Search Content

Displaying results 8001 - 8050 of 87950

Tornado Victims Need Your Help

If you can afford it, please consider kicking in a few dollars to help the tornado victims. Via Monkeyfister: While everyone else was busy watching the Primaries, or "American Idol," the storms that ripped through Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee were busy killing.via Reuters LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Tornadoes and thunderstorms ravaged several states in the American South overnight, killing at least 26 people, injuring dozens and causing widespread damage, emergency services and local media said.The violent storms swept across Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and…

The Overton Window: The Inflation Estimate Edition

Unfortunately, Mark Twain's aphorism, "lies, damn lies, and statistics", has been used so many times that it's become trite. But, as I say repeatedly around these parts, you have to understand your data. A key economic statistic is core inflation, which is estimated by the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee (FOMC). Basically, if the Fed believes that inflation is about to rise*, it clamps down on the money supply and slows down the economy (you didn't really want to be employed, did you?). So that estimate of inflation is really important. By way of Paul Krugman, we discover a very…

Sniff Once for "Yes": New Neurobiology Papers

Even severely paralyzed people on respirators can do it: They can sniff. That is, they can at least partially control the movement of air through their nostrils. And if they can sniff, they can use this action to write on a computer screen or steer a wheelchair. That's the principle behind a new device developed by Prof. Noam Sobel, students and electronics engineers in the Weizmann Institute's Neurobiology Department. After teaching healthy volunteers to play computer games using a "sniff control" in lieu of a mouse or joystick, the Weizmann team entered into collaboration with Dr Nachum…

Tweetlinks, 10-26-09

Follow me on Twitter to get these, and more, in something closer to Real Time (all my tweets are also imported into FriendFeed where they are much more easy to search and comment on, as well as into my Facebook wall where they are seen by quite a different set of people): Swine flu parties: I doubt anyone is that dumb, but I've been surprised before Run, do not walk, to register for ScienceOnline2010 A PhD is not a 9-to-5 Wowd - a Real-Time search engine of 'what's popular'. Interesting.... RT @Bex_Walton: Images related to #PLoS ONE spider study in the NYT; 3rd story in 3 weeks: Science in…

The Scientist article on science blogs

The April issue of The Scientist contains a good article on science blogging, titled Scooped by a Blog by David Secko (Vol. 21, Issue 4, page 21) focusing on publishing data on blogs, running an Open Notebook lab online, and the way blogs are affecting the evolution of science publishing. The main story of the article is the story about the way Reed Cartwright's quick comment on a paper led to his co-autorship on the subsequent paper on the topic. But you can read all about it on his blog, including the article excerpt on the story. Others interviewed for the story are Larry Moran and…

Astrobiology Chair

Visiting Astrobiology Chair in DC: research and engagement. Applications and nominations are open for the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology. "Established in the Fall of 2011, the Blumberg Astrobiology Chair is a distinguished senior position at the Library’s Kluge Center. The incumbent conducts research at the intersection between the science of astrobiology and its humanistic aspects, particularly its societal implications, using the collections and services of the Library. The incumbent is expected to be in residence at the Kluge Center for a period of up to…

Two Workers Dead at Alaska Gold Mine

Congress has given significant attention over the last 18 months to the dangers facing US coal miners, but many fatal hazards claim the lives of other miners, such as those working at sand and gravel quarries, limestone and salt mines.  This year, nearly twice as many miners have died at US metal and non-metal mining operations compared to coal mines.  But, like most workplace fatalities, the deaths typically occur one miner at a time.  These means the deaths rarely attract national attention.  On Thursday, July 19, Craig Bagley, 27 and Tyler Kahle, 19, were working in a lift…

Triangle Blogger Bash at DPAC

Ah, it takes me so long these days to actually blog about events I attend! This one was last Thursday! But here it is. I went to the Triangle Blogger Bash in Durham, organized by Ginny of 30THREADS (find them on Twitter as well) and hosted by the Durham Performing Arts Center. I am bad at estimating crowds, but there were at least 50 local bloggers there, some new to me, some old friends like Lenore, Anton, Will, Sheril, Ayse, Wayne and Ginny. There was a nice spread of food and a cash bar. The hosts gave out nice prizes (I never ever win stuff like that). You can see some blog reports here…

Science Blogging, etc.

