Search Content

Displaying results 49251 - 49300 of 87947

Reading classical papers as an educational tool

Using a classic paper by I. E. Lawton and N. B. Schwartz to consider the array of factors that control luteinizing hormone production: Two significant benefits derived from reading and discussing classic scientific papers in undergraduate biology courses are 1) providing students with the realistic perspective that science is an ongoing process (rather than a set of inarguable facts) and 2) deepening the students' understanding of physiological processes. A classic paper that is useful in both of these regards is by I. E. Lawton and N. B. Schwartz (A circadian rhythm of luteinizing hormone…

Dinosaurs! At National Geographic

As usual, they made a great website and you can have fun with the "hidden camera" and try to figure out how many little movies did they have to make for the trick to work (i.e., try to "roar" when the people are on different places on the screen): In support of this upcoming special, National Geographic has asked that I invite you to experience Dino Central Park [http://www.dinocentralpark.com]. Featuring a hidden "webcam" in Central Park, the website allows users to scare the pants off of unsuspecting New Yorkers walking through the park by controlling a virtual Dino hidden in the bushes.…

A Week in PLoS

What with all the traveling, I am behind with all the PLoS-related news. So, let me put it all together in one post here. In the Media There is a very nice article in New York Times about the launch of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases and a nice article about Open Access in The Journal Times (hat-tip: Jonathan). Also see commentary from the blogosphere: Introduction at The Modest Proposal blog and The End of Advertising as we know it on Elearnspace. PLoS ONE Last week, when I made my picks, I forgot to point out a very interesting paper from the Ross lab: Molecular Variation at a Candidate…

My picks from ScienceDaily

Why Dinosaurs Had 'Fowl' Breath: Scientists have discovered how dinosaurs used to breathe in what provides clues to how they evolved and how they might have lived. Sexist Humor No Laughing Matter, Psychologist Says: A research project led by a Western Carolina University psychology professor indicates that jokes about blondes and women drivers are not just harmless fun and games; instead, exposure to sexist humor can lead to toleration of hostile feelings and discrimination against women. Recreational Cocaine Use May Impair Inhibitory Control: The recreational use of cocaine has rapidly…

Yes, dolphins are smart!

Remember last summer when some guy named Paul Manger wrote a paper asserting how dolphins and other Cetaceans are really quite dumb? There was quite an interesting discussion about it on blogs back then, e.g., here, here, here and here. Now, a formal rebuttal got published in PLoS-Biology: Cetaceans Have Complex Brains for Complex Cognition: The brain of a sperm whale is about 60% larger in absolute mass than that of an elephant. Furthermore, the brains of toothed whales and dolphins are significantly larger than those of any nonhuman primates and are second only to human brains when…

Science Blogging Conference - who is coming? (Social Sciences and Humanities)

There are 86 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. There are already 105 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 230). 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. Science is not just physics, chemistry and biology. There are also psychology, anthropology, archaeology, economics, etc. And…

Transgenic Mosquitoes Cannot Spread Malaria

A transgenic mosquito carrying a gene that confers resistance to the malaria parasite. These mosquitoes had another gene inserted into them to make their eyes fluoresce, to distinguish them from unmodified insects. (Image: PNAS) A genetically modified (GM) strain of malaria-resistant mosquito has been created that is better able to survive than disease-carrying insects. The transgenic insect strain carries a gene that prevents infection by the malaria parasite. This provides new hope for one malaria control strategy where the transgenic insects are released into the wild and they then take…

Chimpanzees Hunt Using Primitive Spears

Researchers have documented 22 cases of wild chimpanzees fashioning wooden spears to poke at smaller primates sheltering in cavities of hollow branches or tree trunks. Chimpanzees have not been previously observed hunting other animals with tools. "There were hints that this behaviour might occur, but it was one time at a different site," said Jill Pruetz, assistant professor of anthropology at Iowa State University, US and the study's lead author. Pruetz and her colleague, Paco Bertolani, made the discovery at their research site in Fongoli, Senegal, between March 2005 and July 2006. "While…

