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Stossel gets it right

John Stossel of ABC's 20/20 has never been one of my favorites. He's one of those folks who often poses as a skeptic by using doubt and mockery indiscriminately. Tonight, though, he got it right. He discusses food obsessions and fads, pointing out the contradictions inherent in food cultists. One of the worst of the food cult leaders is Viktoras Kulvinskas, a leader of the raw food movement. Stossel's interview with this wacko is great...he actually calls him out on his bullshit. Raw foodists believe cooking vegetables even a little destroys their nutritional value. And eating meat is…

Mildred Loving has died

Loving was the woman who, with her husband, was tried in the 1960s for the crime of interracial marriage; their victory before the Supreme Court led to the striking down of laws banning racially mixed marriages across the country. Here's part of her account: Not long after our wedding, we were awakened in the middle of the night in our own bedroom by deputy sheriffs and actually arrested for the "crime" of marrying the wrong kind of person. Our marriage certificate was hanging on the wall above the bed. The state prosecuted Richard and me, and after we were found guilty, the judge declared: "…

Another legal tactic from the anti-vaxers

Here's an interesting one for ya. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting on a vaccine injury case filed by an Atlanta couple. The story is familiar and sad---a child starts off as a normal baby, and eventually develops a devastating neurologic illness. Based on the fact that symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders happen to show up around the same time as vaccines are given, the family blames the vaccines. Here's the saga: The Ferrari's decided to sue. They brought suit against: [...]nine vaccine manufacturers, eight manufacturers of thimerosal and one manufacturer of a…

Psedonymity, anonymity, credibility, and the Overlords

One of the hot topics around here lately is authority and anonymity. It's a terribly difficult philosophical question----how can you ever trust a source of information that is second hand? And yet ultimately we all are forced to do it most of the time. A potent weapon in the denialist arsenal is the fake expert. The profusion of these charlatans makes identifying trustworthy sources even more important. We have many ways of doing this. We often use our intuition, a powerful but notoriously dicey skill. Sometimes we go by word-of-mouth. Sometimes, we go to established sources of…

Maybe politicians should just avoid evangelicals and used car salesmen

Why do they waste their time with these idiots? Barack Obama has been struggling against the guilt-by-association of having been a regular member of a lunatic's church, this odious little ignorant rat-bag named Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Yet at the same time, McCain joyfully accepts endorsements from John Hagee and Rod Parsley…and if Wright is a rat-bag, those two are festering, reeking mountains of putrefying rat-shit. Does the media give a damn? No. They're also white members of the televangelical racket, and ever since the anti-semitic backwoods babbler Billy Graham was canonized for…

Foie gras for all!

According to a new study released today by the journal Euromed (Volume 1:3, April 1, 2008, pp 13-26), the so-called "French paradox" can be applied to other populations successfully. In an eight year, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, Americans from two major urban areas were fed either their usual diet, or a typical French diet, including, but not limited to, wine with all meals (except breakfast, if breakfast occurred before 8 am), foie gras at least three times weakly, butter-based sauces, and crusty bread. In another arm, an urban French population was given a "typical American…

The End of the James Randi Challenge

After ten years the James Randi Educational Foundation is discontinuing its 1 million dollar paranormal challenge. The James Randi Educational Foundation Million-Dollar Challenge will be discontinued 24 months from this coming March 6th, and those prize funds will then be available to generally add to our flexibility. This move will free us to do many more projects, which will be announced at that time. I'm disappointed, because that means in two years we will lose one of the best anti-woo tools in the arsenal. That is, the offer of 1 million dollars to any woomeister who can prove their…

Skeptics' Circle Number 73 - Holford watch

Holford Watch has a form letter for us to fill out for this week's version of the circle. My favorite from this week is Action Skeptic's essay, which I think describes a character flaw common among cranks. That is, it's not so important for them to operate with scientifically valid rules of evidence or inquiry, but as long always perceive themselves to be right. It was right then that I realized a major difference between skeptics and woos, between those dedicated to using and promoting the scientific method and those whose ignorance, nihilism, and epistemological hedonism lead them to…

Some More Thoughts on Gonzalez and Academic Freedom

Some followup from the earlier post: If Gonzalez thinks ID is science, and not religion, he may have an even harder time arguing that there is discrimination here. Professors, rightly so, have freedom of religion and can believe whatever they want in their personal lives. However, if he thinks ID is science, I don't think it is discrimination to count that fact against a candidate, just as it wouldn't be discrimination to give a student a lower grade for having a wrong answer on a test. Writing a book about DI applied to astronomy would be exactly the type of extramural statement that…

Has Mayim Bialik changed her stance on vaccines?

