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Another Decline: Lobsters

In the 1960s, Godfrey Merlen, a longtime resident of Galapagos, remembers hoards of spiny lobster antennae that resembled "bouquets of underwater flowers". Today, lobsters are a rare sight to divers. There are still a few refuges because the conditions are so rough that fishermen cannot frequent the sites. But, on calm days, these lobster homes are hit hard and the populations continues to the decline. According to Fernando Ortiz at Conservation International, the catch-per-unit-effort for lobsters in Galapagos has hit a record low. Almost all spiny lobsters caught in Galapagos are…

Twitter is f'in - or at least way -- cool

I'm rapidly seeing that Twitter isn't all bad after all. I've little taste for it when used primarily as a social net -- though I can see the attraction for some, especially people with free time in big cities. (I have no time and live in a tiny town...). But as this story shows, it's a tremendous resource for tracking breaking news and discussing issues or topics. Like being in a big room with lots of conversations going on around you; you can pick which to track, drift in and out, chime in or even get insistent, or close the tweet window and step out for some quiet. Plus you get a…

The Media Equation - Stoking Fear Everywhere You Look - NYTimes.com

I get a couple media-industry newsletters, which lately have made gruesome reading: The blood is running deep in most media companies, and today came the news that the New York Times, from which I get some of my better freelance assignments, is borrowing against its own brand-new building to meet cash shortages. The same paper today runs an essay on how constantly rains such bad news these days. My favorite line: Every modern recession includes a media séance about how horrible things are and how much worse they will be, but there have never been so many ways for the fear to leak in.…

Would someone explain this to me, please...

...because there's something about the culture here in the South that I just don't understand. I was driving earlier, when a funeral procession started to pass from the opposite direction. While I was waiting for them to pass, I was looking at some of the drivers in the procession. A significant fraction of the people in the funeral procession cars were dressed in uniform. Confederate uniform. Based on where I was and the direction they were heading, the funeral was clearly going to be in the nearby national cemetery. I just don't get it. How on earth is it appropriate for people to…

Great Moments in The Great Outdoors #5682

I went birding again this morning. There's a nice, peaceful nature trail on base that's usually deserted if you're there before 7:30. The trail runs near the shoreline, and there's enough beach access to make it easy to watch the various shorebirds. Anyway, I've been slowly wandering around on the trail and on the beach for a while when my morning coffee finally starts to catch up to me. I casually stroll over to a secluded clump of dense bushes, and start to take care of things. No sooner have I begun than there's this massive rustling noise, as an extremely irritated - and wet - rabbit…

I'm back.

For a number of reasons, I've been gone from my own blog for most of the last couple of months. Moving had something to do with it, but I think the biggest reason was that after two years as part of the ScienceBlogs collective and something like a year or so on my own before that, I just plain needed a break. I'm back, the batteries are recharged, and I've got absolutely no idea what you'll be seeing here over the coming weeks and months. I know I want to do some things differently, but I learned a while ago not to make promises - even to myself - about what I'm going to change. This time…

Tara on Danica McKellar

Tara at Aetiology has a review of Danica McKellar's new book Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind Or Breaking A Nail. She also snagged an interview with McKellar which you can find here. She asks McKellar about her motivations for writing the book and also why she choose to weave examples around stereotypical "girly" things like fashion, shopping, and makeup, among other questions. McKellar, for those of you who don't know or remember, starred as Winnie in the television series The Wonder Years. Afterwards she went on to earn a math degree summa…

Let's Get Nominating, People!

Please don't forget to nominate posts for the 2007 Science Blogging Anthology. I've added an icon to the left sidebar that you can click on (it's the blue "Open Lab 2007" bit just below "nominate posts for") to go to the very easy, very short nomination form. Let's make sure that this year there are some posts on women and science, some posts from women science bloggers, in the anthology. Bora tells me that nary a single post in those categories has been nominated since I made my original plea a week ago. Everybody too busy with end of the semester? And now Memorial Day weekend is…

Homeopathy kills too

Hard on the heels of the recent media coverage (well done Channel 7!) of the death of a child from Whooping Cough due to antivaccination sentiments in Australia, comes the death of an infant due to homeopathy. The father is a homeopathy quack, and instead of treating his child's eczema with traditional creams, he allowed his daughter to get a major skin infection, lose weight due to malnourishment, and eventually die. The good news, if it can be called that, is that the parents are on trial for manslaughter by gross criminal negligence. I would hope this foreshadows all homeopaths,…

Birthday Quotes 2: Darwin on good and bad ideas in science.

