ejohnson | July 21, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Life Science. From Flickr, by jurvetson
Physical Science. Bubbles falling from a canopy of leaves. From Flickr, by jurvetson
Reader comments of the week:
On the Life Science channel, Tetrapod Zoology follows up its Sea Monster week with a teaser: The tree-climbing dinosaurs are coming. The post features the following alluring sketch to tantalize readers:
Reader Zach Miller is skeptical:
Tree-climbing dinosaurs? That's un-possible! Everyone…
ejohnson | July 18, 2008In this post: the large version of the Brain & Behavior and Technology channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Technology. Refueling a Tesla Validation Prototype 9 with electricity. From Flickr, by jurvetson
Brain & Behavior. From Flickr, by Barb Henry
Reader comments of the week:
In David Brooks on Genetics and Human Intelligence, Mike the Mad Biologist posts an excerpt from a New York Times opinion piece by columnist David Brooks; Brooks ponders over the growing intersection between science and the humanities as both strive to understand human…
ejohnson | July 17, 2008In this post: the large version of the Politics channel photo, a comment from a reader, and the best posts of the week.
A parade of flags at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. From Flickr, by WorldIslandInfo.com
Reader comment of the week:
In An Ethical Dialogue, Chad Orzel of Uncertain Principles provides a unique take on the PZ Myers vs. Catholic League Crackergate scandal. ScienceBloggers debated intensely in the last week about whether Myers stepped over the line when he offered to publicly desecrate the Eucharist, a wafer Catholics believe is the body of Christ. Chad…
ejohnson | July 16, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Education & Careers and Medicine & Health channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Education & Careers. From Flickr, by Duchamp
Medicine & Health. From Flickr, by jurvetson
Reader comments of the week:
In Don't Go to Grad School (in the Humanities), Chad Orzel of Uncertain Principles dipenses some sage advice for prospective grad students: "If they're not offering to pay you, don't go." For physics students but even more for humanities students, the potential payoffs are not enough, in Chad's opinion, to…
ejohnson | July 15, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Environment and Humanities & Social Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Environment. From Flickr, by chaosinjune
Humanities & Social Science. From Flickr, by (nutmeg)
Reader comments of the week:
In Is it all over for corals?, Peter Etnoyer of Deep Sea News reports a disheartening statistic: One in three species of coral faces extinction. Human activities like overfishing and agriculture, in addition to global warming, are largely to blame for the corals' decline. Is it already too late, Peter asks,…
ejohnson | July 14, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Life Science. From Flickr, by blondyimp
Physical Science. Cooled lava on Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. From Flickr, by jakerome
Reader comments of the week:
On the Life Science channel, Tetrapod Zoology wraps up its Sea Monster week with Where are all the dead sea monsters? While undiscovered giant marine creatures probably do exist, Darren Naish concludes, none of the many legendary encounters offer compelling enough evidence of anything more…
ejohnson | July 11, 2008In this post: the large version of the Brain & Behavior and Technology channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Brain & Behavior. From Flickr, by zorilla
Technology. The workings of a Victorian machine shop. From Flickr, by Elsie esq.
Reader comments of the week:
In Kids and Happiness, Jonah Lehrer of the Frontal Cortex reports on new evidence which contradicts a widely held notion- that adults with children are happier than those without. A handful of studies have shown that being a parent may actually lead to a greater risk of depression, and that…
ejohnson | July 10, 2008In this post: the large version of the Medicine & Health channel photo, a comment from a reader, and the best posts of the week.