I've written previously about Mayim Bialik, an actress previously on the TV show "Blossom" and currently on the "The Big Bang Theory." She has a PhD in neuroscience and is a brand ambassador for Texas Instruments. Sounds great, right? She's also gone on the record stating that her family is "a non-vaccinating" one, and has promoted anti-vaccine literature on her blog. She apparently remains affiliated with the Holistic Moms Network, which includes anti-vaccine advocates Barbara Loe Fisher and Sherri Tenpenny as members on its advisory board, among others. Because of the anti-science views she…

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 5: Nail in the coffin

Despite its reputation as a scourge of antiquity, Yersinia pestis--the bacterium that causes bubonic plague--still causes thousands of human illnesses every year. In modern times, most of these occur in Africa, and to a lesser extent in Asia, though we have a handful of cases each year in the U.S as well. When Y. pestis was first confirmed as the cause of bubonic plague during an 1894 outbreak in Hong Kong, most people assumed that we also now knew the cause of the 14th-century Black Death, and the later plague outbreaks that resurfaced periodically. However, there has been lingering…

How much does a flood cost a city?

How about over a billion dollars in Cedar Rapids (where flooding affected 9.2 square miles--roughly 1/7th of the city) alone? City officials last night estimated the cost to clean up and repair or replace flood-damaged city buildings and other infrastructure at $504 million. In addition, the officials estimated that it would cost another $810 million to protect the city against future floods through an assortment of mitigation efforts like levees, floodwalls, a possible reservoir and property buyouts. City Manager Jim Prosser called the numbers "staggering." He spoke in billions: half a…

Kenya Rift Valley Fever update

In yesterday's post regarding the current outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Kenya, I noted: ...while there's little people in the area can do about periodic flooding, scientists are actively examining the relationship between weather and RVF outbreaks. This hopefully will prove useful to predict--and potentially ward off--future disease outbreaks via animal vaccination. Little did I know that this outbreak had already been predicted by scientists working in this area--back in September. More after the jump... The deaths from Rift Valley fever could have been avoided if Kenya had heeded a…

Things to do with your weekend

Plan ahead! It's going to be a fun weekend! This Thursday, 17 April, get a head start on the weekend with Virtually Speaking on Second Life. I'm being interviewed at 6pm Pacific Time, and this could be spectacularly entertaining: I'm a total newbie at SL, so I'm going to be getting lessons in how to sit down this afternoon, which tells you that there will be opportunities for major klutzy gaffes at this event. I'm afraid I might turn into a giant flying penis sometime mid-interview. Friday evening at 7:30 pm, we have the UMM Dance Ensemble performance in Edson Auditorium here on campus. Some…

Ohio needs help, again

I mentioned previously a pending proposal in Ohio to reinsert "critical analysis" language into the school standards (see this post and this follow-up). Over at Panda's Thumb, RBH has a post updating the situation: The "critical thinking"/teach the controversy template proposal takes a legitimate passage (originally taken directly from the National Science Standards) in the current Scientific Ways of Knowing section of Ohio's Science Standards (10th Grade Indicator 2 under Benchmark A, pp. 90, 146, 237) and sabotages it by tacking on a section directing students to apply it preferentially to…

Grocery Manufacturers Request Regulation

Like microwave-popcorn manufacturers and toy companies, members of the trade group Grocery Manufacturers of America have recognized that itâs not a good thing to have consumers worried about whether their favorite products might kill them. So, theyâre asking the FDA to do more to ensure the safety of foods and beverages, and have come out with a specific proposal âto improve the safety of our food imports.â (Domestic foods evidently get a pass for now, despite the E. coli problem.) As David Michaels pointed out earlier this week, this sudden affinity for regulation isnât just about shoring up…

FEMA Attorneys: Donât Test for Toxics

By David Michaels More sickening revelations about FEMAâs lack of concern for the health of Americans, this time concerning their actions months after Hurricane Katrina. Spencer S. Hsu of the Washington Post reports that The Federal Emergency Management Agency has suppressed warnings from its own Gulf coast field workers since the middle of 2006 about suspected health problems that may be linked to elevated levels of formaldehyde gas released in FEMA-provided trailers, lawmakers said today. At a hearing this morning of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, investigators…