A Calculator That was Ahead of Its Time

I found the most amazing story about an astronomical calculator that is the earliest discovered device known to contain an intricate set of gear wheels.This amazing calculator could add, multiply, divide and subtract. It could also align the number of lunar months with years and display where the sun and the moon were in the zodiac. "The actual astronomy is perfect for the period," said Professor Mike Edmunds, a professor of astrophysics at Cardiff University in Wales. "Our recent work has applied very modern techniques that we believe have now revealed what its actual functions were." This…

Dumbledore's Love Life

tags: Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, JK Rowling Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. [Albus Dumbledore portrayed by Michael Gambon in HP films 3-5] Image: Warner Bros (2003). JK Rowling was in NYC's Carnegie Hall last night, giving a reading from the last book in her literary sensation, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. During the question and answer session following this reading, she made a revelation about Albus Dumbledore that will no doubt outrage certain sorts of people, as if the witchcraft theme of the Harry Potter books is not…

Robin with Nestlings

tags: birds, American Robin, Turdus migratorius, Image of the Day American Robin, Turdus migratorius, with hungry nestlings in NYC's Central Park. Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size]. More below the fold regarding how this image was captured. The photographer writes: This picture is from my almost-too-cute-for-words file. It may be another one of those ho-hum-here-go-again photos of nestlings but how I got this shot will always stay with me. I was standing on a sloping boulder on the far northwest edge of the Ramble in Central Park when I heard the nestlings yelling…

Mind Over Matter?

Fat Cat. Orphaned image, resized (smaller). Can obesity be a symptom of depression? I certainly think so, although I only have anecdotal evidence to support my opinion. To wit; Based on what a chubby friend once told me, this is a vicious cycle; feeling depressed? Eat comfort foods, which leads to weight gain, which leads to more depression, which leads to eating more comfort foods, more weight gain, followed by deeper depression .. On the other hand, a doctor once explained obesity to another friend of mine as resulting from additive behavior. But, he said, a food addiction not like an…

Field Guide

Andes, Ecuador [resized]. Photo: Born2Bird. Okay, most people thought yesterday's poem was a stinker, so I am making up for that today by posting a wonderful poem written by a Seattle pal of mine. My friend, Jim Gurley, supports his poetry by working as a librarian. He writes about nature, science and medicine and was the 2002 winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize for his first book of poetry, Human Cartography. Field Guide by James Gurley -- For Ted Parker, ornithologist & conservationist, 1953-1993 Above the canopy in Ecuador, Ted Parker's Cessna flies into a cloud, a mountainside. The…

Bérubéan snark

Sometimes, it just takes a little sharp humor to clarify our current situation. Well, to understand the Sonia Sotomayor fracas you have to realize that the timespace confundulum has actually fractured into two frozen moments, one having to do with the sudden appearance of emotional, abrasive Latinas and their strange cuisine amid the eating clubs of Princeton, and the other having to do with ungrateful women of color getting named to positions where they can dole out their reverse-racist versions of "justice." Yes, that's right, it's always 1972 and it's always 1993--and at the same time. I…

Expanding Local Food Infrastructure in Vermont

Good review of the progress made by Vermont's Farm to Plate Initiative (a model I'm watching closely).  One of the most challenging areas for local food expansion is moving into schools and hospitals - and yet, this is also where it is most needed.  I'm also pleased to see the expanded program in VT law school - expanding the number of small farms is going to involve some major shifts in a whole host of areas governed by law: In 2011 Fletcher Allen Hospital served more than 2 million meals, actually making hospital nutrition services the largest restaurant in Vermont. They partner with 70…

iPod iChing - $$$

Oy vey, it is friday again. On this season of passing over, we intrepidly approach the mighty iPod One, and ask humbly: what about funding, oh Mighty Omnipotent iPod? Whoosh goes the randomizer. Whooooooosh. The Covering: Envy the Love - Various The Crossing:Scholarship is The Enemy of Romance - Billy Bragg The Crown: Sigurjón Digri - Stuðmenn The Root: Heart of Glass - Blondie The Past: Scenes From Childhood: Foreign Lands and People The Future: Jeane - Billy Bragg The Questioner: Love for Sale - Talking Heads The House: Fandanguillo, Op 36 The Inside: I Hope You Want Me Too - Mavericks…

