clock | July 16, 2007Tim Sullivan demonstrates the proper gear for blogging against Creationism - a banana and a helmet:
clock | July 16, 2007There is a long and interesting comment thread on this article on The Scientist blog. What do you think?
(Hat-tip: Tanja)
clock | July 16, 2007Everyone seems to be blogging about sex (and reproduction) these days. Is it something in the air? Water? Anyway, here are some good recent examples:
Bush Administration Censored Talk On Birth Control And Sex Ed:
This administration got away with a trailblazer--using the FDA to decide a drug's (Plan B) availability based strictly on party ideology. It set the precedent for a future administration to behave equally as irresponsible.
When a future administration institutes a one-child policy, or executes officials who don't tow the party line, or makes stoning part of the treatment protocol…
clock | July 16, 2007Russ Williams (Director of NC Zoo Society) reports on his blog that the North Carolina Zoo is experiencing record attendance.
He also notes that San Francisco Zoo is enjoying record numbers as well.
Why do you think zoos are so popular lately?
Finally, he mentions that in the Oakland Zoo, one can bring in the appropriate food and go into the exhibit to feed the elephants.
Sounds like fun! I did not even know there was a zoo in Oakland. I'll have to add it to my growing list of things to see while I am in the area.
clock | July 16, 2007This crept up on me - I was unaware it was so close yet. I just saw it and had to capture this historical moment:
The 500,000th visitor came from Reading, UK.
After all this time, I still wonder why so many people come here so often: is watching compulsive blogging akin to watching a wreck? You just can't stop yourself?
clock | July 16, 2007This post from February 03, 2005 covers the basic concepts and terms on entrainment. This is also the only blog post to date that I am aware of that was cited in a scientific paper.
Let's now continue our series of Clock Tutorials with an introduction to some phenomena (and related terms and concepts) observed in the laboratory in the course of doing standard circadian experiments. Such experiments usually involve either the study of properties of freerunning rhythms (check the old tutorials, especially CT2 and CT 4 for clarification of basic terms and concepts), or the analysis of…
clock | July 15, 2007Work 'em hard, play 'em hard, feed 'em up to the nines and send 'em to bed so tired that they are asleep before their heads are on the pillow.
- Frank L. Boyden
clock | July 15, 2007The Wall Street Journal has an article about blogs, written by 10 or so people. Some of it is good, some of it is bland and out-of-date, and you can just skip Tom Wolfe's piece (via Ed Cone).
Also, check out 55 Essential Articles Every Serious Blogger Should Read (which makes it the 56th such article?).
As always, take caution. A blog is no more and no less than a piece of technology - it is up to you to figure out how you are going to use it. So, go ahead and read those 55, but keep in mind that at least half of the 'advice' is not relevant or appropriate to you and your own blogging…
clock | July 15, 2007I missed this by weeks, but Dave asked a set of questions that I was pondering on, but found no time and energy to answer until now.
PZ, Janet, Martin, Chad and RPM responded (I am assuming some people outside SB did as well) and their responses (and their commenters') are very interesting.
1. What's your current scientific specialty?
Chronobiology, although I have not seen the inside of the lab for three years now. So, scientific publishing, education and communication - does that count?
2. Were you originally pursuing a different academic course? If so, what was it?
Yes, I went to vet…
clock | July 15, 2007Michael Pollan will be on On Point on NPR, talking about the farm bill tomorrow (Monday) morning at 10am EST. This is in advance of some important votes in the House next week.
clock | July 15, 2007A very cool study that I could not help but comment on (January 18, 2006)...
A brand new paper is making a splash in the field these days - so much that you can find the press release in three places: here, here and here, this last one being the coolest as it contains a movie and three podcasts!
One of the biggest problems in circadian biology is to account for such a long time - 24 hours - it takes for the whole transcription-translation feedback loop to run its course through a single cycle. Biochemical reactions tend to happen at much shorter time scales. Some mathematical models tried to…
clock | July 14, 2007Both Eva and Anne-Marie have started a series of posts about the Science of Harry Potter, focusing on the genetics (i.e., patterns of inheritance) of wizardry vs. muggleness. Anne-Marie has already moved on to the second part of her series, on dragons. It will be interesting to watch what these two come up with over the next few posts in their series.
I have to say that I have been too busy and have yet to see the new movie (The Order of the Phoenix), but will try to see it soon. Also, my two copies of the book #7 will arrive in Chapel Hill on the 21st and I am wondering if I should buy a…
clock | July 14, 2007...in an earthquake zone, is bad policy, I think, but Janet did it nonetheless:
clock | July 14, 2007
One can tell a lot about an animal from what comes out the other end...of a giraffe, in this case.