A nice article in The Economist today, about science blogging, Science 2.0 and publishing: User-generated science: By itself this is unlikely to bring an overhaul of scientific publishing. Dr Bly points to a paradox: the internet was created for and by scientists, yet they have been slow to embrace its more useful features. Nevertheless, serious science-blogging is on the rise. The Seed state of science report, to be published later this autumn, found that 35% of researchers surveyed say they use blogs. This figure may seem underwhelming, but it was almost nought just a few years ago. Once…

Science Blogging Conference (and Anthology) planning update

After meeting Anton Zuiker a few days ago, I also managed to catch up with Brian Russell and Paul Jones, catching up on everything, but most importantly, shifting the organization of the 2nd Science Blogging Conference into a faster gear. The wiki needs only a few more tweaks (some of the links are to the 2007 equivalents instead of the 2008 pages) which will be all fixed by the day we open the registration - on September 1st (mark your calendars). I know the 1st is a holiday, but this will save our server as thousands of interested participants will spread themselves over a few days…

Science Blogging Conference - who is coming? (Media 2)

There are 60 days until the Science Blogging Conference. The wiki is looking good, the Program is shaping up nicely, and there is more and more blog and media coverage already. The anthology should be published in time for the event. There are already 139 registered participants and if you do not register soon, it may be too late once you decide to do so (we'll cap at about 200). Between now and the conference, I am highlighting some of the people who will be there, for you to meet in person if you register in time. Kristin Fellows is the broadcast consultant for Wired Science and…

Not an “accident”: Timothy Dubberly, 58, suffers fatal work-related injury in Fernandina Beach, FL

Timothy Dubberly, 58, suffered fatal traumatic injuries on Friday, July 15 while working for Kinder Morgan at the Port of Fernandina. KTXL reports: Mr. Dubberly was doing electrical work on a crane. "It appears a [crane] cable snapped, causing the operations cab he was in to fall about 100 feet.” the accident occurred at the Kinder Morgan Nassau Terminal. Kinder Morgan is the “largest energy infrastructure company in North America.” The firm operates 180 terminals including one at the Port of Fernandina. Using OSHA’s on-line database, federal OSHA and the States that operate their own OSHA…

They should rename it again to The Journal of Delusional Rationalization

If you want to take a look at one of the sources of creationist thought, the workshop where the red-hot anvil of pseudoscience and the inflexible hammer of theology are used to forge the balloon animals of creationism, The Journal of Creation (formerly the Creation ex nihilo Technical Journal) is now online … or at least part of it is. They're working on it. For now, it's enough that you can browse through several issues and see how they put up this superficially persuasive façade of analyzing matters objectively and scientifically, while somehow coming to the weirdest and most nonsensical…

Why wikipedia is like eternal life

Well not in all respects of course. Sometimes people die. But before I get on to that... Have you noticed that I haven't posted much recently? I've been on holidays. Wales is very nice, I recommend it. I'll go again. That is Castell-y-Bere, if you don't recognise it. Where was I? Oh yes... The thing I'm referring to is the way memories fade. There is a wonderful book by KSR called "Icehenge" which you should read, wherein parts of the plot revolve around the way that, although people live for centuries due to strange drugs, they still have the same brains and the same fallible memories…

Catching up...

I meant to get online yesterday, but hubby had to work all day so it was just me and the kiddos--so we just played all day and I didn't bother to get to a computer. Anyhoo, I've missed a few things. I know this was linked on a few other of my virtual neighbor's websites, but in case you didn't see it, DarkSyde over at DailyKos has an interview with Welsey Elsberry of the NCSE (and a founder of Panda's Thumb). Like Ken Miller, Wesley is a Christian and a staunch defender of keeping nonsense like Intelligent Design out of our classrooms. Second, the Challenger disaster. Seed asked for…

links for 2008-01-30

The Edublogs Magazine : Who Are the Top Edubloggers? "Aseem Badshah has created a listing of the Top Education Bloggers or edubloggers based upon Technorati's rankings." This page reviews some of them. (tags: blogs education academia) The Other Side of Graduate Admissions | Cosmic Variance How the faculty at UW's Astronomy department choose next year's class. (tags: academia education astronomy physics science) The Sociology of 'Hooking Up' :: Inside Higher Ed :: Jobs, News and Views for All of Higher Education An interview with a sociologist studying campus sexual culture. (tags:…