So you want to be an astrophysicist? Part 0 - gettting ready for university

Lightly edited reruns from Ye Olde Blog. This is part 0, tentatively aimed at US high school students wanted to end up doing an astrophysics PhD. (rant on US high school system observed from outside deleted - see link above if you care). So, what should YOU do, wanting to get into a good university and an astro/physics major? 1) Take all the math that is offered, and do well in it. 2) Take all the science on offer, and do well in that. 3) Get good grades overall; preferably straight A, but B+ will do. It will get you far enough to have a chance to see if you can hack it at the next level. 4…

NRC: the future of rankings

Two aspects of the NRC rankings are that a) it took so long that the results are dated and people will selectively choose to use or ignore them as suits best (and then rely on the 1995 rankings instead I gather) and, b) the process was so hard and unpleasant it will never be done again... Hmm, that sounds familiar. We can fix that. See, the arduous part of the NRC was the data mining - gathering the metrics after they'd been defined. It took a long time and required iterations and debate. But, this is precisely the sort of thing that can be automated. At least in large part. eg. the…

A bank runs

had to stop at a large bank today and saw some signs of the time no, no that one, another of the Too Big Too Fail banks it was very busy, and the staff looked a bit frazzled, it being the first of the month and all, and a manager came to ask me if I didn't want to do my transaction through one of their "quick drop" services - especially since I "had little ones with me I politely declined, and told her I wanted a dated receipt for the transaction, and, no, the handwritten-by-me counterfoil would not do - on a side note, an acquaintance recently told us how a cash deposit through a drop-off…

iPod iChing - icy frontiers

Snowy sunny friday, and the big chill is moving in, finally. So, we ask the tres cool iPod - whence the Frontier? Whoosh goes the randomizer. Whoosh. The Covering: Floreat Inertia - Half Man Half Biscuit The Crossing: Við Gróttu - Strí&eth Og Friður The Crown:Accident Waiting to Happen - Billy Bragg The Root: I Only Have Eyes For You - Billie Holliday The Past: Science Fiction/Double Feature - Richard O'Brien The Future: Now And Then - Arlo Guthrie The Questioner: Bought Me A Cat The House: Í Háttin Kl. 8 - Stuðmenn The Inside: Time Flies By (When You're A Driver of a Train) - Half…

Bushehr rumours

unconfirmed report that Russia pulled all its technicians out of Bushehr the ever unreliable DEBKA is passing along a report from Iranian opposition group that the Russians pulled their technical people out of the almost completed Busher nuclear reactor in Iran this weekend DEBKA floats a lot of false rumours (the USS Nimitz, for example, is back in San Diego this weekend, not in the Persian Gulf as DEBKA claimed recently), so big pinch of salt on this. If true, they speculate 1) Russian-Iran relations broke down - one possibility is the Russians made a deal to support UN sanctions which…

DIY biology projects - What's your motivation?

My oldest daughter's favorite sweatshirt is one from the Seattle Children's Theatre Drama School, with the motto, "What's your motivation?" I was reminded of motivation the other day, as I talked about projects with the DIY biology group. It's pretty clear that you can't pick a project without knowing whether you're motivated by the discovery or the application. Many of the people I've known in academia, either researchers or science educators, are motivated by the prospect of discovery. They either want to discover something new or help their students make discoveries. Inquiry-based…

Hey teachers! Researchblogging.org is a great classroom resource

One time, I suggested in a list-serve that science teachers make more use of primary scientific literature. Naturally, I learned all the reasons why teachers don't do this-lack of access being one of the biggies- but I also learned something surprising. One teacher wrote that she re-writes a lot of research articles to make them easier for her students to read. I can understand that notion, in principle. My students struggle with scientific language, too, even those that have bachelor's degrees in biology. What surprised me was thinking about the amount of time that activity would take!…

Friday Fun: Why Zombies?