Shameless - Another White House move to Paralyze the Regulatory System

By David Michaels Earlier today, President Bush took another step to limit the ability of regulatory agencies to protect the nationâs health and environment. The President signed amendments to Executive Order (E.O.) 12866, further centralizing the control the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has over agency activities, and making it more difficult for public health agencies to issue regulations or even guidance documents. OMB Watch had just posted its preliminary analysis of the amendments. Here's an excerpt: ⢠It shifts the criterion for promulgating regulations from the…

EPA Retreats (a Little) on Rolling Back TRI

By David Michaels In a move that recognizes the post-election climate change in Washington, the EPA has told two Democratic Senators that it is revising plans to roll-back the reporting requirements of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). In a post yesterday, I wrote about TRI as an important (and cost-effective) example of "Regulation by Shaming" or "Democracy by Disclosure." Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post obtained the letter EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson sent to New Jersey Democratic senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez in which he announced his plans. According to…

Madness? This is America!

Today is this semester's last final exam, and this is the last big push of the semester, so I'm going to be mired in work for most of the day…but once I level the administrative mountain, I've got some new squid science to share. Until then, you'll just have to chew over some of the usual American lunacy for a while. Obama is gearing up to drape himself with Christian trappings. This will not make me happy. I'm planning to vote for him, but if he turns into yet another Christianist airhead, I will not be campaigning for him. The reason Obama can't lose my vote but can lose my enthusiasm…

Menuge debate coming up

On Saturday, 19 April, I'm supposed to be in a debate on campus. It's with Angus Menuge of Concordia University and the Discovery Institute, a fellow who did not impress Josh Rosenau, and who professes to have been converted by C.S. Lewis, which bodes ill right there. The organization has been a low-level, simmering clusterkluge ever since a few students asked me to do this months ago, exemplified now by the signs that have gone up all over campus that misspell my name (of course), and by this amazing announcement of the topic on the campus Lutheran ministry web page. SPRING RETREAT: The…

Is it economics they want taught or religion?

The Wall Street Journal comments on some select results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing which this year included some questions on economics. Pop quiz. Which has been most important in reducing poverty over time: a) taxes, b) economic growth, c) international trade, or d) government regulation? Now this is an interesting question, does it have a simple answer? Here's what the WSJ says. We know what our readers would say. But lest you think American young people are slouching toward serfdom, you'll be pleased to know that 53% of U.S. high school seniors…

FRC wants gays out of baseball, mom's apple pie

Sounds dirty doesn't it? But the homobigot fake family values group, the Family Research Council, is dead serious about keeping teh gays out of baseball games. This past Sunday, at the San Diego Padres baseball game, what was advertised as a "Free Floppy Hat Night" for kids under 14 turned out to be a double play. While the Padres management was enticing families with the giveaway for kids, it was also promoting the evening as a Gay Pride night at the ballpark. Children who received free hats were treated to the Gay Man's Chorus of San Diego singing the national anthem prior to what one…

Animal rights terrorists have their next target

The LA Times reports. The FBI and the Los Angeles Fire Department are investigating an anonymous claim that animal rights extremists placed an unexploded incendiary device found under the car of a prominent UCLA eye doctor last weekend. The incident was similar to one last year in which another UCLA researcher was the intended target. A gasoline-filled device was discovered Sunday by the car outside the Westside home of Dr. Arthur Rosenbaum, who is chief of pediatric ophthalmology at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute. The device did not ignite despite evidence of an attempt to light it,…

What happened here? The remains of a corpse.

