clock | November 3, 2008Let's see if social web services can be used for the science and research causes? Please read: MacBook for me - the power of Web!
I'd like to see her use that MacBook when she comes to ScienceOnline09 in January....
clock | November 3, 2008Jennifer Rohn's first lab lit novel, 'Experimental Heart' is now available for sale! It is described as "A literary thriller/romance set in the London research scene, 'Experimental Heart' is a thought-provoking, page-turning lab adventure that exposes the hidden world of modern scientists":
During his many long nights in the lab, scientist Andy O'Hara has plenty of time to wonder about the mysterious and beautiful Gina, first glimpsed in a lit window across the courtyard. He doesn't realize she is consumed by her vaccine research, concerned about her biotech company's financial problems, and…
clock | November 3, 2008...to this day, every time I walk through the front door, I say, I ALWAYS say: "Honey, I'm home!"
clock | November 3, 2008Ageism More Prevalent Than Racism Among Presidential Voters, Study Finds:
An ongoing study by UCLA and Stanford University researchers of 20,000 registered voters has found that far more of them would vote against Sen. John McCain because of his age than would vote against Sen. Barack Obama because of his race.
Does Your Personality Influence Who You Vote For?:
Does your personality influence who you vote for? The short answer is yes, according to John Mayer, professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire. As Americans go to the polls in record numbers to vote for the next U.S.…
clock | November 2, 2008Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope ... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
- Robert F. Kennedy
clock | November 2, 2008The monthly recap of posts I liked, but you may have missed. Lotsa politics, understandably, but not all - I did manage to post some other cool stuff as well. Where are the SuperReaders when one needs them?!
From Telecommuting to Coworking
Bloggers at the Zoo - movies #10
Offal is Good
Wikipedia, just like an Organism: clock genes wiki pages
Politics of Animal Protection
What insect is this?
Carrboro Citizen - a model for the newspaper of the future
The Nobel Prize conundrum
Open Access Day - the blog posts
And the Winner is.....!
Quick ConvergeSouth08 recap
Obama-McCain race - a Serbian…
clock | November 2, 2008The list is now final. Here are the top 13:
#13 Deep-sea corals
#12: Yeti Crab
#11 Venus's Flower Basket
#10: Echinothuriid Sea Urchins
#9: Bathynomus, the GIANT ISOPOD!!!!
#8 Red Lure Jellyfish
#7 Predatory Tunicates
#6: Giant Sea Spiders
#5 Barreleye Fish
#4 Gold-Footed or Scaly Foot Snail
#3 Flesh Eating Sponges
#2: Bone-Devouring Zombie Worms from Hell
#1 Vampire Squid
clock | November 2, 2008An Evolutionary Look at Sperm Holds Secrets of Mobility, Fertility:
The fusion of sperm and egg succeeds in mammals because the sperm cells hyperactivate as they swim into the increasingly alkaline female reproductive tract. One fast-moving sperm drives on through the egg's fertilization barrier.
Mammals have sperm with a tail that reacts when calcium ions enter a microscopic channel in the tail and make the sperm go into overdrive. In fact, four genes are needed to produce the so-called CatSper ion channel in the sperm tail that hypermotivates the sperm. The CatSper genes may someday be…
clock | November 2, 2008If you live in (most places in) the United States as well as many other countries, you have reset your clocks back by one hour last night (or last week). How will that affect you and other people?
One possibility is that you are less likely to suffer a heart attack tomorrow morning than on any other Monday of the year. Why? Let me try to explain in as simple way as possible (hoping that oversimplification will not lead to intolerable degrees of inaccuracy).
Almost all biochemical, physiological and behavioral parameters in almost all (at least multicellular) organisms display diurnal (daily…
clock | November 2, 2008 Vote early and vote often.
- Al Capone, 1899 - 1947
Suffrage, n. Expression of opinion by means of a ballot. The right of suffrage (which is held to be both a privilege and a duty) means, as commonly interpreted, the right to vote for the man of another man's choice, and is highly prized.
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1881 - 1906
Ask a man which way he is going to vote, and he will probably tell you. Ask him, however, why, and vagueness is all.
- Bernard Levin
Truth is not determined by majority vote.
- Doug Gwyn
Always vote for principle, though you may…
clock | November 1, 2008$100 invested at 7% interest for 100 years will become $100,000, at which time it will be worth absolutely nothing.
- Robert Anson Heinlein
clock | November 1, 2008Carnival of Evolution #5 is up on The Other 95%
Berry Go Round #10 is up on 10000birds
Festival of the Trees #29 is up on Via Negativa
clock | November 1, 2008
Here is the fifth interview in the series on Miss Baker's Biology class blog - Stephen's interview with Brian Switek.
Previously in this series:
ScienceOnline09 - an interview with...me!
ScienceOnline09 - an interview with Eric Roston
ScienceOnline09 - an interview with Clinton Colmenares
ScienceOnline09 - an interview with Erica Tsai
clock | November 1, 2008Extinct Sabertooth Cats Were Social, Found Strength In Numbers, Study Shows:
The sabertooth cat (Smilodon fatalis), one of the most iconic extinct mammal species, was likely to be a social animal, living and hunting like lions today, according to new scientific research. The species is famous for its extremely long canine teeth, which reached up to seven inches in length and extended below the lower jaw.
Sea Urchin Yields Key Secret Of Biomineralization:
The teeth and bones of mammals, the protective shells of mollusks, and the needle-sharp spines of sea urchins and other marine creatures are…
clock | November 1, 2008Choose one:
NaNoWriMo
InaDWriMo
NaBloPoMo
Then sit down and write something every day - a novel, an academic piece, or a blog post.
clock | November 1, 2008Annals of McCain - Palin, XLI: how I palled around with terrorists:
No one who knows me would ever consider me a domestic terrorist. I am, in fact, a pacifist. You may think that's naive, but it would be a real stretch to consider my pacifism to be the same as terrorism, even if you think it helps terrorism (in which case I strenuously disagree). I'm a doctor and take the responsibility to heal pretty seriously. Barack Obama is being accused of "palling around with terrorists" because he has had an association with people the McCain campaign decided they want to call domestic terrorists…
clock | November 1, 2008At first I thought this was fake, but apparently the call was real. If true - what a moment!
clock | October 31, 2008You don't tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive.
- Margaret Thatcher