Paul Z. Meyers
pharyngula
Posts by this author
July 6, 2009
Don't tell Jerry, but aren't pictures of baby kitties a cheap way to get some eyeballs? At least it's a nice story about a few animals coming back to the wilderness.
July 6, 2009
While I was off at the Lindau Nobel meeting, hanging out with mere Nobel prize winners and scientists and enthusiastic graduate students, I seem to have missed my chance to hang out with fairies and angels.
About 250 people came to the Methow Valley June 26 through 28 from as far away as Europe and…
July 5, 2009
A young man with muscular dystrophy, who by all accounts is of good character and even exceptional attitude, is in a contest to win a beach vacation. All you have to do is go to this site and click to improve his odds of winning a well-deserved break.
(via Ctrl-Alt-Del)
July 5, 2009
Tom Paulson gets the student perspective on Lindau. He got a quote from me, too, although I think the words of Peter Agre will have more weight.
I really can't emphasize this enough: this meeting was a phenomenal experience for students.
July 5, 2009
Once upon a time, people like Thomas Jefferson would take scissors to their bibles to produce a customized versions that better represented their beliefs. It is now the 21st century; all you need is an internet connection and a little comfort with the Unix command line to tweak the bible into any…
July 5, 2009
Our respectability among juvenile fans of Harry Potter may have just gone up a notch: Daniel Radcliffe has cheerfully declared himself to be an atheist.
I'm an atheist, but I'm very relaxed about it. I don't preach my atheism, but I have a huge amount of respect for people like Richard Dawkins who…
July 4, 2009
How many birthday salutations will appear in this thread?
If you deserve a greeting for a recent birthday, you can speak up here, too.
July 4, 2009
Gruss Gott! Schweinebraten mit hausgemachten Spätzle, und zwei Leibinger hefeweizen dunkel. Ausgezeichnet!
July 4, 2009
Awesome.
Note, however, that it reiterates that odd theme of one-eyed squid that we see all over the place.
(via Michael Barton)
July 4, 2009
Yesterday was my last day in Lindau, I'm sorry to say — it was also the day of the closing ceremonies on the island of Mainau, in case you were wondering why it was so quiet on the blog. I decided to leave all my electronical gear behind at the hotel and venture out for the last session with a…
July 4, 2009
What a crazy idea for a game show: a Turkish program is looking for 10 atheists to compete for the chance to be converted. What next, a show with healthy contestants competing for the chance to be infected with a disease, and the winner gets a long hospital stay?
The game show producers give their…
July 3, 2009
There is a strange correlation: most of the atheists I know are straight, yet when I post a pointless poll like this one, I know with near certainty which way the godless hordes of Pharyngula will try to skew it.
Do you agree with President Obama's decision to extend certain benefits to gay…
July 3, 2009
Because it would end embarrassing mistakes like this one.
A group of teenagers misunderstood a woman's screams during sex and, thinking they were stopping an assault, beat a 25-year-old man in her bedroom, police said.
Multiple tragedies here: not only was an innocent man beat up, but now everyone…
July 3, 2009
That wacky know-nothing up north, Sarah Palin, has quit her job as governor. She doesn't give a good reason why; in an annoyingly chipper speech, she whines about the way she was being scrutinized for ethics violations, and the fact that she was currently an ineffective lame duck governor, and then…
July 3, 2009
Maybe health care would be cheaper.
July 3, 2009
Sepia officinalis
Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.
July 2, 2009
This is the rational view of the universe. Accept no less.
July 2, 2009
Everyone is sending me this video of a strange pulsing blob found in a North Carolina sewer inspection. It is officially creepy and disgusting, and someone from the SciFi channel is racing to make creature feature about it right now, I'm sure.
I have no idea what it is, but the explanations that…
July 2, 2009
I hope you're not feeling restive, and struggling to suppress an urge to smash the crockery — but if you are, go smash this poll instead.
Is it Possible to Believe in God and Darwin?
Yes
79%
No
20%
Undecided
1%
Silly poll. Of course it is possible, since people do.
You're in luck — this one…
July 2, 2009
The British Council has carried out an international survey on people's opinions about evolution. I cringe at these sorts of things; they so rarely give me an opportunity to put on a big foam rubber hand and chant "WE'RE #1!". There aren't really any surprises here.
The results show that the…
July 2, 2009
I just did an interview about science blogging for An Kathab, "Al Jazeera's weekly high-tech news magazine". Look for it to be broadcast on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of July, and to appear on youtube shortly thereafter.
This is so going to confirm right-wing histrionics, isn't it?
July 1, 2009
This talk has me a little concerned: it's proposing something rather radical, for which Arber is going to have to show me some unambiguous evidence to convince me, and I'm coming into it with a very skeptical mindset. Here's the relevant portion of his abstract:
The theory of molecular evolution…
July 1, 2009
Uh-oh. I'm trying to follow this talk, but it's one for the chemistry purists: I don't understand the words he's saying, starting with "olefin" and continuing with "metathesis". You'll have to look to one of the other Lindau bloggers with more chemistry to explain it, because Schrock seems to be…
July 1, 2009
The difference between biology and chemistry: biologists ask how natural systems and molecules work, while chemistry wants to know how to artificially re-synthesize natural biomolecules. Tsien favors a synthetic approach, asking hwo to build new molecules that will perform amusing and useful…
July 1, 2009
Chalfie is interested in sensory mechanotransduction—how are mechanical deformations of cells converted into chemical and electrical signals. Examples are touch, hearing, balance, and proprioception, and (hooray!) he references development: sidedness in mammals is defined by mechanical forces in…
July 1, 2009
Bioluminescence is common, especially in marine organisms. Shimomura classified thes into a couple of types: luciferain, photoprotein, and an undefined "other". Luciferin requires an enzymatic (luciferase) reaction, and luminescence is proportional to the concentration of the substrate. The…
July 1, 2009
It's another exciting day of exciting lectures, I hope. I know that this morning was the most anticipated one on my dance card; here's what we're looking forward to.
Osamu Shimomura: Chemistry of Bioluminescence
Martin Chalfie: GFP and After
Roger Y. Tsien: Building and Breeding Molecules to Spy on…
July 1, 2009
This is a wonderful video: it's Richard Dawkins interviewing Craig Venter and getting a tour of his amazing sequencing facility. It also reveals how much the technology is changing.
July 1, 2009
I received Chris Mooney's last two books as review copies, before the simple folk could get theirs, and I also gave them positive (and sincere!) reviews. I'd noticed that he's got a new book out, but strangely, I hadn't been sent a copy this time. I was wondering what was up with that, but now…
July 1, 2009
Do you recall this incoherent tale of incest and racism I got a while back? Like almost 4 months ago? Well, the fellow seems to have just now discovered that we were laughing at him, and has sent me his rebuttal. It's only fair that I post it for you now.
There are people that are well educated…