clock | December 12, 2007Carnival of Space #32 is up on Robot guy
Grand Rounds 4.12 are up on Odysseys of George
The 149th edition of The Carnival of Education is up on The Colossus of Rhodey
102nd Carnival of Homeschooling is up on Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths
clock | December 12, 2007There are 38 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 182 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). 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.
Jeff Stern is the Director of Membership…
clock | December 11, 2007I hate it when my foot falls asleep during the day cause that means it's going to be up all night.
- Steven Wright
clock | December 11, 2007Now that Seed scienceblogs are taking over the world, one language at a time, the overlords are asking: which language to conquer next? That's a poll which you should go and take. But my thoughts first:
Some languages have few or no science blogs. Others have many but are a a closed community, only reading/linking/blogrolling each other. Others may have many, but they barely know each other and are not a community (yet). Others, though they share the language, stick to each other along national lines without much cross-over. Others crave international audience and write some or all of their…
clock | December 11, 2007There are 30 new articles published in PLoS ONE today. My personal picks:
Genetic Impact of a Severe El Nino Event on Galápagos Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus):
El Nino is an ocean-atmosphere phenomenon occurring in the Pacific Basin which is responsible for extreme climate variation in the Southern hemisphere. In this study, the authors investigated whether a severe El Nino event affected the genetic make-up of Galapagos marine iguanas. No strong influence of El Nino on genetic diversity in the iguana populations was uncovered; however, the data suggest that future studies of this…
clock | December 11, 2007Researchers Can Read Thoughts To Decipher What A Person Is Actually Seeing:
Following ground-breaking research showing that neurons in the human brain respond in an abstract manner to particular individuals or objects, University of Leicester researchers have now discovered that, from the firing of this type of neuron, they can tell what a person is actually seeing.
Are Humans Evolving Faster? Findings Suggest We Are Becoming More Different, Not Alike:
Researchers have discovered genetic evidence that human evolution is speeding up -- and has not halted or proceeded at a constant rate, as had…
clock | December 11, 2007There are 39 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 180 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). 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.
Shirl Smith is the Career Development Coordinator…
clock | December 10, 2007Sheril Kirshenbaum and Chris Mooney have been promising something for a week, teasing us with tantalizing hints about something big. We were told to read Chris' article Dr.President, and then this morning another article, Science and the Candidates by Lawrence Krauss.
Finally, today a little before 2pm EST, we got the idea what it was going to be and at 2, they posted their Call for a Presidential Science Debate on their blog, as well as invited everyone to the brand new Facebook group of the same title.
They have started an initiative to organize a debate for the U.S Presidential candidates…
clock | December 10, 2007If you can read German language and you are interested in science, you will be happy to know that our sister-site, Scienceblogs.de is now live! It looks and feels similar to us, and they have lured in several of the best German-language bloggers. The collaboration between the two sites will continue (hey, wanna translate some of their best posts?) and Page 3.14 has all the details. Which language is next? We are taking over the world, once language at a time!
clock | December 10, 2007On Monday nights, it is time to see what is new in PLoS Medicine and PLoS Biology:
Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk:
Meat consumption in relation to cancer risk has been reported in over a hundred epidemiological studies from many countries with diverse diets. The association between meat intake and cancer risk has been evaluated by looking both at broad groupings of total meat intake, and also at finer categorizations, particularly intakes of red meat, which includes beef, lamb, pork, and veal, and also more specifically processed meats, which includes meats preserved by salting, smoking, or…
clock | December 10, 2007Generosity May Be Genetically Programmed:
Are those inclined towards generosity genetically programmed to behave that way? A team of researchers, including Dr. Ariel Knafo of the Psychology Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, believes that this could very well be the case.
Like Humans, Monkey See, Monkey Plan, Monkey Do:
How many times a day do you grab objects such as a pencil or a cup? We perform these tasks without thinking, however the motor planning necessary to grasp an object is quite complex. The way human adults grasp objects is typically influenced more by their…
clock | December 10, 2007Mendel's Garden #21 is up on The Inoculated Mind
Carnival of the Green #107 is up on LiveGreen
clock | December 10, 2007There are 40 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 178 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). 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.
Kendall Morgan is the senior public relations…
clock | December 9, 2007The trouble with born-again Christians is that they are an even bigger pain the second time around.
- Herb Caen
clock | December 9, 2007This weekend, with 70 degrees F in Chapel Hill, it would have bin a sin to remain indoors. So I didn't. But in the end, at twilight today, my daughter and I went to see Golden Compass, the movie whose first-weekend box-office earnings I wanted to boost.
I made sure not to read any reviews of the movie beforehand. I am, unlike most people who already wrote about it, one of those people who has never read the Pullman books on which the movie is based. Thus, like the majority of the target audience, I was a Pullman "virgin" and I wanted to watch it just like anyone else going out to see a…
clock | December 9, 2007Young Chimps Top Adult Humans In Numerical Memory:
Young chimpanzees have an "extraordinary" ability to remember numerals that is superior to that of human adults, researchers report.
Artificial Jellyfish, Explosives Sensor Among Projects Being Developed At Undersea Technology Center:
Artificial jellyfish, explosives sensors and seabed batteries are among the diverse research projects under way just nine months after the creation of a Center of Excellence in Undersea Technology in collaboration with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Rhode Island.
Heads Or Tails? Scientists Identify Gene…
clock | December 9, 2007Friday Ark #168 is up on Modulator
The latest edition of the Carnival of the Godless is up on The Jesus Myth
Cancer Research Blog Carnival #4 is up on /weblog
clock | December 9, 2007There are 41 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 174 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). 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.
Berrie Hayes is the Bioinformatics Librarian at…
clock | December 8, 2007Our theological Church, as we know, has scorned and vilified the body til it has seemed almost a reproach and a shame to have one, yet at the same time has credited it with the power to drag the soul down to perdition.
- Eliza Farnham