Time for a little game. What does this photo represent? Can you work out what happened here? One clue: the skeleton belonged to a large mammal. Sorry the pic is in black-and-white and a bit fuzzy, it's the best version of the image I have (a colour version exists somewhere - please do pass it on if you have it... UPDATE: thanks indeed to David Bressan of History of Geology). I've been looking for this photo for years (it was taken by Katia Krafft), and am grateful to Tony Butcher for passing it on after discovering it earlier this year. UPDATE: Many thanks to everyone who had a go at…

Tet Zoo, the wordle

After a hiatus of several months I attacked Tet Zoo the book during the small hours of this morning (I started while the repeat of Fossil Detectives was on at 1 am... missed the bit with Jeff Liston and Leedsichthys, did anyone else see it?). For no particular reason I created a wordle from the text of the whole book. It's crap: are all wordles like this? So, apparently, if you want to read a book with exciting words like 'one' and 'new' and 'also', this is the place to go! I like the fact that 'et' and 'al' loom large, and 'might' and 'known'. Where are all the bloody animal names? I see '…

Tet Zoo picture of the day # 21

To date, I would say that all the 'mystery pictures' I've posted have been way too easy, as is demonstrated by the fact that the vast majority of visitors are able to guess them correctly straight away... A baboon skull. Frogmouth bristles. A paca's head. The problem is, when you're preparing such a picture it's quite difficult to know how easy or difficult it is. Take this picture here. To me the identity of the creature is really obvious, but that might be because I am, obviously, familiar with the original image. So I think it's dead easy, and maybe it is. I won't be surprised if you all…

Republican New Math

Yesterday, Karl Rove was interviewed by Robert Siegel on NPR. I just about passed out from shock when I heard the following exchange: (transcript via [raw story](http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Rove_dukes_it_out_with_NPR_1025.html)) >MR. SIEGEL: We're in the home stretch, though. And many might consider you on the optimistic end of >realism about -- > >MR. ROVE: Not that you would be exhibiting a bias or anything like that. You're just making a comment. > >MR. SIEGEL: I'm looking at all the same polls that you're looking at every day. > >MR. ROVE: No you're not. No…

Using Natural Transformations: Recreating Closed Cartesian Categories

Today's contribution on category theory is going to be short and sweet. It's an example of why we really care about [natural transformations][nt]. Remember the trouble we went through working up to define [cartesian categories and cartesian closed categories][ccc]? As a reminder: a [functor][functor] is a structure preserving mapping between categories. (Functors are the morphisms of the category of small categories); natural transformations are structure-preserving mappings between functors (and are morphisms in the category of functors). Since we know that the natural transformation can…

Why are books so bloody expensive?

I have to say I really hate it when I see a blog post with an interesting title that concerns a complicated subject, only to find - on going to all that trouble of moving my fingers, clicking on the link, and waiting all of three or so seconds for the page to load - that the author has played the dumbass, and has instead reeled you in with a whole one line of text, or a picture, or something equally lame. Yes, I really, really hate that. On an unrelated subject, do books really have to be so ~ucking expensive? I mean, seriously, who sets the prices? I'm going through a phase of buying…

(How) Are Birds Affected by Volcanic Ash?

tags: Eyjafjallajökull, volcanic particulate material, ash clouds, airborne-particle deposition, respiratory physiology, respiratory toxicology, medicine, veterinary medicine, birds, avian health, bioassay, anatomy, researchblogging.org,peer-reviewed research, journal club Figure 1: The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, photographed by a farmer in Iceland. This eruption sent massive billowing clouds of volcanic ash several miles into the atmosphere. Image: Ãlafur Eggertsson (Newscom/Zuma) [larger view] April is the peak month of spring migration for millions of birds, so the ongoing…

Soccer is so effette, elitist and, gasp, French!

Steven Wells in Guardian yesterday: This was a cold-bloodedly deliberate attempt at political branding. Palin referred to herself a hockey mom in her carefully scripted and vetted acceptance speech - and not for the first time. In 2004 she boasted: "It's said the only difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is lipstick. So with lipstick on, the gloves come off." This is a deliberate political coinage. The question being, why? And how exactly does a hockey mom differ from a soccer mom (a phrase that's been around since at least 1983 but became a political cliche during the 1996…

Immigration solved, the Christian Libertarian way

Just when you think the lunatic Right can't possibly get any more deranged, we've got Minnesota's own Christian Libertarian, Vox Day, to raise the wingnut bar another couple of meters. He doesn't like our president, but not for the reasons I dislike him: it's because George just doesn't realize the full extent of American power. The immigration problem is nothing, and is easily solved. And he will be lying [GW Bush, in his address to the nation], again, just as he lied when he said: "Massive deportation of the people here is unrealistic—it's just not going to work." Not only will it work, but…