Adam Sedgwick was one of the leading geologists of Darwin's time, and was a friend and former teacher of Darwin. After reading Origin of Species, he wrote a letter to Darwin expressing his disappointment with the book. In his reply, Darwin wrote: I grieve to have shocked a man whom I sincerely honour. But I do not think you would wish anyone to conceal the results at which he has arrived after he has worked, according to the best ability which may be in him. I do not think my book will be mischievous; for there are so many workers that, if I be wrong I shall soon be annihilated; &…

Happy Birthday, Paul.

As almost everyone has already mentioned (there are perils to living in one of the last timezones before the dateline), today is P Zed Myers 50th birthday. Some, like Richard Dawkins) have done poems to celebrate the event, but I think a better present from me, given my talents, would be to write no poem - so here it is: Now that I've got that taken care of, I thought I'd join John Lynch in using the opportunity to call people's attention to an article that is quite possibly PZ's single greatest bit of writing: The Proper Reverence Due to Those Who Have Gone Before. Take a few minutes to…

8 year old finds 15 million year old horse fossils

One of the more famous events in the development of evolutionary biology was the shift from the linear notion of horse evolution proposed by E. D. Cope O. C. Marsh and T. H. Huxley in the 19th century to the "bushy" model of horse evolution in the middle of the 20th. But not all branches of the bush were found. Now, an eight year old boy fossil hunting with his parents in California Nevada has found some crucial fossils of small three toed horse ancestors. I hope he ends up doing more of this... UPDATE: Josh Rosenau has a corrected and expanded post on this. He actually asked an expert,…

Blinking, kicking, working, and taking drugs... what could possibly go wrong?

In case you missed them, here are my picks this week for psychology/neuroscience posts from ResearchBlogging.org. Viewers of videos synchronize their blinking. It's true. When people watch videos in a group, they tend to blink at the same time. Steve Genco explains why. The goal really does seem bigger when you're kicking well. Mo explains the research, which involves an extremely cute miniature adjustable field goal. People work harder when they believe their work is "meaningful." A cool experiment involving Legos explains why adult video store clerks are the surliest people in the world (…

Nice genetics quip

Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” and Endnote are synthetic lethals. From The Futile Cycle. "A synthetic pair of genes are two gene variants that alone are fine, but when combined into the same organism, cause it to die." Why? When you have Endnoted a paper and send it to a friend or coauthor, and they make changes that are Tracked, and this includes reformatting the bibliography, all the bibliographic references become marked as changes (the workaround is to turn off Track Changes when you reformat, then turn it back on again. But this is a computer, folks, so why should you need to do…

Where's Wilkins?

OK, so while the vandals are playing some weird game on another thread, I suppose I better tell the rest of you what's happening. 1. I'm applying for a real job, and another postdoc. 2. I have two conference papers to prepare and deliver, and travel to and from (including what looks like a very wet and cold motorbike ride to Armidale NSW this Friday). 3. I'm preparing to teach cognitive science to undergraduates. The poor wee bastards... 4. I'm responding to reviewers' comments on a grant application. 5. I'm writing other stuff. Simultaneously. As I am by nature Very Lazy, this…

The benediction

After the sermon comes, as we all know, the benediction. I just wanted to say that I welcome religious believers here. I want you to read me, and the other Science Bloggers, whether they are aggressively atheist or assertively theist, bored, or just good mannered, because discussion is what it's all about. So come forth... err, go into the blog... whatever, look forward to hearing from you. Chris at Highly Allochthonous (I just love typing that name) calls this a "robust exchange of views". Where I grew up, the phrase "robust exchange of views", or "full and frank exchange" basically meant…

Saving the whales is a dangerous business

Some has decided that the Island of Doubt is one of the top marine biology blogs around. Which is a bit odd as I rarely post about such issues anymore. But I do pay attention, and in an effort to at least acknowledge the honor, here's a relevant post: The Sea Shepherd Society's ultra-cool trimaran, the Andy Gil, is no more: And thanks to Southern Fried Science, here's another view of the same incident: Who's to blame? I wasn't there and I know enough about the challenges of navigating in rough seas not to pass judgment based only on videos taken from less than ideal perspectives. But hey…

Briefly

I finally have internet - only took Primus three weeks to install and get working my internet and phone - and that was with an existing account and line! Tonight I went to the opening of a Thomas Henry Huxley exhibit at the Macleay Museum, and Michael Ruse gave an excellent talk on Tom and his Sydney connection (his wife Nettie came from Sydney and THH himself spent a fair bit of time here and up north on the HMS Rattlesnake). Then a nice Thai dinner and talk, although (you may be surprised to learn) I spent a lot of time just listening. Ruse and Paul Griffiths at the same table made for…

Mexico has atheists!

