sheril | November 25, 2008So I've spent the past many days moving across town. Not a terribly far jump, just enough to change my zip code by one digit. The transition has caused me to sift through a seemingly endless pile of loot collected at conferences and events... many of which, bestowed unto me in the name of conservation.
I'm not just talking calenders and totes either. There have been major expenditures under the umbrella of some organization or other wooing participants with free trinkets. Posters, stuffed animals, key chains, stickers, magnets, reading lights, magazines, buttons, tshirts, beer (American…
sheril | November 24, 2008Hawaii has seen another invasion of the dangerous box jellyfish and we've got the details at Talking Science. Most importantly, remember everything's connected: oceans, land, and atmosphere. We're a single component of the vast array of biodiversity on the planet and what alters one species impacts the rest of system.
In other words, there's a lot more to this story than a few more jellyfish...
Box jellies are unique because they can move at up to four knots through the water, whereas most other jellyfish species simply drift. Their 24 eyes (six on each side of the bell) are made up of a…
sheril | November 23, 2008John Lynch over at Stranger Fruit recommended this quiz by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute featuring 33 questions designed to measure knowledge of America's founding principles, political history, international relations, and market economy. According to ISI, 71% of Americans fail and the average score is 49%.
I got 85% (28 out of 33). See how you do...
cmooney | November 21, 2008Over at DeSmogBlog, I take a look at the events of this week and how they point to strong and dramatic action on global warming and energy early next year. In particular, it now appears that Barack Obama, Barbara Boxer, and Henry Waxman will be our triumvirate of policymakers who finally cap greenhouse gas emissions.
You can read the rest here.
cmooney | November 19, 2008My latest Science Progress column attempts to imagine what Barack Obama would do if he had been elected "president of science." My answer: He would try to close the gaps between scientists and the public, and try to defuse the divisive culture war over science and religion.
You can read the full column here.
sheril | November 18, 2008The past week has seen a mild ripple across the science blogosphere over women in science. I've refrained from participating this round while Chris and I are hard at work completing our manuscript. But today while I'm presently somewhere miles up between coasts, I've scheduled this entry to point readers over to a great response to all the hullabaloo by Blue Lab Coats:
You see- the struggle I'm in daily in my own life and career is not about appearances, and it is not about symbolism or femininity- and it is not about who I am as a person, my likes and dislikes etc. It is a struggle to be…
sheril | November 18, 2008This morning I'm off to meet Chris in LA for the launch of the National Academy of Sciences Science and Entertainment Exchange. The Exchange will connect producers, directors, writers and others in need of scientific information for their productions with science, medical and engineering experts.
Spanning the range of science topics, The Exchange can find experts that will work with you to identify and effectively portray the science details that complement a storyline. We can help flesh out ideas that depend upon accurate details relating to insects, extraterrestrial life, unusual Earth-…
sheril | November 17, 2008Our latest post at Talking Science was motivated by Bush's announcement last Wednesday of plans to sell the rights to oil and gas off Virginia's coast.
Our perspective should not surprise regular readers, and the principal message is that we need to stay vigilant about protecting our environment as the outgoing administration seeks to enact an onslaught of last minute rule changes.
You can read the full post here.
sheril | November 17, 2008While at The Salk last month for Beyond Belief 3, I also taped this episode of The Science Review for The Science Network with Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Nita Farahany, Lawrence Krauss, and Roger Bingham. It's a discussion on neurolaw, neuropolitics, and science in government. (Lawrence and I get involved in the conversation about 30 minutes in):
sheril | November 14, 2008by Philip H.
Now that the Election is over, there is the serious business of communicating and framing science to get back to. We learned a few things this year - science issues aren't yet ready for primetime debates, but if you ask cogent questions, and keep the number relatively small, you can get answers. Likewise, we learned that many Americans, and their politicians, still don't get the links between the science we practice, and the policies that candidates were debating. So, what's a scientist to do in these circumstances?
Well, I thought a little research was in order to help me…
sheril | November 13, 2008The first visible-light snapshot of a planet circling another star thanks to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope:
Planet Fomalhaut b orbits the star Fomalhaut, 25 light-years away in the constellation Piscis Australis.
I cannot help but be reminded of Tolkien:
'The Eye was rimmed with fire, but was itself glazed, yellow as a cat's, watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on a pit, a window into nothing.'
sheril | November 13, 2008I've joined Chris at DeSmogBlog where I will soon be posting under my own name. The first contribution deals with President Obama and climate policy. Here is an excerpt:
Let's be realistic: Past climate bills have failed mainly due to predictable attacks claiming they would damage the economy. This has been in the Republican playbook forever, and codified in the infamous Luntz memo.
Such attacks will be louder now than ever; and yet at the same time, the Congress is also more favorable than ever to change, and the momentum is immense. President Obama can finally succeed on climate policy,…
sheril | November 12, 2008Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday that she would be honored to help President-elect Barack Obama in his new administration, even if he did hang around with an "unrepentant domestic terrorist."
And the source is...
sheril | November 12, 2008Karl from Innoculated Mind is part of what looks to be an excellent new site called Biofortified. It's a group blog on plant gentics--especially genetic engineering--written by grad students, professors, and the occasional guest expert.
Check out today's post on the debate over genetically engineered foods where you can weigh in on 'what scares you'...
sheril | November 12, 2008Ecology professor Nalini Nadkarni at Evergreen State College recently estimated that we presently have '61 trees per person.' Our latest post at Talking Science explores what that calculation means.
cmooney | November 11, 2008My latest Science Progress column is on a topic that we've already discussed a bit here over the past week--the meaning of Michael Crichton's work. You can read it here. It starts like this:
Anyone who ever met the late Michael Crichton--who died of cancer in Los Angeles last week at the age of 66--was first stunned by his height. Crichton stood a staggering 6â²9â³, and yet by all accounts was a humble giant in person. Certainly that was my impression when the polymathic sci-fi thriller writer, film producer and director, screenwriter, computer programmer, and medical doctor went out of his…
sheril | November 11, 2008
Cottontop tamarins can only be found in the tropical forests of Colombia. Critically endangered, less than 1,000 live in the wild and 1,800 in captivity.
[source: BBC]
sheril | November 10, 2008Brittle stars off the coast of New Zealand are at CNN today and recently appeared on the BBC. In fact, these critters are making waves across the interwebs.
Evidence continues to mount that echinoderms rule...
Someone better warn the guys at Deep Sea News.
cmooney | November 10, 2008After so, so many emails about a possible Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., appointment to head EPA, we had to blog about it over at Talking Science. The gist?
Such an appointment would be problematic and controversial for all the reasons that folks like Orac have cited. However, it hasn't happened yet...and until it does, it's just rumor, right? Not a Democratic War on Science.
You can read the full post here.