Blogrolling - Letter E

Continuing with asking for your help in fixing my Blogroll: Every couple of days or so, I will post here a list of blogs that start with a particular letter, and you add in the comments if you know of something that is missing from that list. See so far: Numbers and Symbols A B C D Today brought to you by letter D. This is what is on the Blogroll right now. Check also the Housekeeeping posts for other D blogs I have discovered in the meantime. Check links. Tell me what to delete, what to add: The Ethical Paleontologist Extreme Biology Errol Morris - Zoom Eclectic Glob of Tangential Verbosity…

OADay winner: A poem for Open Access Day

Here is one of the two winning posts in the Open Access Day blogging competition. A poem by Greg Laden: A poem for Open Access Day Open Access Day They said: "if you publish in an open forum your paper'd be rubbish and clearly hokum" "pub's commercial know how to review with the peerage, how to make data flow and hurdles clearage" "limited space on the page with every new edition so few make the passage, it's editorial selection!" "we have always done and it's never been changed the readers we dunn and the paper's in chains" "what is ought to be why change it now it is so plain to see…

My picks from ScienceDaily

New Fish Species May Emerge Because Of How Females See Males: Eye colour and hair colour play a role in human partner choice, but visual stimuli can also determine mating preferences in the animal kingdom. In many species, the male's fortunes in the mating stakes are decided by a conspicuous breeding dress. New Dinosaur Species, Pachyrhinosaur Lakustai, Had Bony Frill And Horns: The fossils revealed a herd of dinosaurs that perished in a catastrophic event 72.5 million years ago. The animals are characterized by a bony frill on the back of the skull ornamented with smaller horns. They also…

My picks from ScienceDaily

Getting Lost: A Newly Discovered Developmental Brain Disorder: Feeling lost every time you leave your home? You may not be as alone as you think. Researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute recently documented the first case of a patient who, without apparent brain damage or cognitive impairment, is unable to orient within any environment. Researchers also believe that there are many others in the general population who may be affected by this developmental topographical disorder. Out Of Iraq Emerges Hope For Those With Severest Of Head…

A little study in contrasts

Ray Comfort has made a post on the swine flu. You know already what kind of idiotic tripe he's going to trot out. The spread of the so-called 'swine flu' demonstrates yet again how useless and sometimes deadly a mutation can be. Furthermore, as the infection spreads around the world, the search for an antidote is desperately sought, but the very fact that the virus is seen as something to be opposed actually supports the Biblical view of this world. It is always good and right to oppose sickness, but in evolutionary terms, why don't humans simply resign themselves to it and allow the strong…

ScienceOnline'09 - Friday Lab Tour: the NC Museum of Natural Sciences

After coffee cupping, still pretty frozen, we went back to Radisson to see who else has arrived for ScienceOnline09 in the meantime. I set up my temporary field Headquarters in the lobby (photo by Lenore): After a quick lunch, it was time for Lab Tours (check blog posts and pictures for other people's experiences). A bunch of us went to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences where Roy Campbell, the Director of Exhibits, gave us a fantastic whirlwind tour through the Museum and the vaults, the secret basement chambers that general public cannot access. I've been going to the Museum for 17…

My picks from ScienceDaily

Premature Babies Have Altered Sensory Responses In Later Life: Premature infants who need intensive care or surgery are less sensitive to thermal (hot and cold) sensations later in life, according to research conducted at UCL (University College London). The study, published in the journal Pain, suggests that pain and injury related to major medical interventions in early development may alter how children respond to painful stimuli much later in life. Blind Man Walking: With No Visual Awareness, Man Navigates Obstacle Course Flawlessly: Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that…

My picks from ScienceDaily

Mechanism That Triggers Differentiation Of Embryo Cells Discovered: The mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The discovery has significant consequences towards furthering research that will eventually make possible medical cell replacement therapy based on the use of embryonic cells. Genes May Influence Popularity, Study Of College Students Finds: A groundbreaking study of popularity by a Michigan State University scientist has found…

Student journalists are doing it right - The new The Daily Tar Heel rocks!