A triathlete races to the finish in the IronMan Germany competition. From Flickr, by Novecentino
Reader comment of the week:
In Swallowing nutrition myths hook, line, and sinker, PalMD of denialism blog takes a New York Times article to task for its unfounded claims. The article lists 11 'super foods' which are claimed to have health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar, and fighting cancer among other things, but PalMD points out…
ejohnson | July 9, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Education & Careers and Politics channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Politics. From Flickr, by art_es_anna
Education & Careers. From Flickr, by Irish Typepad
Reader comments of the week:
In Scientific Virtue, Jonah Lehrer of the Frontal Cortex shares an excerpt from an interview with Steven Shapin, author of The Scientific Revolution and the upcoming The Scientific Life. Shapin criticizes the supposed differences between "true" academic scientists and scientists working in industry and government, contending…
ejohnson | July 8, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Environment and Humanities & Social Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Environment. A saguaro cactus in the Arizona desert. From Flickr, by .Larry Page
Humanities & Social Science. Checking out the surf at Fort Point, California. From Flickr, by Dawn Endico
Reader comments of the week:
In Do We Need Leatherback Turtles?, Sheril Kirshenbaum responds to a question posed by Andy Revkin in the New York Times about the urgency of protecting the severely endangered species. Why should we be so worried…
ejohnson | July 7, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Life Science. From Flickr, by atomicjeep
Physical Science. From Flickr, by blondyimp
Reader comments of the week:
On the Life Science channel, Laelaps delves into an 18th century quibble in Thomas Jefferson's All-American incognitum. The American incognitum, which can be seen in an 1816 Edouard de Montule painting included in the post, is now known as the American mastodon, Mammut americanum. Back in 1781, however, Thomas Jefferson used the beast'…
ejohnson | June 30, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Life Science. From Flickr, by angela7dreams
Physical Science. A "true color" mosaic of the Orion Nebula captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. From NASA/C.R. O'Dell, via pingnews.com on Flickr
Reader comments of the week:
On the Life Science channel, ERV describes how viruses have co-evolved with humans in Viruses know us better than we know ourselves. Certain viral molecules can mimic human proteins—called chemokines—that attract fresh immune…
ejohnson | June 26, 2008In this post: the large version of the Medicine & Health, Brain & Behavior and Technology channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Medicine & Health. From Flickr, by Vox Efx
Brain & Behavior. Neurons in the brain. By Benedict Campbell at Wellcome Images, via LoreleiRanvig on Flickr
Technology. From Flickr, by jurvetson
Reader comments of the week:
In Energy Equivalence, Jim of Dr. Joan Bushwell's Chimpanzee Refuge does the math to show that Americans have at least 3.713 kjoules of energy stored as excess fat. He also calculates the kjoules…
ejohnson | June 26, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Education & Careers and Politics channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Education & Careers. From Flickr, by arquera
Politics. From Flickr, by R80o (Mark Strozier)
Reader comments of the week:
In The Hippocratic Oath for Graduate Students? Really?, DrugMonkey shares a proposed oath published in the June 20 issue of Science which would require all incoming graduate science students to swear their commitment to ethical research. The oath met with mixed reactions from DrugMonkey's readers, some of whom like the…
ejohnson | June 24, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Environment and Humanities & Social Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week!
Environment. A near perfect reflection in Squaw Valley, California. From Flickr, by jurvetson
Humanities & Social Science. From Flickr, by frozenchipmunk
Reader comments of the week:
In Primer on greenhouse gases, III, the last of a three-post series on greenhouse gases, Revere of Effect Measure explains how some gases (like CO2) absorb electromagnetic radiation returning to the atmosphere from the Earth and cause the atmosphere…
ejohnson | June 23, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week!
Life Science. Baby birds awaiting a meal. From Flickr, by SuperFantastic
Physical Science. Chemoluminescent luminol. From Flickr, by everyone's idle
Reader comments of the week:
On the Life Science channel, ERV introduces the pol gene, which codes for all retroviral enzymes, in Intro to ERVs: ENZYMES! The post is the final installment of ERV's crash course series in endogenous retroviruses.
Reader dreikin liked it so much he wrote:
I have a…
ejohnson | June 20, 2008
Alice Pawley is a woman in a man's world, but that's not going to be the case for long if she has anything to do with it. As an assistant professor of engineering education at Purdue University, she knows firsthand the barriers facing women in the hard sciences, so it was only natural for her to join ScienceWoman as a co-blogger on the (aptly titled) blog Sciencewomen. In her posts, Alice writes about the overlooked, but increasingly relevant intersection between engineering and womens' studies. In her Page 3.14 interview, as on her blog, she brings a refreshing blend of realism and humor to…
ejohnson | June 20, 2008In this post: the large version of the Technology channel photo, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week!
Edison mimeograph and electric pen. From the Edison National Historic Site, courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior
Reader comment of the week:
In Supercomputer breaks performancing record running model of the human visual system, the Neurophilosopher (of Neurophilosophy) introduces the new IBM supercomputer Roadrunner, which takes up 6,000 square feet of room at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The computer recently broke a performance record when it performed…
ejohnson | June 19, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Medicine & Health and Brain & Behavior channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week!
This week's Medicine & Health photo was kindly submitted by one of our own bloggers, the Neurophilospher.
Medicine & Health. Surgical saws at the Wellcome Trust's Medicine Man Exhibit. From Flickr, by mcost
Brain & Behavior. From Flickr, by DerrickT
Reader comments of the week:
On the Medicine & Health channel, revere takes on Big Pharma in Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline to its scientists: fuck off. The pharamaceutical…
ejohnson | June 18, 2008In this post: the large versions of the Education & Careers and Politics channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week!
Education & Careers. From Flickr, by foundphotoslj
Politics. Barack Obama supporters fill the Excel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota as he claims victory. From Flickr, by shiladsen
Reader comments of the week:
On the Education & Careers channel, ERV laments the lack of funding for research scientists in What ya wanna do when you grow up? As an aspiring P.I. she fears that many brilliant plans never come to fruition without the money to see…