The Greatest Chess Tournament in the History of Chess Tournaments

The start of the school year, coupled with the looming deadline for the book I'm coediting, has left little time for blogging. I do, however, feel compelled to point out that six of the world's top ten chess players have gathered in St. Louis for what is arguably the greatest chess tournament in the history of chess tournaments. Six different countries are represented and, interestingly, none of them are Russia. Hikaru Nakamura is representing the United States. The other five players are Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Levon Aronian of Armenia, Fabiano Caruana of Italy, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave…

Science in the 21st Century

The Perimeter Institute will be hosting a workshop in September on "Science in the 21st Century": Times are changing. In the earlier days, we used to go to the library, today we search and archive our papers online. We have collaborations per email, hold telephone seminars, organize virtual networks, write blogs, and make our seminars available on the internet. Without any doubt, these technological developments influence the way science is done, and they also redefine our relation to the society we live in. Information exchange and management, the scientific community, and the society as a…

Eureka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka!

[It's probable that only British readers will understand the joke in the headline. Everyone else: just pretend it's an uproariously funny pop-culture reference and we can move on.] This morning, the Times published a list of its 30 best science blogs and I'm incredibly honoured to be on it. Twice. Once for Not Exactly Rocket Science, and again for my efforts at Cancer Research UK's Science Update blog. A bit of background - the Times recently launched a monthly science supplement called Eureka and every issue, one of its writers selects their favourite science blogs. This list is a…

I'm not going to be able to vote for anyone, ever, am I?

Once again, politicians are going on little, petty crusades to help the government economize, and as usual, they go for cheap shots that do nothing, other than to reveal their screwed up priorities. Here's Joe Biden, letting us know where the real problems lie. Did you know that the government spends millions to maintain buildings that have sat vacant for years? Or that your tax dollars pay to needlessly ship copies of the Federal Register to thousands of government offices across the country even though the same information is available online? And I bet you didn't know that your tax…

History of Science Society Annual Meeting

The preliminary program for the History of Science Society's annual meeting (November in Pittsburgh) has been placed online and it looks like the best series of sessions in a long while with the organizers managing to avoid scheduling sessions on similar themes at the same time. It's a three-day meeting but I'll only be around for the Friday & Saturday. Here's what my preliminary schedule looks like: Friday 9:00 - The Hard Parts: Paleontology and the Evolutionary Synthesis. Some nice papers here on Sewall Wright, species concepts, Osborn, random drift, and ID. 12:30 - lecture by Gar…

Facebook and and the Future of Science Communication

Facebook and similar social networking sites hold vast potential for reaching non-traditional audiences for science. As the NY Times reports today, Facebook has 25 million users and growing as the company plans bold new features and opens up its user base to almost anyone with an email account. Social networking sites are important new platforms for science communication since they facilitate two of the key strategies I have pushed in the past in reaching broader American audiences about science. First, they have the potential to facilitate incidental exposure, in other words they can…

The treadmill bike: a brief review

Given that today is April 2nd, directly following April Fool's, it seems like an ideal time to bring up the treadmill bike - a odd piece of exercise equipment which appears to be legit, but could very well be a hoax. So what is a treadmill bike? It's rather self-explanatory, really - "a treadmill on wheels." And what's the point of this gadget, you might ask? According to the company selling the product, Bicycle Forest: "Have you ever wished you could get a quality treadmill workout without paying expensive gym prices? Look no further than the Treadmill Bike by the Bicycle Forest. The…

Add emoticons to your emails!

I was looking for some information on the intertubes and google dropped me onto a website that it thought would help. I found a large block of ad content on the site that said "Add emoticons to your emails!" with a collection of the ever-stupid animated gif images that wink, grin, clap, and do all the other idiotic things that invariably attract the clueless. I started wondering what sort of business model would these folks - the ones who put these ad out - have. So, I clicked on the ad (I am on a Mac using Safari, which is important to note). And, no surprises here, it downloaded a windows…

A croc is a fish?

