clock | December 22, 2007If you go to the Scienceblogs.com homepage you will see something like this:
Click on it (let your Firefox allow pop-ups on this site) and play. See the timeline of what happened in science and on scienceblogs during 2007. I am not sure how it works, but I think that the content will change over time (it will be up for the duration of the holidays) so you may have to check it out again and again.
clock | December 22, 2007On Pilobolous:
When I first wrote my post on Pilobolus (here and here) I really wanted to do something extra, which I could not do at the time. If you scroll down that post, you will see I reprinted the Figure 1 from the Uebelmesser paper. What I wanted to do was find (and I asked around for something like that) the exact times of dawn and dusk at the site where Uebelmesser did her work and thus be able to figure out the dates when the tests were done and the exact phase-relationship between the dawn and the time when Pilobolus shoots its spores.
Now, I see that such a chart exists (via) and…
clock | December 22, 2007Tim, the Tech guru of Scienceblogs.com, has done something nice for you again, just in time for the holidays. He has made a widget that you can place on your blog, Facebook profile, LiveJournal or wherever you want, that shows the last five Sb posts in real time, just like this:
If you like the idea and want to install this widget which will bring even more traffic to frequent posters like me, go and pick up the code here.
clock | December 22, 2007...any more reasons to vote these guys out of office for many years to come? (via).
clock | December 22, 2007RPM and John posted this music video with hilarious pseudo-subtitles. I don't know how I missed it before as this is supposed to be one of the most popular clips on YouTube ever, but now this song is firmly embedded in my brain and I spent my day singing about yellow goats, DNA, papayas and being high today, all the while dancing very energetically:
clock | December 22, 2007...this much?
This is the source of the very funny bacon flowchart, discovered by Dr.Bacon.
clock | December 22, 2007
Is there any kid who does not love giraffes? They are just so amazing: tall, leggy, fast and graceful, with prehensile tongues and a need to go through complex calistehnics in order to drink. The favourites at zoos, in natural history museums and on TV nature shows.
Giraffes were also important players in the history of evolutionary thought and I bet you have all seen, and heard the criticisms of, the iconic comparison between Lamarck's and Darwin's notions of evolution using a comic strip featuring giraffes and how they got their long necks.
Giraffes sleep very little and mostly standing…
clock | December 22, 2007There are 28 days until the Science Blogging Conference. We have 200 registered participants and a few people on the waiting list. The Sigma Xi space accommodates 200 and we have ordered food for 200 and swag bags for 200. Apart from the public list, we also have a list with a couple of anonymous bloggers as well as about a dozen of students who will be coming with their teachers. So, the registration is now officially closed and all future registrants will be placed on a waiting list.
The anthology should be published in time for the event. Between now and the conference, I am…
clock | December 21, 2007It was both odd and unjust...a real example of the pitiful arbitrariness of existence, that you were born into a particular time and held prisoner there whether you wanted it or not. It gave you an indecent advantage over the past and made you a clown vis-a-vis the future.
- Daniel Kehlmann, in 'Measuring the World' (hat-tip: Benjamin Cohen)
clock | December 21, 2007And the next generation cannot think in any other way. Because it is a natural way to think. We need to re-think our own outdated notions of intellectual property:
The Generational Divide in Copyright Morality
Recently, however, I spoke at a college. It was the first time I'd ever addressed an audience of 100 percent young people. And the demonstration bombed.
In an auditorium of 500, no matter how far my questions went down that garden path, maybe two hands went up. I just could not find a spot on the spectrum that would trigger these kids' morality alarm. They listened to each example,…
clock | December 21, 2007Whales Descended From Tiny Deer-like Ancestors:
Hans Thewissen, Ph.D., Professor of the Department of Anatomy, Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM), has announced the discovery of the missing link between whales and their four-footed ancestors.
Medical Myths Even Doctors Believ:
Indiana University School of Medicine researchers explored seven commonly held medical beliefs. selected seven medical beliefs, espoused by both physicians and members of the general public, for critical review. They then searched for evidence to support or refute each of these…
clock | December 21, 2007The deadline for submission of blog posts for the 2nd Science Blogging Anthology is over. We have received 468 entries (after deleting spam and duplicates - the total was 501) and a jury of 30+ judges has already started reading and grading the entries. We truly believe that we will have the book ready and printed by the time the 2nd Science Blogging Conference starts, on January 18th-19th, so both the participants and you at home will be able to order your copy at that time.
Here are all the entries for you to enjoy and comment on - let me know if something is missing or I got a link wrong…
clock | December 21, 2007There are 29 days until the Science Blogging Conference. We have 200 registered participants and a few people on the waiting list. The Sigma Xi space accommodates 200 and we have ordered food for 200 and swag bags for 200. Apart from the public list, we also have a list with a couple of anonymous bloggers as well as about a dozen of students who will be coming with their teachers. So, the registration is now officially closed and all future registrants will be placed on a waiting list.
The anthology should be published in time for the event. Between now and the conference, I am…
clock | December 20, 2007Sometimes I need what only you can provide - your absence.
- Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant
clock | December 20, 2007It is midnight, and the deadline for submission of blog posts for the 2nd Science Blogging Anthology is over. We have recieved 468 entries (after deleting spam - the total was 501) and a jury of 30+ judges has already started reading and grading the entries. We truly believe that we will have the book ready and printed by the time the 2nd Science Blogging Conference starts, on January 18th-19th, so both the participants and you at home will be able to order your copy at that time.
A little later, I will post the links to all of the 468 entries so everyone can see them (and I will not hide…
clock | December 20, 2007Thursday night is a good time to see what is new on PLoS Pathogens, Computational Biology, Genetics and Neglected Tropical Diseases. Here are my picks for the week:
Hemolytic C-Type Lectin CEL-III from Sea Cucumber Expressed in Transgenic Mosquitoes Impairs Malaria Parasite Development:
Malaria is arguably the most important vector-borne disease worldwide, affecting 300 million people and killing 1-2 million people every year. The lack of an effective vaccine and the emergence of the parasites' resistance to many existing anti-malarial drugs have aggravated the situation. Clearly,…
clock | December 20, 2007Does Time Slow In Crisis? No, Say Researchers:
In The Matrix, hero Neo wins his battles when time slows in the simulated world. In the real world, accident victims often report a similar slowing as they slide unavoidably into disaster. But can humans really experience events in slow motion?
Monkeys Can Perform Mental Addition:
Researchers at Duke University have demonstrated that monkeys have the ability to perform mental addition. In fact, monkeys performed about as well as college students given the same test.
Why Diving Marine Mammals Resist Brain Damage From Low Oxygen:
No human can…
clock | December 20, 2007Skeptics' Circle #76 is up on Aardvarchaeology
Carnival of Space #34 is up on Spaceflight.