And I'll be meeting some of them tomorrow. I'm sure I'll see a few people from Ateísmo desde México at Coloquio Mexicano de Ateísmo, and more…I actually get to spend a few days in Mexico City. I hope they'll forgive the fact that I don't have a lick of Spanish, which is a bit embarrassing nowadays…I should probably sign up for a few classes here at UMM sometime. It's not too late to get yourself to the big city for a great meeting. Oh, and look: there's a poll! I can guess what it's saying. Vas a asistir al Coloquio: ¿Cómo te identificas? Librepensador(a) 17% Creyente 4% Deista 2%…

Unbelievable visual illusion

Check this out: As you might guess, all these bands are actually horizontal, but the stripes cause each band to be perceived as sloping up or down. But take a closer look: the top pair of bands appears to be getting closer together as you move from left to right, while the bottom pair appears to be getting farther apart. Yet the stripes on each pair of bands are slanted in the same direction: the only thing that makes the bands appear to slope in different directions is the frequency of the stripes. I found this illusion via David Whitaker's web site. Whitaker submitted one of the top ten…

Can psychology help us be happier?

Mind Hacks interviews Gretchen Rubin, who's working on a book about happiness, and blogging about it. SCLin's Neuroscience Blog asks: How do you keep up with the literature? I cheat. I let Greta do it for me! NY Times discusses the difference between "psychological" and physical torture. Short answer: there is none. I've suspected this for a while: Coffee doesn't help you wake up. Or, rather, it only helps if you don't drink it all the time. Why kids accept no substitutes for their security blankets. What is more calming than watching beautiful scenes from nature? Watching them on a bigger…

Help! How to divide readers into five equal groups

Quick question for those more computer-savvy than I am. Can you help me divide readers into five roughly equal groups (it's for this week's Casual Friday). In the past, I've relied on the "what month is your birthday in" question, but it won't work when I need five groups. Surely there's a simple javascript out there that would automatically return a random number from 1 to 5. I've done a few searches, but most of the scripts I could find have been too complicated, requiring user input. I just want the number to be automatically generated according to my specifications. If you know how to do…

Yet Another Big Time NE Pacific Storm

From the National Hurricane Center: THIS SPECIAL ADVISORY IS BEING ISSUED TO REFLECT THAT SERGIO HAS INTENSIFIED TO 85 KNOTS. THIS IS BASED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PINHOLE EYE AND OBJECTIVE DVORAK-T-NUMBERS. THE INTENSITY FORECAST HAS BEEN A CONSERVATIVELY ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY AND THE INITIAL AND 12 HOUR WIND RADII HAVE BEEN EXPANDED. NO CHANGE IN FORECAST TRACK IS INDICATED. Sergio is, apparently, a late season rapid intensifier....and a lot of the models suggest that its burst has only begun (it's currently at Cat2). Yikes. November 16, 2006, UPDATE: Sergio's rapid intensification did not…

You Might Think I'm Crazy...

Okay, I'm readying myself for the criticisms and hate mail....I have agreed to debate Jonathan Wells again, this time for an hour. And it's going to be on a conservative show: The Michael Medved Show out of Seattle. We're doing it in studio, from 1 to 2 pm PT, on Friday. Okay, now's your chance to fire away with all the reasons why I shouldn't be doing this. Or, if you're in the mood, feel free to post any constructive comments concerning my last performance against Wells; or, thoughts on what I might do differently this time; or, vivid descriptions of just how badly I'm going to get my butt…

Debating Jonathan Wells

Well, summer has been fun, but it's time to get back in business. So I just agreed to debate anti-evolutionist Jonathan Wells on the Alan Colmes Show on Fox Radio, next Tuesday, August 22, from 11:00 to 11:30 ET. Wells, you may or may not know, is author of Icons of Evolution, and now he's got a new one out with Regnery Press (publisher of Tom Bethell) entitled The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design. I will be reading his book soon and posting some of its arguments for your reactions...in the meantime, here's where all of you get to tell me I'm crazy for agreeing…