Noted zombie novelist Jonathan Maberry as a two part post on his blog, Why Zombies? and Why Zombies? - Part 2. The second post, btw, has one of the classic blog sentences of all time: "When I reached out to the zombie community to ask 'WHY ZOMBIES?' I got so many terrific responses that I broke the blog into two parts." Zombie community. Only on the internet! Anyways, I digress. Maberry's researches with the zombie community include short bits from a ton of zombie novel authors. Here's his initial question: We kick off our rolling series of ZOMBIE PANEL DISCUSSIONS by addressing the…

NASA: New Initiatives - None

NASA 2010 budget request is out. Not very stimulating, especially for Astrophysics. NASA still does not have a nominated Administrator, and really does not have a direction, even though key and somewhat irrevocable decisions are imminent, in particular on the retirement of the Shuttle and development of the "Constellation" expendable launch system that has been under development. Maybe Obama is bit distracted, or something. Anyway, there is a 2010 NASA requested budget and it sucks. Apart from Earth Science, the Science directorate outlook is nicely summarized by the headline in the…

One rotten apple

I recently argued that to scientists, accuracy is the most important element of a story (surprising, no?) in response to a journalist trying to claim that character and plot were more important. I also tried to make the case that accuracy and an interesting narrative aren't mutually incompatible — and I should have added that accuracy ought to be the number one priority for science journalists, too. In case you're wondering why so many scientists are distrustful of science journalists, you should take a look at this account from Ben Goldacre. A masters student in psychology gave a talk at a…

Mystery Bird: Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea

tags: Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz [Mystery bird] Female Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea, photographed at the east end of Galveston Island, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow] Image: Joseph Kennedy, 16 April 2007 [larger view]. Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/125s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400. Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification. Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes: Hard to image anything plainer. But that very plainness -- plus the odd hint…

Duckling Crossing

tags: duckling crossing, Washington state, SR-512, People Helping Birds, nature, streaming video Mallard ducklings snoozing in the sunshine. Image: curiousLee, 2003. Springtime means ducklings .. everywhere, right? Well, if you live in western Washington state, then you certainly see plenty of ducklings. But this past Monday, 28-year-old Lakewood police officer, Dustin Carrell, stopped morning rush hour traffic in western Washington state near Seattle just so a female mallard and her ten ducklings could jaywalk the busy interstate. At 9am, Carrell was off-duty and was returning his patrol…

The mermaid fatwa

We are often told that religion is a different way of knowing, that it can provide us with a different perspective and different information. I have not believed this at all, because no one has ever been able to give me an example of actual, useful information obtained from a religion, that could not have been generated by a reality-based approach. Until now. This is a question that I had never even considered before; it was unexpected and surprising. I think I've finally experienced an insightful religious question. Are you allowed to eat a mermaid? Apparently, the Koran or some of its…

Good News, My Peeps!

Peering out of the windows of my new hang-out, a coffee shop that just opened in my neighborhood. Guess who is going to get ALL of my disposable income from now on? GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view]. I think I mentioned to you a few months ago (in November to be precise) that three banks opened in my neighborhood within one week of each other -- the first banks I've seen within 10 blocks of my apartment. This was really good, since one of those bank branches is mine (not that I have any money to speak of, except for the minimum necessary to allow me to cash checks written by my pet care…

Chambers Street/WTC Subway Art, 1

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Oculus, #1 (1998). Stone and glass floor mosaic at Park Place entrance, which connects to this station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic eyes on the walls throughout Chambers Street station complex (C & E trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely untouched by the events of 9/1l. Oculus…

Park Place Subway Art, Detail (Wallacea)

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Map of the World, detail (Wallacea). Stone and glass floor mosaic at Park Place entrance, which connects to this station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic on walls throughout Chambers Street station complex (A & C trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely untouched by the events of 9/11…

Park Place Subway Art, Detail 5

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Map of the World, detail 5. Stone and glass floor mosaic at NYC's Park Place entrance, which connects to the WTC (Chambers Street) station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic eyes on the walls throughout the Chambers Street station complex (A & C trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely…

