In 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 *higetiger Humanities & Social Science. Michael Phelps touches the pool's edge just ahead of Milorad Cavic in the mens' 100m butterfly. From Flickr, by M@rcopako Reader comments of the week: In Image Repair? Exxon Mobil Lets Scientists Tell Its Story, Matt Nisbet of Framing Science questions the implications of a new Exxon Mobil ad series. Scientists in the ads discuss research being conducted by Exxon…
In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Physical Science. Cross polarized light on a sliver of bronzitite. From Flickr, by kevinzim Life Science. From Flickr, by G's memories Reader comments of the week: In Beach Volleyball and the Public Understanding of Genetics, Benjamin Cohen of The World's Fair is baffled by the many comments on Razib's post about the genetics of Jamaican sprinters at Gene Expression. Many people, he thinks, misunderstood the science involved, posturing a causal…
In this post: the large version of the Brain & Behavior and Technology channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Technology. Reflections from the nose cone of a propeller plane. From Flickr, by Katie@! Brain & Behavior. From Flickr, by jamesfischer Reader comments of the week: On the Brain & Behavior channel, Steve of Of Two Minds shares a video in which one man recreates The taste of the Star Wars Imperial March - if you had synaesthesia. Using the tastes corresponding to different musical intervals reported by an actual musical synaesthete in…
In this post: the large version of the Medicine & Health channel photo, a comment from a reader, and the best posts of the week. Gram-stained Bacilli and Cocci bacteria at 1000x magnification. From Flickr, by kaibara87 Reader comment of the week: You can't Live forever, says PalMD of denialism blog (who knew?), but some people persist in the mistaken notion that lifestyle choices—a healthy diet, regular exercise—can extend the lives of those living with chronic illnesses without the use of physician-prescribed drugs. Reader Suricou Raven has her own suggestion for living a long life: I…
In this post: the large versions of the Education & Careers and Politics channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Politics. A few of the 2,008 Chinese drummers at the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympics. From Flickr, by beastandbean Education & Careers. From Flickr, by preciouskhyatt Reader comments of the week: On the Education & Careers channel, DrugMonkey talks about the eccentricity of certain academics in Everyone LOVES the Freakazoid Professor...so long as she's productive. While tenured professors might have more leeway to…
In 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. Clouds over the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. From Flickr, by *clairity* Humanities & Social Science. From Flickr, by eschipul Reader comments of the week: In Ah, Carbon Capture; we hardly knew ye, James Hrynyshyn of The Island of Doubt laments the dismal results of a pair of new carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) studies. Both studies seem to quash any hopes that the technology would make coal-fired…
In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Physical Science. Droplets falling into water. From Flickr, by Marcus Vegas Life Science. From Flickr, by shioshvili Reader comments of the week: In More thoughts on animal research: Pets and wild animals benefit, too, Sandra of Discovering Biology in a Digital World offers a new take on the animal research controversy. Vaccines tested on lab animals protect not just humans, but animals themselves—pets, agricultural livestock, and even wild…
In 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. Brain & Behavior. From Flickr, by jamesfischer Technology. From Flickr, by jurvetson Medicine & Health. From Flickr, by Pathfinder Linden Reader comments of the week: In dopes, Steinn Sigurðsson of Dynamics for Cats considers the case for allowing performance enhancing drugs in athletic arenas. While there are certainly risks involved, he believes, particularly for long-term health and with new and untested drugs…
When you want to know how much energy is emitted into space by radiation from a given object—say, a star—and the answer resembles this: it's good to have someone like Matt Springer around to explain it to you. Matt, ScienceBlogs' newest blogger, writes Built on Facts, and his posts are suitably laden with all kinds of interesting physics facts—and theories, quirks of the universe, and scientific ponderings. Matt's a grad student studying—you guessed it—physics at Texas A&M and eventually hopes to earn his Ph.D., a goal in which his "most marked characteristic" will certainly come in…
In this post: the large versions of the Education & Careers and Politics channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Politics. A graffitied campaign poster in San Francisco. From Flickr, by shioshvili Education & Careers. From Flickr, by Jeff Kubina Reader comments of the week: On the Education & Careers channel, DrugMonkey shares his thoughts on a subject that's drawn a lot of recent controversy, in Animals in Research: IACUC Oversight. While the IACUC as a body has the legal responsibility of overseeing animal welfare in research institutions,…