Congrats to Diana Preston

Last night she was announced winner of the Los Angeles Times book prize in science and technology for her book Before the Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima, which I haven't read but which I'm certain is very deserving of the distinction. Afterwards, Sean Carroll and I cried into our beers....er, no, just kidding, I was glad just to be recognized, and it was a great event here in Los Angeles. It was fun to hang out afterwards and talk to the city's literary bigwigs. I'll be appearing on a panel tomorrow at the LA Times book festival along with Arianna Huffington, Jules Witcover, and…

Feeling Dumbfounded

I'm Google dependent, just like all the rest of you. But I heard about a new search function that's going live today, and I've been checking it out. (Full Disclosure: I heard from a friend here in D.C. who's involved in promoting this search.) The name is catchy--Dumbfind. It doesn't replace Google, and it takes some getting used to, but it seems to allow for better sifting of results for those who know exactly what they're looking for through the use of tags that organize the content, as explained here and here. As a bunch of science geeks, I figured that some of you folks might want to give…

Brain image used to control robot

Japanese researchers have found a way to use a human brain image to control a robot. While this isn't exactly "mind control" -- the human still has to physically move his body in order to create the proper brain image, it's a fascinating example of how things might work in the future. There are still quite a few obstacles to overcome, however. An MRI machine is a huge device, and it must be operated in a clean room away from sources of magnetic interference. It's not like you could use this thing to drive your car. Also, the headline on the news story is misleading: "Brain waves" are not…

Can We Squawk About the Weather?

We can if we're Fox News. Or Matt Drudge. These people use any snowstorm as reason to cast doubt on global warming. It's as predictable as...well, no, it's a lot more predictable than the weather. I really regret that important global warming protests and actions always seem to be timed so that they coincide with winter weather. Mostly, the activists can't help it; it's just rotten luck. But I'll say it again: Having the U.N. Copenhagen meeting in Denmark in December is just asking for this kind of stuff. That doesn't, of course, excuse the dishonesty from right-wingers who continually try to…

Sex, Work, Children, Trends

Science bloggers are still abuzz over Wednesday's discussion of women in academia and now Razib (one of my very favorite sciblings) has taken the topic one step further.  He collected data on the mean number of hours worked last week broken down by sex and compared that with the number of children per individual. I always enjoy reading Razib's amusing analyses (and justified reason to link great flicks from the 80s): As you can see, the more children women have, the fewer hours they worked last week (on average). Women are primary care givers, no surprise. On the other hand, you can see a…

About That Mouse...

Last Sunday, I shared the story of a mouse that ate my breakfast and readers provided a myriad of helpful tips on catching our rodent residents in comments, blogs, and over email. I did some research based on your suggestions and ordered The Smart House--yes, it's actually shaped like a little green house.  And would you know it, Gus moved right in: He has subsequently relocated to a lovely park several miles away after I gave warning to stay away from cats.  We both hope that Jaq will be joining him  soon.  Thanks to everyone for your help confronting our unwanted guests. And with that,…

Return To A New World

I go away for a week, and Obama up and acts to restore the role of science advisor to cabinet-level status and does a heck of a lot of good for oceans. On the latter, I cannot imagine a better choice for head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ocean scientists everywhere rejoice! I've returned to a new world where the rules have changed and seemingly anything is possible... I'll have more on Jane Lubchenco's appointment soon, as well as stories and photos from the rainforest, the reefs, and solstice at Arecibo Observatory. There were also a handful of emails in my…

The class writes

I told you I've got my development class blogging, and here's the update for this week. Hannah's blog discusses recent observations in blind cavefish. Lisa's Ledger is about a new Alzheimer-associated gene. Development from a naiad is on a brief break while the author does some extracurricular traveling. Kele's Science Blog goes above and beyond the call of duty to describe a classic paper on digit reduction in amphibian evo-devo. Rev. Frost goes all neuro and describes experiments exploring cerebral palsy. Weekly Developmental Biology Updates needs updating. Developmental…

Happy Birthday Chris

Chris and I have been working on so many projects lately from our book to ScienceDebate2008 to several more we haven't yet mentioned here. Well, tomorrow is his 31st birthday and all I can say is, Chris, you're an inspiration. As we embarked on our newest endeavor earlier this week in the nation's capitol, I was reminded that amid all the writing, blogging, and collaborating, the best part is that no matter what we're up to, we always have a lot of fun in the process. As I wrote last year, make sure you party like a rockstar down in New Orleans! I hope readers will join me in wishing a…

Randy Olson Tells It Like It Is...

