April 29, 2012
Features Michael E. Mann, author of The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines
April 29, 2012
For the second time in six months, a wild black bear was found wandering around deep in the urban zone in Saint Paul. I'm not sure what happened to the last one, but this one was killed by Saint Paul police under advisement of the Department of Natural Resources. To give you an idea of the…
April 27, 2012
Staring tomorrow morning, if you are in the Twin Cities, there is Lynn Fellman's talk at the Hennepin County Library downtown.
Lynn Fellman creates art that combines genetic data with creative imagery. Fellman will discuss basic genetic concepts, how art can uniquely express science concepts, and…
April 27, 2012
The attention of the Two Little Cousins and Huxley the Baby was easily diverted to the back of the house while Cousin Randy slipped out the front door into the cold dark night wearing the red suit and fake beard, carrying a bag of toys and a strap of sleigh bells. Suddenly, Cousin Chris exclaimed…
April 27, 2012
Have you been getting bitten by a lot of spiders lately? Are you concerned about Brown Recluse Spiders?
Well, I know people don't like to hear this, but those spider bites you woke up with this morning were probably not spider bites. Spiders don't really bite people.
Or, more accurately, if I…
April 26, 2012
Before reading any further, you need to know that the transport and release of trapped animals, such as mice or squirrels, is regulated and may be illegal in your community.
Having said that, there are times when people want to live trap a mouse or squirrel, and this is one of the two times of year…
April 25, 2012
Here is a way you can support the Life Science teachers in your local school. Give them a poster or a hat or a T-shirt or a book or something. I'll tell you why in a moment.
First, you have to find the teachers and start up a relationship with them. I have various relationships with various…
April 25, 2012
Skepticism is a cultural phenomenon. I know that many self-declared skeptics prefer to ... ah ... believe otherwise, or as they would perhaps say, they have deduced from pure principles using sound logic that Skepticism is rational behavior and there is nothing cultural about it. But they are…
April 25, 2012
The Sombrero Galaxy's Split Personality: The infrared vision of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed that the Sombrero galaxy -- named after its appearance in visible light to a wide-brimmed hat -- is in fact two galaxies in one. It is a large elliptical galaxy (blue-green) with a thin…
April 25, 2012
An American company, Altaeros Energies, recently launched a prototype helium-shelled wind turbine that can be used at high altitudes. While the test run took place at 350ft above ground, the ultimate goal is a height of 1,000ft. Tethers send the converted power back to the ground. Compared with…
April 24, 2012
This is a proof of concept blog post. Please give it a try and let me know if it works for you!
Double Helix from the Wolfram Demonstrations Project by Sándor Kabai
April 24, 2012
The USDA has just confirmed that a dairy cow in California had bovine spungiform encephalopathy (BSE) sometimes known as "Mad Cow Disease," which causes Creutzfeldt-Jakob, a deadly human disease affecting the brain. The animal was about to be, or was in the process of being, "rendered" ... turned…
April 24, 2012
Don McLeroy is the creationist formerly on the Texas School board who tried very hard to ruin science education both in Texas and across the United States. He is an ill informed, paranoid, mean spirited dick head. He thinks humans and dinosaurs walked the earth at the same time. I repeat. He was…
April 24, 2012
Yes, it was a crime; it was a crime against nature and against the law of the land, and now the first criminal charges are being filed, according to an exclusive report at NPR.
"The first criminal charges in connection with the BP oil spill have been filed against a former BP engineer named Kurt…
April 24, 2012
DON'T ANSWER AN DON'T GOOGLE IT
Click here to record your response.
Thank you very much, that is all for now.
April 24, 2012
.... or do they?
April 24, 2012
Holy crap!!!!
Hat tip: Charlotte
April 24, 2012
This is one of the hazards of being an archaeologist (it has happened to me a few times) but it is sad to see it occur with a private citizen.
The moral of the story? Don't be talking on your cell phone when instead, you should be scanning the terrain in front of you with Ground Penetrating…
April 23, 2012
This is the second of two surveys designed to assess Relative Importance of various things in your profession. This survey is for anyone who works in IT, regardless if they are in higher ed, industry, government, etc. The more folks who respond to the survey, the better the results will be! The…
April 23, 2012
It is not clear that Pink Slime has ever made anyone sick, but Tuna Scrapings certainly have. The difference? Chemical treatment of the former but not the latter, apparently.
The way that food is produced and processed in our industrialized society virtually grantees that much of it would be…
April 23, 2012
Who says that if you scream in space no one will hear you?
A rare daytime meteor was seen and heard streaking over northern Nevada and parts of California on Sunday, just after the peak of an annual meteor shower.
Observers in the Reno-Sparks area of Nevada reported seeing a fireball at about 8 a.m…
April 23, 2012
Here is a press release from BioMed Central that is just so interesting I had to give it to you as it is without delay:
Connecting cilia: cellular antennae help cells stick together
Primary cilia are hair-like structures which protrude from almost all mammalian cells. They are thought to be…
April 22, 2012
We had a great discussion with John Hawks on the radio today. The podcast of that conversation is available via any one of the routes indicated here.
We discussed australopiths, Homo, Paleolithic sex, ancient DNA and fossil casting calls. And more. Check it out.
Thanks, John, for your time!
April 22, 2012
A special thanks to BP on this fine Earth Day. Modifications made to the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico have had several important improvements. Much of the pesky coral living at the bottom of the gulf seems to have been doused with deadly doses of BP oil, some species have been provided with hip…
April 22, 2012
Here is why, how, and who:
April 22, 2012
Keynote talk by multimedia artist Lynn Fellman for Minneapolis DNA Days
Do you know why some people are 1 to 4% Neandertal? Lynn Fellman explains how your Uncle Ned and maybe you have an "Inner Neander" during her art and science talk on April 28th. The presentation is one of many talks at Twin…