In 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 Hamed Saber Humanities & Social Science. Architectural curves at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. From Flickr, by cobalt123 Reader comments of the week: James Hrynyshyn of The Island of Doubt recently had the chance to ask James Hansen, the famed climate activist, whether dwelling on offshore oil drilling was taking attention away from the more pressing issue of eliminating coal as an energy source. In…
In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Physical Science. Neon lights in an Arizona movie theater. From Flickr, by cobalt123 Life Science. From Flickr, by law_keven Reader comments of the week: In Sputnik Challenges Our Current Definition of Life, GrrlScientist discusses a surprising new discover—a miniscule virus which actually infects other viruses. The new "virophage," as it's been named, is the first such species known. It calls into question the legitimacy of viruses as living…
In this post: the large version of the Brain & Behavior and Technology channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Technology. From Flickr, by mugley Brain & Behavior. From Flickr, by woodleywonderworks Reader comments of the week: In Lunch with Heather Perry, Neurophilosophy interviews a woman who underwent a voluntary trepanation—that is, she had a hole drilled in her head. Heather cites one of her reasons for undergoing the procedure as wanting "more mental energy and clarity." Reader Ian isn't exactly compelled by that: I think people need…
In this post: the large version of the Politics and Medicine & Health channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Politics. From Flickr, by woodleywonderworks Medicine & Health. From Flickr, by Noël Zia Lee Reader comments of the week: In I'll see you at the debates, bitches..., Bora of A Blog Around the Clock posts Paris Hilton's now-famous response to a John McCain campaign video that compares Barack Obama—negatively—to celebrities like Hilton and Britney Spears. "Who is hotter," Bora asks, "Paris Hilton or Barack Obama?" Reader J-Dog admitted that he…
In this post: the large versions of the Environment, Humanities & Social Science and Education & Careers channel photos and comments from readers. Environment. From Flickr, by *clairity* Humanities & Social Science. One of Olafur Eliasson's New York City Waterfalls cascades off the Brooklyn Bridge. From Flickr, by epicharmus Education & Careers. Traffic lights at dusk in Portland, Oregon. From Flickr, by Mannequin- Reader comments of the week: In Forget the planet, save the humans!, Coby of A Few Things Ill Considered shares a video created by a 10 year old boy which urges…
For any readers who are planning to come out this Saturday to meet the bloggers at our NYC meetup, we have decided to change the location of the event. Unfortunately, it looks like it may rain this weekend and the Arthur Ross Terrace at the American Museum of Natural History is both uncovered and not large enough for the number of readers we are expecting. We're deciding on a new location now and will let you know as soon as we can!
In 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 Artiii Physical Science. Ice crystals on a frozen window. From Flickr, by *clairity* Reader comments of the week: On the Life Science channel, Bora of A Blog Around The Clock is excited to hear about Okapi in NC! The North Carolina Zoological Park will soon add the African animal, a cousin of the giraffe, to its grounds. Reader brtkrbzhnv, however, has eyes only for one type of animal: Well, yeah, okapis are pretty…
In 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 oskay Physical Science. Luray Caverns in Virginia. From Flickr, by cloudsoup Reader comments of the week: On the Life Science channel, Chris Rowan of Highly Allochthonous defends volcanoes—after Craig McClain alleged that they were evil on Deep Sea News—on Volcanoes: our noble allies in the battle against export productivity. Chris admits that volcanic events can cause mass extinctions, and harm marine life in other…
In this post: the large versions of the Education & Careers and Medicine & Health channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week. Medicine & Health. From Flickr, by conskeptical Education & Careers. From Flickr, by SantaRosa OLD SKOOL Reader comments of the week: On the Education & Careers channel, Janet Stemwedel has recently had a Minor epiphany about framing. The much-debated approach to science communication, she realized, is really designed to reach mass audiences; the blogosphere and the classroom can rely on more personal interaction to…
In 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. Drilling for oil in the Deep For Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. From Flickr, by FreeWine Humanities & Social Science. Traffic lights at dusk in Portland, Oregon. From Flickr, by frozenchipmunk Reader comments of the week: In Proposed Oil Legislation: Brilliant and Pointless, the Corpus Callosum debunks a White House statement which alleges that a piece of legislation up for House debate will raise gas prices. The bill…