...about, like, things people don't want to hear. But if you do want to hear, listen to this Skepticality podcast. I'll quote a particularly poignant part of it, from Olson discussing how little the science world does to support innovative attempts at communication (around minute 40): What if there's some sixteen year old kid right now that is making great short films about evolution. How can that person get any sort of recognition and support, how can somebody guide them to the place where they can get a hundred thousand dollars to make a documentary film about some aspect of evolution. It…

Thoughts from Kansas

So: As a result of a dialogue sparked by Josh Rosenau, I now find myself in tiny Hays, Kansas, pop. 20,000, where I'm here to give a talk today at Fort Hays State University. Other than, like, Kansas City, I have never been in Kansas before that I can remember. I flew here in a turboprop. And it's about time: All too often my travels, especially for talks, have been essentially bi-coastal. There's a big country in the middle, though, and quite a lot that I've missed--including some great people, like the folks from Hays, who I've had the pleasure of hanging out with a bit already. So today,…

Off to Camarillo, then Salt Lake City

I've had a very illuminating time here in New Orleans at the National Hurricane Conference, but now it's off to California for this event tomorrow: Saturday, April 7, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM California State University Channel Islands Aliso Hall Auditorium Camarillo, CA * Public Lecture sponsored by the Political Science Program Then I'm on to Utah for this one: Monday, April 9, 4:30 PM-6:00 PM University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Sutherland Moot Courtroom Salt Lake City UT * Public lecture Blogging is always tough from the road, but I'll have more on responses to our Science article, as…

An Eyewitness Account of Cyclone George

I just received a long blog comment from Rich, who manages the Black Rock Tourist Park in South Hedland, Australia. They bore the brunt of Cyclone George down there, and Rich's comment makes for fascinating--and harrowing--reading. Here's one tidbit: The ceilings literally rose and fell inches as the wind whipping over the building sucked at the roof. Walls and windows flexed visibly, as debris, like bullets, peppered the house, tearing long gashes in the colourbond steel cladding. and shattering double glazed windows behind security grills designed to stop impacts. The rest of Rich's comment…

Happy Caturday!

moar funny pictures Eliza and Madeline, two kittens I fostered over the summer. (They have good homes now.) Given my fondness for cats, I guess the result of this quiz isn't all that surprising, either [hat-tip to John]; Your result for The Which Discworld Character Am I Test... DEATH You scored 98 intelligence, 48 morality, and 48 physical strength! YOU ARE SMART, SAVVY, AND KNOW WHAT DEDICATION TO THE JOB IS...MOST OF THE TIME. YOU ENJOY YOUR WORK, AND EVEN HELP OUT OTHER ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATIONS FROM TIME TO TIME. RECENTLY, YOU'VE LEARNED WHEN TO BEND THE RULES, MUCH TO THE…

The Three Laws of Musicodynamics

1. Good music can neither be created, nor destroyed. All the good music already exists.  It does not matter how many hours you spend at the keyboard trying to come up with something new.  All of your efforts are in vain. 2. The degree of disorganization in music increases to a maximum. From now on, all music will be increasingly cacophonous.  Any new musical instrument that is created will be even more frightening, unsettling, and disgusting than all preceding instruments. 3. As the tempo of music approaches absolute zero, the entropy of the audience approaches a constant... ...a…

These Ones Are Really Big

From href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070409-crystal-cave.html">National Geographic: April 9, 2007—Geologist Juan Manuel García-Ruiz calls it "the Sistine Chapel of crystals," but Superman could call it home. A sort of south-of-the-border Fortress of Solitude, Mexico's Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals) contains some of the world's largest known natural crystals—translucent beams of gypsum as long as 36 feet (11 meters)... Apparently a mining operation pumped water out of a cave, and this is what they found.  The story of the discovery of the caves…

Penguin Pebble Envy

href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/photogalleries/wip-week20/index.html">National Geographic POD face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, March 13, 2007—For gentoo penguins, it's all about who's got the best rocks. Like a human offering jewelry, this gentoo male at the Edinburgh Zoo presents a large pebble on Tuesday in hopes of winning over a female. But sometimes finding the flashiest gifts isn't enough. During the mating season—which begins in March and lasts up to six weeks—males suffering from "pebble envy" will steal…

Gruezi!