Park Place Subway Art, Detail 6

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Map of the World, detail 6. Stone and glass floor mosaic at NYC's Park Place entrance, which connects to the WTC (Chambers Street) station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic eyes on the walls throughout the Chambers Street station complex (A & C trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely…

Park Place Subway Art, Detail 1

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Map of the World, detail 1. Stone and glass floor mosaic at Park Place entrance, which connects to the WTC (Chambers Street) station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic eyes on the walls throughout the Chambers Street station complex (A & C trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely…

Park Place Subway Art, Detail 2

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Map of the World, detail 2. Stone and glass floor mosaic at NYC's Park Place entrance, which connects to the WTC (Chambers Street) station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic eyes on the walls throughout the Chambers Street station complex (A & C trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely…

Park Place Subway Art, Detail 3

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Map of the World, detail 3. Stone and glass floor mosaic at NYC's Park Place entrance, which connects to the WTC (Chambers Street) station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic eyes on the walls throughout the Chambers Street station complex (A & C trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely…

Park Place Subway Art

tags: Chambers Street, Park Place, World Trade Center, Oculus, Andrew Ginzel, Kristin Jones, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Map of the World. Stone and glass floor mosaic at Park Place entrance, which connects to the WTC (Chambers Street) station via a tunnel; also there are hundreds of stone mosaic eyes on the walls throughout the Chambers Street station complex (A & C trains). Artists: Andrew Ginzel & Kristin Jones. Image: GrrlScientist, 3 January 2009 [larger view]. Oculus is located in passageways under the World Trade Center and was largely untouched by…

42nd Street/Grand Central Subway Art 2, Detail 3

tags: Grand Central Station, 42nd Street, Fast Track and Speedwheels, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Fast Track and Speedwheels, 1990. Mixed-media sculptures in the passageway between the S and 4, 5, 6 lines in NYC's Grand Central Subway station, detail 3. Artist: Daniel Sinclair. Image: GrrlScientist, 12 January 2009 [larger view]. Dan Sinclair's Fast Track and Speedwheels are assemblages crafted from bright metallic sections that include wavy aluminum sheets, steel wheels, brass disks, copper springs and wires. Installed within a long passageway between the subway…

Mitt Romney also out of touch about regulatory agencies' power

Making a $10,000 bet, insulting people for wearing plastic rain ponchos, and asserting that $374,000 is not much to earn in speaking fees are just a few examples of Mitt Romney being out of touch. The Republican Presidential hopeful doesn't seem to have a clue either about how federal agencies like EPA and OSHA conduct their work. On Romney's website, his issue brief on "Regulations" says: "A look across the landscape shows that federal agencies today have near plenary power to issue whatever regulations they see fit. Though most are nominally controlled by the president, in actual…

World Malaria Day: Working Toward Elimination

Today is World Malaria Day, and the World Health Organization reminds us that each year the world sees approximately 250 million malaria cases and nearly 800,000 deaths from the disease. In 2009, half of the world's population were at risk of malaria. The disease is present in 106 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and Eurasia. The Roll Back Malaria Campaign has an optimistic view of where the world stands with regard to malaria today: Today, for the first time in 50 years, the international community is poised to win the fight against malaria worldwide. Effective…

Japan's Disaster and the Limits of Self-Sufficiency

In the early hours of March 11th, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, and a massive tsunami followed. More than 5,000 people are dead and almost 10,000 are missing. Hundreds of thousands are homeless, and those living near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station have been told to evacuate - while a small crew of brave workers remains nearby to try and avert catastrophic meltdown. Here in the US, our budget debates highlight differing opinions about how much we want our government to do for us. The stories we tell ourselves make a virtue of self-sufficiency, and we highlight…

Paid Sick Leave and Public Health

According to new research from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, in 2010 44 million private-sector US employees, or 42% of the workforce, lacked access to paid sick time. This IWPR analysis distinguishes between employees who are eligible for paid sick time vs. those who can actually access it, because employers often don't allow for the use of paid sick time by employees in their first months on the job. IWPR reports that new employees have to wait an average of 3.5 months to access paid sick days. The occupational categories with the lowest percentages of private-sector employees…

