Uncategorized
sastyk | October 7, 2010Can a movement with the truth on its side abandon dry numbers for truthiness?
by guest blogger Molly Davis
**Hi guys! Sorry, this isn't much of an intro, but I hope you like the blog!**
Today's ASPO-USA conference in Washington, DC, is by far populated with people who support the idea that oil and gas supplies (or at least our ability to access them without serious environmental impacts) are peaking and that the results will prove both economically and socially disruptive.
But among this group, almost all of the messaging experts say the movement's narrative has failed to influence…
kbonham | October 7, 2010[This post was originally published at webeasties.wordpress.com]
Most papers I read these days are long. Nature and Science papers tend to have 3-4 figures (Cell and Immunity papers can be twice that), tons of supplementary data and are at least a couple pages of dense, science-speak prose. I think I once read a paper (from like 20 years ago) that had a gene sequence as figure 1, a hand-drawn model for figure 2 and one figure of functional data, and I thought that was sparse.
So imagine my surprise when I stumbled on this new paper. One figure. Less than 500 words. And it's about bacteria…
gregladen | October 7, 2010Huh.
(Click the "huh")
I suppose if you understand the social networking thingie that i Reddit, you can engage in this conversation. Right now, Behe Jr's brief comment is on the front page, and has been viewed by nearly 100,000 readers.
kcollins | October 7, 2010Shoutout to Science Cheerleaders who are coming to the Festival! Read about them here.
Science Cheerleader Performance at the USA Science and Engineering Festival, in D.C.!
These professional cheerleaders-turned-scientists and engineers challenge stereotypes while helping to inspire young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
At the USA Science and Engineering Festival, October 23-24 in D.C., these women will perform science-themed routines for thousands of people, conduct a free cheer clinic, and meet the public, sign their Science Cheerleader cards, and…
gregladen | October 7, 2010The Anglo Boer War (in what is now South Africa from October 11th, 1899 to May 31st, 1902) was a turning point in European style military history. In previous centuries, infantry would operate in large blocks that would move forward, turn and open or close ranks, and winning an infantry engagement would involve getting your columns around the side or back of the enemy's columns, or simply overrunning them head on. This worked in part because although everybody had a firearm of some kind, the firearms of the 18th century and in some areas well into the 19th century held one bullet, took time…
gregladen | October 7, 2010Best line: "What's the difference between astronomy and astrology?" ... "About 50 IQ points..."
gregladen | October 7, 2010... Mario Vargas Llosa.
From Wikipedia, we learn that his name is prounouced: "[Ëmaɾjo ËβarÉ£az ËÊosa]" Thank you very much Wikipedia, that was so xweÊul.
Anyway, Vargas Llosa wrote La ciudad y los perros, La casa verde, 1965/1968), and the Conversación en la catedral.
Many of Vargas Llosa's works are influenced by the writer's perception of Peruvian society and his own experiences as a native Peruvian. Increasingly, however, he has expanded his range, and tackled themes that arise from other parts of the world. Another change over the course of his career has been a shift from a style…
gregladen | October 7, 2010I always thought this was a parody of something, but it turns out it's the real thing.
This is the parody:
dolittle | October 6, 2010Courtesy of Hannah CareyProgram Director, Physiological and Structural Systems
Punxsutawney Phil is best known for his ability to "forecast" whether there will be six more weeks of winter each year. Few people are aware, however, that groundhogs like Phil provide science with even more important information throughout the year. That's because groundhogs are hibernators.
Many animal species, like Phil, enviably spend the winter hibernating including bears, wood chucks, bats hedgehogs, lemurs and some squirrels. Hibernators curl their bodies into tight balls and slow their breathing and other…
gregladen | October 6, 2010The three are organic chemists, and each independently came up with new ways to make complex organic molecules, in this case, carbon-to-carbon bonds.
The chemical processes are now used worldwide in commercial production of pharmaceuticals, including potential cancer drugs. The molecules are also used to make electronics, LEDs, and extremely thin motors, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
npr
gregladen | October 5, 2010Guys. There may be times when you feel your wife or long-term girlfriend has been sleeping with another man. You may suspect she is even pregnant from this activity, and you are not the father. There is a way to fix this, using traditional medicines and some magic, so that your wife/girlfriend will have a spontaneous abortion if you are not the father of the child. You will need an ancient Canaanite or Hebrew priest to help mix up the concoction, and you have to go find The Lord himself (Plan ahead! He is not always available!) to help out as well, but overall, the procedure is not that…
gregladen | October 4, 2010In order to understand this:
You'll have to watch this:
Why am I reminded of this?
Yep, the ol' meme still has some life in it, by god.
gregladen | October 4, 2010Two songs with the same exact tune and the same exact ... level of abject horror!!!!!
... AND ....
Please do not forget how utterly fucking scary the prospect was. Also, please don't forget what you did to avoid that. Oh, in case you don't remember: You voted. You need to do that again this year.
gregladen | October 4, 2010Robert Edwards of Britain won the 2010 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for the development of in-vitro fertilization, a breakthrough that has helped millions of infertile couples to have children.
"His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a medical condition afflicting a large proportion of humanity including more than 10 percent of all couples worldwide," the medicine prize committee in Stockholm said in its citation.
more