I am proud to live in Chapel Hill, the home of UNC and it's campus newspaper The Daily Tar Heel. As soon as they got elected to their new editorial and managerial positions a couple of months ago, Sara Gregory, Emily Stephenson, Andrew Dunn and the rest of the crew opened up new channels of communication, including a Twitter account and a Facebook page. Did they use those to broadcast how brilliant they are and what great ideas they have in their heads? No, they used them to ask, ask, ask and to listen, listen, listen. Within days they organized an open-door meeting, inviting people from UNC…

Men in fancy hats set their priorities

It is truly an amazing hat. That's the kind of hat that if anyone other than a priest were seen to be wearing it, small children would point and whoop with laughter, adults would purse their lips in concern and cross the street to avoid it, and concerned policemen would pull over to politely ask, "Do you need some assistance, sir? Are you on any medication?" Strangely, though, priests must get a special dispensation to be allowed to wear clothing that, if portrayed on the pages of a super-hero comic book, would cause readers accustomed to the garishness of Superman and Wonder Woman to blanch…

Carrboro Citizen - the hyperlocal newspapers are here to stay

This week, Carrboro Citizen celebrated its second anniversary. I explained in detail before their model and why I think this is the future of journalism. Now, the Editor, Kirk Ross, gives us the inside story: You can't be in this business without wondering how much wilder the ride can get. I've written about this before, so I'll spare you the wind up. The talking points are that not every newspaper is in trouble and that most that are hurting are chain-owned metro dailies burdened by debt brought on by a mergers-and-acquisition craze reminiscent of the Dutch tulip bubble. ----------------- To…

ACTION: Senators blocking key science nominations and need to hear from you today!

'Holds' on NOAA Administrator & Science Advisor Confirmations. Call Senators Now.: The Washington Post is reporting that Senate votes to confirm Jane Lubchenco as NOAA Administrator and John Holdren as Science Advisor are currently being obstructed by a Democratic Senator. Quoting multiple unnamed sources, the Post says that New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez has placed an "anonymous hold" on the nominations in order to try to gain leverage for some issues related to Cuba that he's interested in. The Latest Outrage: Holds on Holdren, Lubchencho: The Washington Post (the news part)…

How to filter all that enormous scientific information

Chris Patil and Vivian Siegel wrote the first part of their thoughts on this problem, in Drinking from the firehose of scientific publishing: The fundamental question is this: can the wisdom of crowds be exploited to post-filter the literature? --------------snip------------ A lioness doesn't bother eating individual blades of grass - she lets the antelopes do that drudgery, and then she eats the antelopes. It is similarly tempting to assign the post-filtering task to hordes of enthusiastic volunteers - intrepid, pajama-clad souls, armed only with keyboards and search engines, who would wade…

Why would anyone still take Republicans seriously at this day and age?

Republicans: Spare Me Your Newfound 'Fiscal Responsibility': At his press conference on Monday, President Barack Obama had to remind Mara Liasson of Fox News and NPR that it was the Republicans who doubled the national debt over the past eight years and it's a little strange to be hearing lectures from them now about how to be fiscally responsible. That interchange was my favorite part of the press conference. A savvy inside-the-Beltway reporter of Ms. Liasson's caliber shouldn't have to be reminded that George W. Bush and the Republican Congress were among the most fiscally reckless…

My picks from ScienceDaily

Why Fruits Ripen And Flowers Die: Scientists Discover How Key Plant Hormone Is Triggered: Best known for its effects on fruit ripening and flower fading, the gaseous plant hormone ethylene shortens the shelf life of many fruits and plants by putting their physiology on fast-forward. In recent years, scientists learned a lot about the different components that transmit ethylene signals inside cells. But a central regulator of ethylene responses, a protein known as EIN2, resisted all their efforts. Y Chromosome And Surname Study Challenges Infidelity 'Myth': Our surnames and genetic information…

8th Annual Year in Ideas in NYTimes

New York Times has compiled a whole slew of essays about the interesting ideas that people have come up with during 2008. And three of them are written by Rebecca Skloot, who is the special speaker at the WiSE event (on Friday night) at ScienceOnline09. Her three essays are: Avian Dancing: If you aren't one of the millions who have already done so, go immediately to YouTube and search for "Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo." There you will see a large white bird balanced on the back of an office chair, bobbing his head, stomping his feet and doing something that -- until now -- scientists…

Twelve Months of A Blog Around The Clock

Thanks to DrugMonkey for the reminder. We do this meme every year in December - the only rule is to "post the link and first sentence from the first blog entry for each month of the past year." Here we go (ClockQuotes are usually the first post of the day and thus of the month, so there is not much in terms of my own words): January: A man may fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame someone else. February: I have called this principle, by which, each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection. March: Two things are aesthetically…