Lawmakers ponder the meaning of fish ... Here is a case in which taxonomic categories are defined by political and legal considerations. In order to regulate the use of marine species for commercial reasons, to enforce export controls over crocodile (archosaurian) products, shellfish (molluscs), and prawns (arthropods). So the Bill (currently not online, due it seems to a Microsloth IIS error, *sigh*) treats these all as "fish". Reuters notes wryly that this is somewhat in contradiction to the definition in the Australian English dictionary, but that is less of concern than the fact that we…

The Essentialism Story

Historian Mary P. Winsor published recently (2006b, in the December 2006 edition, but it just came out) a paper discussing how the Essentialism Story was constructed by Arthur Cain, Ernst Mayr, and David Hull. The Essentialism Story is the claim that before Darwin systematists and biologists in general treated natural kinds such as species as being defined by necessary and sufficient conditions. That is, to be a member of a species, an organism has to have all the right properties. After Darwin, goes the story, "population thinking", which denies that there are such necessary properties…

Do wine and yoga mix?

This is too late for The Friday Fermentable, but the NYT has a great travel article yoga and wine retreats to be offered at DeLoach Vineyards in California's Sonoma Valley (one of my favorite zinfandel producers). Of course, this Americanization of an Eastern practice is not without its detractors: "Kundalini does things to balance your nervous system," Ms. Elkes said. "And then for you to go do something that changes that? It's going to affect your nervous system after you've done all this work to balance yourself. You'll soon find out that drinking and Kundalini don't go well together."…

ResearchBlogging.Org 2.0

If you've gone to ResearchBlogging.org lately, you may have noticed that it's been given a face-lift. Actually, it's more than just a face-lift, as cofounder and president Dave Munger points out, including these new features: Multiple language support (and 30 new German-language bloggers!) Topic-specific RSS feeds Post-by-post tagging with topics and subtopics "Recover password" feature Email alerts when there is a problem with posts Users can flag posts that don't meet our guidelines Customized user home pages with bios and blog descriptions Blogger photos/other images displayed with each…

Dispatches

*Scientists inaugurate new mental health condition so vague it applies to everyone over the age of 12, Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder. The hallmarks of the condition include "worrying about life, feeling tense, restless, or fatigued, being concerned about their weight, noticing signs of aging, feeling stress at work, home, or finding activities they used to enjoy, like shopping, challenging." *A Philadelphia-based technology company brings us one step closer to the Brave New World by marketing MRI-based lie detection testing to Corporate America as a…

Come help defend evolution

NCSE wants your help: The National Center for Science Education, a non-profit organization that defends the teaching of evolution in the public schools, seeks candidates for a position in its Public Information Project. Staff members in the Public Information Project provide advice and support to local activists faced with threats to evolution education in their communities. They also provide information on evolution, evolution education, and related issues to the general public, the press, and allied organizations, and contribute as needed to NCSE's publications, both in print and on-line.…

Over in secular Europe

Irish atheists challenge new blasphemy laws: Secular campaigners in the Irish Republic defied a strict new blasphemy law which came into force today by publishing a series of anti-religious quotations online and promising to fight the legislation in court. The new law, which was passed in July, means that blasphemy in Ireland is now a crime punishable with a fine of up to â¬25,000 (£22,000). It defines blasphemy as "publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number…

Acidic Oceans

This is the most depressing story I've read in a while. I normally don't worry about the fate of my future grandchildren, but Elizabeth Kolbert's new New Yorker article kept me up late last night, fretting about their dismal world. The article isn't on-line, but here's an excerpt: Since the start of the industrial revolution, humans have burned enough coal, oil, and natural gas to produce some two hundred and fifty billion metric tons of carbon. The result, as is well known, has been a transformation of the earth's atmosphere. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the air today is higher…

A New State of Mind

My profile of Read Montague and the dopamine prediction-error hypothesis is now online. I wanted to write this article for two main reasons. First of all, I think the dopamine story is incredibly exciting and remains one of the best examples of how subtle shifts in neural firing rates can allow the brain make sense of the real world. Yes, I know there are caveats, but the prediction-error hypothesis is still a very powerful paradigm. Wolfram Schultz should win a Nobel Prize. Secondly, there's so much crappy fMRI research out there - and it always get so much press attention - that I wanted to…

Friday Flotsam: the cost of Vesuvius erupting, dome collapse at Colima and the deepest volcanic vents

Hard to believe, but there is other volcano-related news in the world ... So, with all deference to Eyjafjallajokull, here it is: Dome collapse on Colima in Mexico, image taken March 30, 2010. The new Smithsonian/USGS GVP Weekly Volcano Activity Report was issued, with news about increasing signs of activity at Egon in Indonesia, a possible plume at Miyakejima in Japan and more dome growth at Soufriere Hills. A study on the economic effect of a new Vesuvius eruption was released and the finding show the potential for a staggering $24 billion of economic damage directly related to an…

Maccarone and cheese Einstein!

