes exactly what Obama needs to say about global warming and what we can do to stop climate change. Let's hope Obama watches…
February 2, 2013
Ben Goldacre, the Bad Science column writer and at present, Wellcome research fellow in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has a book coming out soon (Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients). I've not seen it yet, but when I do I'll get…
February 2, 2013
Birdchasers: An educational documentary ideal for the Discoverie Channel.
Two teams of birdwatchers spend the entire birding season (from June 1st through June 22nd) in sometimes friendly, sometimes not so friendly competition in a desperate and dangerous search for dangerous and disparate birds…
February 2, 2013
From the AGU fall meeting, 2012
Land area burned by fires has increased in the United States over the past 25 years, consistent
with a trend toward climate conditions more conducive to fire. In contrast, fires for agricultural
and forest management show declining trends in the western U.S. despite…
February 2, 2013
The Public Religion Research Institute has conducted a poll about the Superbowl They found:
27% of Americans believe that God plays a role in determining which team winds a sporting event.
53% of Americans believe that god rewards athletes who have faith with good health and success
42% of…
February 2, 2013
Skeptical Science is a great source for information about climate change. One of the coolest things they've got over there is a moving GIF demonstrating how the folks in the climate science denialism industry try to convince people that global warming isn't real. This involves cherry picking data…
February 2, 2013
According to the Turkish Daily News ...
The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey ... has put a stop to the publication and sale of all books in its archives that support the theory of evolution, daily Radikal has reported.
The evolutionist books, previously available through TÜBİTAK…
February 1, 2013
Minnesota Atheists is auctioning off a rare $20.00 bill that does not say "In God We Trust" on it. I've already placed my first bid of $36.66! Go here to check it out. Good luck!
February 1, 2013
TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, molestation, physical attack, misogyny, abuse. Followed by one billion angry women kicking the patriarchy in the ass. You have been warned.
*Trigger Warning* A film by @EveEnsler and Tony Stroebel.
Please spread far and wide w/this tweet: Rise up on 2-14 to end Violence…
February 1, 2013
Glaciologist Jason Box describes a post-warming world that you won't even be able to recognize.
February 1, 2013
Anthropogenic global warming is a long term phenomenon that is caused by the release of Carbon, in the form of Carbon Dioxide, from fossil deposits, though burning of fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal. There are other human causes as well, but some of those relate to the use of fossil fuels…
February 1, 2013
History, Culture, Math and the Superbowl
Roman Numerals? What the heck does Exel Vee Aye Aye mean anyway? Does anybody really know?
The Superbowl may be one of the few places where we count above three in Roman Numerals anyway. I assume this is a subtle reference to the gladiatorial aspects of the…
February 1, 2013
Skeptically Speaking #198 is now available for your listening pleasure. The main part of the show has Desiree Schell interviewing James Gould, co-author of Nature’s Compass: The Mystery of Animal Navigation.
Great book on animal migration
The 15 minute side bar has Desiree interviewing me about…
February 1, 2013
Hey, did anybody go to the 2012 fair? I couldn't make it. Let me know how it went.
Anyway, the 2013 fair will be at a new location, leading Har Mar to say "Creation Science Fair, why hath thou forsaken me?"
Here's the details for this year's Creation Science Fair:
2013 Home School Science Fair…
January 30, 2013
I'm not sure about the NUMBER of fires. That might be hard to count. If five small fires emerge and are put out, there are five fires. If five fires emerge, join into one configuration, and wipe out a handful of mountain villages in the Rockies, that's one fire. It might be better to look at…
January 30, 2013
Common misconceptions and unproven assumptions about the aquatic ape theory
A Guest Post by Marc Verhaegen
*2013 m_verhaegen@skynet.be
It is often assumed that Alister Hardy’s and Elaine Morgan’s aquatic ape theory (AAT) suggests that more than 5 Ma (million years ago) there was a semi-aquatic…
January 30, 2013
There is a new anti-science bill in Arizona. Go read about it here. It is interesting that these anti-science bills are sounding more and more like pro science bills except for just a few words that allow, encourage, and even require funding for the teaching of climate science denialism and…
January 29, 2013
I just want to point you to these two items:
It's 10:00. Do you know where your handgun is?
Did you know that several, as far as I know uncounted, teenagers living in the Twin Cities have died tragically over the last year, with the cause of death being a gunshot wound, self inflicted. Typically,…
January 29, 2013
There is now a Graphic Book (which is apparently some kind of cartoony thing kids these days read) which is a biography of Darwin. I've not read it but I have a free chapter for you, here. That's courtesy of the NCSE.
Here's the Amazon Link and from that site, a description:
Darwin: A Graphic…
January 29, 2013
Whispers from the Ghosting Trees
A guest post by Gail Zawacki, who blogs at Wit's End.
While we hustle busily through the necessities of our lives, wrapped up in our daily preoccupations - our obligations to our families, our jobs, and our dreams - at the same time all around the world, trees are…
January 28, 2013
Have you seen the Weather Underground's Weekly Weather Roundups, which are archived here? They are truly the funniest thing on the Internet. Also, tragic and scary. Here is a recent example:
January 28, 2013
Suddenly and for the first time I saw Amanda as a little child wide eyed with both awe and fear, among other children some sitting on the floor, some in chairs, some standing behind desks, eyes trained on a TV monitor and their teacher as the sudden realization dawned on all of them that the Space…
January 27, 2013
Published on Jan 25, 2013
Session 6: Dr. Jennifer Francis - Rutgers University
Topic: Wacky Weather and Disappearing Arctic Sea Ice: Are They Connected?
January 26, 2013
I only barely remember the disaster. It was on this day, but in 1967. In recent years, I've wondered why my memory of the death of Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee in the Apollo 1 space craft is so vague. I have memories of earlier space activities, but most of those memories are really…
