clock | December 17, 2007Basic Math in Monkeys and College Students:
Adult humans possess mathematical abilities that are unmatched by any other member of the animal kingdom. Yet, there is increasing evidence that the ability to enumerate sets of objects nonverbally is a capacity that humans share with other animal species. That is, like humans, nonhuman animals possess the ability to estimate and compare numerical values nonverbally. We asked whether humans and nonhuman animals also share a capacity for nonverbal arithmetic. We tested monkeys and college students on a nonverbal arithmetic task in which they had to…
clock | December 17, 2007New Hope For Sleep Disorders: Genetic Switch For Circadian Rhythms Discovered:
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified the chemical switch that triggers the genetic mechanism regulating our internal body clock. The finding, which uncovers the most specific information about the body's circadian rhythms to date, identifies a precise target for new pharmaceuticals that can treat sleep disorders and a host of related ailments. Paolo Sassone-Corsi, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pharmacology, found that a single amino acid activates the genes that regulate circadian…
clock | December 17, 2007Encephalon #38 is up on Not Exactly Rocket Science
Carnival of the Green - 108th Edition - is up on Great Green Gadgets
clock | December 17, 2007I've never before seen a picture that better fits the description used in the title of this post:
You may have to read the story here to see how well the title fits.
Hat-tip: Mark
clock | December 17, 2007George Folkerts was one of those naturalists of the 'old school', interested in everything and excited about learning and sharing the knowledge throughout his life. He died on Friday, suddenly and unexpectedly, at the end of a typically busy day at Auburn University.
Anne-Marie was his student, one of thousands who had the privilege to learn from and with Folkerts, and one of those who now has to carry on his work. She wrote about him in two very touching posts: Huge loss on many levels and Classifying grief.
clock | December 17, 2007To keep the conversation about the Science Debate 2008 going, I decided to post, one per day, my ideas for potential questions to be asked at such a debate. The questions are far too long, though, consisting more of my musings than real questions that can be asked on TV (or radio or online, wherever this may end up happening). I want you to:
- correct my factual errors
- call me on my BS
- tell me why the particular question is counterproductive or just a bad idea to ask
- if you think the question is good, help me reduce the question from ~500 to ~20 words or so.
Here is the fourth one, so…
clock | December 17, 2007There are 33 days until the Science Blogging Conference. We have 199 registered participants. 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 highlighting some of the people who will be…
clock | December 16, 2007First, we have 199 people registered for the Science Blogging Conference. The Sigma Xi space accommodates 200 and we have ordered food for 200 (coffee for more, to make up for the coffee flop last year) 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. Thus, we will be closing the registration most likely tonight or tomorrow, so hurry up and grab that last 200th spot! After that, we will probably have a waiting list, but that is no guarantee (and makes it…
clock | December 16, 2007That is one of the phrases that has been getting on my nerves for years now. So, I chuckled when I saw Keith Robison explain why that is not such a good corporate slogan.
I'll add another one to his funny list:
- Most of our organization sits there inert and dead while all of the work is performed by janitors, cooks, chauffeurs and outside contractors.
clock | December 16, 2007No, that is not a really nasty guy who hypnotizes people. It is a technical term used to describe the feeling of falling one sometimes experiences at the moment one drifts into sleep. It often makes the person wake up again. I have not experienced it as kid, and even now it happens to me only rarely, when I am extremely exhausted at the time I finally get to go to bed.
But if you want to know more about this phenomenon and little that is known about its causes, head on to Pure Pedantry where Jake Young explains it.
clock | December 16, 2007New Research Alters Concept Of How Circadian Clock Functions:
Scientists from the University of Cambridge have identified a molecule that may govern how the circadian clock in plants responds to environmental changes. The researchers have discovered that a signalling molecule, known to be important for environmental stress signalling in plants, also regulates their circadian clock. They believe that the molecule may therefore incorporate information about environmental changes into the biological clock that regulates the physiology of plants. The research dramatically changes our current…
clock | December 16, 2007The Accretionary Wedge #4: Deskcrops is up on goodSchist
Carnival of the Liberals #53: Best Of 2007 is up on Neural Gourmet
clock | December 16, 2007To keep the conversation about the Science Debate 2008 going, I decided to post, one per day, my ideas for potential questions to be asked at such a debate. The questions are far too long, though, consisting more of my musings than real questions that can be asked on TV (or radio or online, wherever this may end up happening). I want you to:
- correct my factual errors
- call me on my BS
- tell me why the particular question is counterproductive or just a bad idea to ask
- if you think the question is good, help me reduce the question from ~500 to ~20 words or so.
Here is the third one, so…
clock | December 16, 2007There are 34 days until the Science Blogging Conference. The wiki is looking good, the Program is shaping up nicely, and there is more and more blog and media coverage already. The anthology should be published in time for the event. There are already 197 registered participants and if you do not register soon, it may be too late once you decide to do so (the maxium capacity of the venue is about 200 and we are about to close the registration). Between now and the conference, I am highlighting some of the people who will be there, for you to meet in person if you register in time.
Phoebe…
clock | December 15, 2007Life itself is a bubble and a skepticism, and a sleep within sleep.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
clock | December 15, 2007
Michael Barton has graduated! He got his degree in History of Science and will try to pursue a graduate degree in the same field. Hey, check out NC State as an option...
clock | December 15, 2007Matt and Mrs.Whatsit tagged me with the 7-meme and 8-meme and I have been struggling with the ideas as to how to respond. I am usually a sucker for memes. I always do them. But there is nothing - weird or not - about myself that I have not already mentioned on this blog at one point or another (except things that I will never say, as I do not want to endanger my job, my marriage, or my good relationships with the family, in-laws, neighbors, friends and colleagues). So, instead, I will challenge you: have you done more memes than I did in your blogging career? List them all. Here are…