There's a new scientific paper online today about a very special and rare type of star: an ultracompact X-ray binary star. (One of the authors is surnamed Maccarone.) Let's start by explaining what these things are, how they work, talk about this one in particular, and what it all means. You've heard of binary stars before; these are systems where, instead of having one fusion-burning star in it (like ours), there are two. It turns out that most star system in our galaxy are binaries. If Jupiter were about 70 times more massive, we'd be living in a binary star system ourselves. Well, let's…

Christine Hardman reflects on 1960 Durham visit by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Among the many things that LungMutiny2010 has taken from me is the chance to take advantage of all the rich cultural offerings in the North Carolina Research Triangle area during Black History Month. Regular readers will remember that I wrote a few months ago about the segregation era sit-ins, beginning with the 1957 Royal Ice Cream sit-in in Durham and the immortal 1960 Greensboro Woolworth's sit-ins that garnered national attention. Those who came to the ScienceOnline2010 session with me and my colleague, Damond Nollan, will also remember that I spoke at length about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther…

The Introvert Advantage

Introversion is a loaded word. Just look it up in the dictionary and here's what you'll find: Introversion: The state or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life (Mirriam-Webster Online) Doesn't sound so good, does it? Sounds downright narcissistic. And this is no accident. Sigmund Freud coined the term "introvert" to describe one of the traits associated with narcissism. In Freud's view, introverts were neurotics who had taken "a turn from reality to phantasy [sic]." According to Freud, introversion denoted "the turning away of the…

From The Desk of Zelnio: Scientists & Students FLEXE Their Scientific Muscles!

Going on as we speak is an experiment of monumental proportions. It may not seem that way to you sitting in front of your computer this moment, but to a kid in middle or high school I guarantee that it is their world! At least the highlight of their school day anyways... As part of the GLOBE program funded by NASA, NSF and the U.S. Dept. of State, the Pennsylvania State University. in cooperation with scientists from the RIDGE and InterRIDGE communities, is leading the way for students to explore science From Local to Extreme Environments (FLEXE). "FLEXE students study aspects of their…

Astrology? Give me a break.

Well, I've never followed this "Jerome" fellow's stuff at MyDD, with the recent accusations that he may have done some dubious things in the stock market and was a promoter of astrology, but the Commissar thinks I'm going easy on him because the Left thinks astrology is an acceptable pseudo-science, so I'll take a moment to disabuse that silly notion. I don't expect anyone let alone a right-wing apologist like the Commissar, to be familiar with everything I've written, but no, I have not been kind to woo-woo nonsense, I was shocked at Berlinski's defense of astrology (although he…

The Environmental Cost of Parking

Salon.com has a really interesting article about the hidden and expensive costs of parking. There's lots of interesting stuff in the article, but this bit really stood out (italics mine): Americans don't object, because they aren't aware of the myriad costs of parking, which remain hidden. In large part, it's business owners, including commercial and residential landlords, who pay to provide parking places. They then pass on those costs to us in slightly higher prices for rent and every hamburger sold. "Parking appears free because its cost is widely dispersed in slightly higher prices for…

Framing Versus Filters: The Lesson of the Bush-Gore Debates

It isn't always the message, sometimes it's the medium. Or the media actually. Framing only goes so far. Often, getting your message out there comes down to schmoozing, intimidation, and hard work. This applies to politics and science. The Daily Howler rebuts neuroscientist Drew Westen's take on the Bush-Gore debates of 2000 in Westen's book, The Political Brain (italics mine): For example, he explains what he thinks Gore should have said at several points in the Bush-Gore debates. We've spent a lot of time on the incidents he discusses; we think his examples are highly salient. But we…

Thanksgiving; the sacred and the tryptophan

Since it's Thanksgiving I was going to do a shortish post about the tryptophan hypothesis being the cause of sleepiness after a turkey dinner, but the real expert on sleep cycles, my ScienceBlogs comrade Coturnix, beat me to it by a day. Which is good because without his excellent post I would certainly have made a science fool of myself. Which of course I would blame on being tired after eating a big turkey dinner. I won't repeat most of his post. You should read it foryourself. It is extremely interesting. But I will give you a bit to whet your appetite (sorrry!) and take the opporutninty…

