Berry Go Round #23: The Janus Edition is up on Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog
Grand Rounds Volume 6, Number 15 (the 327th edition) is up on Blogborygmi
Picks from PLoS Biology, PLoS Medicine, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases and PLoS ONE:
Preserving a Space for Science in an Age of Democracy:
How should scientific advice be incorporated into the political decisionmaking process? Even experts can't keep up with the torrent of studies published in their own field, and, supposedly, scientific issues--from climate change to biodiversity loss--have obvious political components. How is advice treated in an age when experts are increasingly viewed with suspicion and distrust?
The Paradox of Scientific Authority: The Role of Scientific Advice in…
I won it, at least five million times. Men who were stronger, bigger and faster than I was could have done it, but they never picked up a pole, and never made the feeble effort to pick their legs off the ground and get over the bar.
- Bob Richards
If you have been following sciency blogosphere, or my blog, or tweets about #scio10, or checked out the Program of the conference, you may have noticed that I have predicted that the "overarching theme" of the meeting will shift from last-year's focus on Power to this year's, hopefully, emphasis on Trust. Several sessions will, directly or indirectly, address the question of trust - who trusts whom, how and why.
With no non-verbal clues available online (apart from an occasional smiley-face), one has to convey not just meaning, but also intent and mood, using only language. And intent and…
Remember that 'vampire' is one the few words that Serbian language gave to the world. Garlic is THE remedy against everything there.....
Relationships are hard. It's like a full-time job, and we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks notice. There should be severance pay, and before they leave you, they should find you a temp.
- Bob Ettinger
The year that just ended, 2009, was a year that saw huge changes in the world of media and the world of journalism. Science journalism has also been greatly affected, with many media outlets firing their science journalists first, then firing all the others afterwards. Much virtual ink has been spilled on the topics of "death of newspapers" and "bloggers vs. journalists is over" and "future of journalism", etc.
If you checked out everyone who's registered for the ScienceOnline2010 conference, or followed my posts introducing everyone, you have probably noticed that this, fourth meeting is…
Carnival of Evolution #19 is up on Observations of a Nerd
Four Stone Hearth #83 - The Avatar Edition - is up on Primate Diaries
Festival of the Trees #43 is up on Xenogere
The 127th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle is up at Life, The Universe, and One Brow
Circus of the Spineless #46 is up on Adventures of a Free Range Urban Primate
Friday Ark #276 is up on Modulator
To be able to concentrate for a considerable time is essential to difficult achievement.
- Bertrand Russell
That is, among 20 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Mendeley, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one click. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Distinct Functions of Period2 and Period3 in the Mouse Circadian System Revealed by In Vitro Analysis:
The mammalian circadian system, which is composed of a master pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic…
If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.
- Chinese proverb
In December I posted only 118 times, which is a historical low for this blog. Ah, well. At least you got to see a lot of cool videos!
The best (and certainly the longest and most provocative) post of the month was What does it mean that a nation is 'Unscientific'?
Web - how it will change the Book: process, format, sales was a shorter and thought-provoking post. And so was Trust and Language. And for something longer, and even more provocative, see All Science vs. Religion Conflicts are Essentially and Primarily Political Conflicts.
I wrote a long analysis of what exactly the partnership…
Live for something. Do good, and leave behind you a monument of virtue that the storms of time can never destroy. Write your name in kindness, love, and mercy on the hearts of thousands you come in contact with year by year, and you will never be forgotten. Your name and your good deeds will shine as the stars of heaven.
- Thomas Chalmers
Not much to say myself, I just find the diversity of opinions in posts and comments fascinating:
Dr.Isis: Careful, Girls! That's Too Much Power!
Arikia: Gendered Color Dichotomies-R-Us
PZ: The powerlessness of pink
Cori Kesler: My Droid is Pink
Mareserinitatis: Pink
Chad: Does Pinkification Fool Anybody?
In a recent post, my SciBling Jason Rosenhouse with whom I usually agree on these matters, voices a strong disagreement with this quote (from Thomas Dixon's book Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction, published by Oxford University Press in 2008):
Historians have shown that the Galileo affair, remembered by some as a clash between science and religion, was primarily about the enduring political question of who was authorized to produce and disseminate knowledge.
Jason counters that Galileo affair, as well as the more modern Creationist wars, are primarily and perhaps entirely…