Boardgaming Retreat

I spent most of the weekend at a gaming retreat organised by my buddy Oscar. It was like a small exclusive gaming convention. Oscar found a small B&B outfit in Gnesta, a small town an hour's drive from Stockholm, and negotiated a deal with them. 18 people, two nights' board, two excellent dinners and breakfasts and lunches. Everybody paid about $220 (1500 SEK) for the package (not including drinks). And we had two days of solid board gaming. We were 15 guys and three ladies, all between 25 and 45, and all boardgame geeks. Everybody was extremely friendly, as gamers are wont to, and I had…

Recent Archaeomags

Archaeology Magazine's May/June issue (63:3) has a good long feature by Jarrett A. Lobell & Samir S. Patel on North European bog bodies including some new finds: Lower Saxony in 2000, the Hebrides in 2001 (you may have heard about the weird re-interred bog bodies found under a Bronze Age house) and Ireland in 2003. One of the bogged-down Irishmen was found with a bit of metalwork, which is to my knowledge unique. The piece that really caught my interest though was Eric A. Powell's critical appraisal of a recent speculative History Channel program on the 19th century fake rune-stone from…

Why Am I Not Agnostic About Gods?

The comment thread on the entry about the shroud of Turin grows daily and is (perhaps not surprisingly) mainly not about the shroud but about Christianity and atheism. Some people are praying for me and my family, others are calling me names, just because I identify as an atheist and offer the scientific consensus view of that piece of Medieval linen along with some hypotheses about its context of manufacture. Henrik commented that anybody who is not agnostic about gods has an unscientific attitude to the question. Owlmirror simply and wisely replied "Parsimony". This is in my opinion worth a…

Futile Land Reclamation

As part of the reading course I've set myself on Bronze Age sacrificial finds, wetland archaeology and landscape studies, I'm reading a new book whose title translates as "Swedish bog cultivation. Agriculture, peat use and landscape change from 1750 to 2000". It's about various ways that Swedes have tried to make use of wetland in the past centuries. The sites I'm studying are mostly in wetlands, and mostly they have been identified when finds have surfaced during the kind of projects the book covers. Its main focus is on the Swedish Bog Cultivation Society, that operated from 1886 to 1939.…

Mini-Eiszeit ab 2030? Forscher prognostizieren eiskalte Winter wie im Mittelalter?

More of the good ol' "Ice Age Is Coming" drivel, but this time in Squarehead. Normally I expect them to be more sensible than us. This via Twitter via Eli via NoTruthZone; headlined there as Now It’s Global Cooling! German Weekly Warns Scientists See “Mini Ice Age Coming In Just A Few Years”. At least in the google translated version there's no clear source, though it does feature [Sami] Solanki, the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. I don't think he's a nutter. What they quote from him is fairly sane: the solar activity is so complex that no one is able to make…

Methane cracking in molten tin

Via the Economist (probably paywalled; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology PR will do as well): the idea is that instead of steam methane forming to produce hydrogen and CO2, you crack methane directly to hydrogen and carbon. The advantage is no CO2 to dispose of; instead you have carbon, which presumably has uses. From their PR: experimental reactor that could demonstrate the potential of methane cracking and overcome previous obstacles [carbon clogging and low conversion rates]. The starting point is a novel reactor design, as proposed by Carlo Rubbia and based on liquid metal technology.…

abrupt and irreversible?

So the AR4 synthesis is out. You can read the SPM and cherry-pick your favourite bit. The BBC has, and has selected climate change is "unequivocal" - fair enough but boring, because we've had that already - and may bring "abrupt and irreversible" impacts which made me sit up and take notice. There is a headline that sez this, "Anthropogenic warming could lead to some impacts that are abrupt or irreversible, depending upon the rate and magnitude of the climate change." But what is the supporting text? "Partial loss of ice sheets on polar land could imply metres of sea level rise, major changes…