We've been in Davos, Switzerland for almost a week. I've been attending the Research in Engineering Education Symposium, and my husband has been hiking his little feet off. Before the conference, we had a gorgeous day of hiking, including past this meadow. The flowers are spectacular, as are the rest of the mountain views. At the end of this hike was a little restaurant, along with a bunch of cheerful Bavarians who bought us local beer and taught us the prost song. I'll blog about the conference (along with the NWSA conference from mid-June) once I get back to the States. Tomorrow…

Sorry for slight blogging...

... as I'm sick. And swamped. And sick. And traveling again both this weekend, and next weekend. And last weekend. Did I mention I'm sick? In better news, the bobcat guy flattened our backyard, so it's flat now from the geothermal installation, and looks like it has potential for gardening. A cheering thought. My good friend and colleague Donna Riley is visiting Purdue today (and giving this seminar), and dinner with her and a group of other folks is promised on another colleague's porch (it's going to be 70ºF!). So that counterbalances a bit the sickness and swampedness. A little…

A new name and a new look to reflect our new cast

When Alice and I teamed up last month, we realized that we needed a new name - one that was inclusive of both of our identities and reflects where we want this blog to go. Today, we're proud to unveil that new name and a new banner to go along with it. From here on out, this blog is... Sciencewomen A scientist and an engineer being the change we want to see Congratulations to Makita for being the first to suggest the name. She'll be receiving a Sb mug as her prize, just as soon as I find her address. And if any of you creative souls want to come up with a better banner for us, we'd love to…

A short holiday

I'm off to Egypt later on today to attend my cousin's wedding. I probably won't have access to the internet for the 8 days that I'm there, so I've scheduled some posts for next week: the essay I've just submitted for my Masters will be appearing in a series of four posts, starting on Monday. Otherwise, there'll be no activity here. I won't even be approving any comments that are posted, but don't let that stop you from commenting, as I'll moderate them all as soon as I get back. Meanwhile, feel free to browse my archives, and don't forget to visit Brain in a Vat this coming Monday fro the…

How to cite a blog

A reader writes: Dear Mo, I want to quote your Brain in a Nutshell Essay. Can you please provide me some bibliographic data of this essay. I don't want to cite just Mo and a short-lived URL. I was flattered to get this email, but I wasn't sure how to respond. I suggested something along these lines: Costandi, M. (2007). The Brain in a Nutshell. Neurophilosophy Weblog. Retrieved on September 26, 2007, from http://scienceblogs.com/ neurophilosophy/2007/08/the_brain_in_a_nutshell.php As luck would have it, the second edition of Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors…

Language evolution & science literacy

Just posted on the Seed website is an article about the evolution of language by Juan Uriageraka, from the October issue of Seed Magazine. Most of the article concerns the role of the FoxP2 gene in the brains of songbirds. (I discussed this gene earlier in the week in my post about echolocation.) Also on the Seed website are the winners of the second annual Seed Science Writing contest, in which the contestants were asked to write an essay about what it means to be scientifically literate in the 21st century. The winners are Scientific Literacy and the Habit of Disclosure, by Thomas M.…

Free online neuroscience vids

The Learner.org website has a large collection of video teaching modules for high school, college and adult students, including modules on the brain and mind. The Brain module has 32 film clips, ranging in length from 5-20 minutes. They include films about Phineas Gage, the visual system, sensori-motor integration, the role of synaptic plasticity in learning, the brain's language centres and neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions. The 35 videos in the Mind module include films on brain mechanisms of pleasure and addiction, the role of the frontal lobes in cognition and awareness…

A 3,000-year-old prosthesis

This artificial big toe, which was found on the foot of an ancient Egyptian mummy, has been dated to 1069- 664 BCE, and is on display at the Cairo Museum in Egypt. Researchers from Manchester University's KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology have made a replica of the prosthesis to determine whether or not it was of any practical use. They are seeking volunteers who have had their right toe amputated, in order to test their replica. "If we can prove it was functional then we will have pushed back prosthetic medicine by as much as 700 years," said lead researcher Jacky Finch.…