Understanding Darwin: The legacy of evolution

As I've already mentioned, I was off in Philadelphia this past weekend, participating in a symposium entitled "Understanding Darwin: The legacy of evolution". I was a bit amazed to be there, since this was primarily a history and philosophy event with several big names in those fields, and I'm an itty-bitty biologist with more of a popular following than an academic one, but I was also glad to be involved and learned quite a bit, hob-nobbing with the big shots. Here's a short summary of the content of the talks. John Beatty talked about Natural Selection of & Versus Chance Variation. He…

What makes these quacks different from all other quacks?

These quacks are in a bit of trouble. The FTC and FDA have decided that they are sick of bogus cancer cures, and have sued a handful of companies. WHAT THE HELL TOOK THEM SO LONG? And more important, are they going to go after more snake oil salesmen? There is nothing special about the companies the FTC is going after. They make the usual bogus claims---"our particular magic herbs detoxify, boost immunity, and cure cancer." Hopefully, ChrisH will weigh in on some of the legal issues, but one of the interesting facets of these cases bears directly on the Quack Miranda Warning. According…

Listeria and public health infrastructure

Last Friday, CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report included a report on the listeriosis outbreak associated with Jensen Farms cantaloupe (the grower is recalling the melons; look for "Rocky Ford" on the label). So far, 84 cases have been confirmed in 19 states, and 15 of these victims have died. The number of cases may continue to rise, because even though the contaminated cantaloupes are at or near the end of their shelf life, the illness has a long incubation period (usually 1-3 weeks, but as much as 70 days). People who ingested the bacteria in late September might still experience…

Are bills regulating fireworks there to protect stupid people from themselves?

Yes. But don't assume you know a stupid person when you see one. Our governor just vetoed a bill passed by our Pointy Headed Republican Legislature which would have significantly reduced regulation on dangerous fireworks in the state, allowing everyone access to explosives that are currently banned. Which reminds me of a story. When I first moved to the Twin Cities, I was told by people at the University that there was only one Saint Paul neighborhood to live in. All other neighborhoods were inadequate. The same exact people who told me that then later said things that confirmed that…

I think the creationists would rather just forget about Expelled

As I've already mentioned, the makers of the Expelled movie have gone bankrupt, and the movie itself is on the auction block…and a few people on the side of goodness, light, and knowledge are making a bid to buy it. There's some reasonable interest there: the Expelled crew did a lot of interviews, and only a small portion of them actually made it to the screen. Personally, I can tell you that they spent about three hours with me one afternoon, and maybe a minute of that total made it to the movie. I was actually surprised that that one bit was all that made the cut, and even it was absurdly…

Stanford Prison experiment posted on YouTube

The Stanford Prison experiment was a very famous -- now infamous -- experiment in social psychology that was conducted in 1971 by Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, Stanford psychology professor. You probably remember him if you took a high school or college intro to psychology course because he made a very popular set of instructional videos on psychology that are often used in such courses. The experiment randomly assigned male undergraduate students to participate in a two week mock prison. They were randomly assigned to be guards and inmates. However, things went horribly wrong. The guards faced a…

The burden of addressing institutional problems.

I've been having a great email exchange with another blogger about the current flare-up of the battle over women in academic science, and he brought to my attention a bothersome feature of this New York Times interview with Dr. Ben A. Barres: Q. How does this bias [that men have an innate advantage in science over women] manifest itself? A. It is very much harder for women to be successful, to get jobs, to get grants, especially big grants. And then, and this is a huge part of the problem, they don't get the resources they need to be successful. Right now, what's fundamentally missing and…

Flock of Dodos

With all this talk about Expelled!, the creationist movie, I thought it was about time to resurrect the review I wrote many moons ago of Flock of Dodos by Randy Olson, along with some updated information. Flock of Dodos is a much better film than Expelled!, and explores the same issue, with somewhat different conclusions. So, for instance, if you are going to use one of them in a school or church to explain the ID/Evolution controversy, I recommend Flock. (That's a picture of Randy with some big birds at the Tribeca Film Festival.) Plus, since its been out a bit longer, Flock of Dodos is…