Category: science
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Science and Photography
Seed presents 11 stunning portfolios of science photography. Personal favourites: Colonial Intelligence X-ray Vision Flight Patterns
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The State of Science
Seed Magazine’s inaugural ‘State of Science’. Features include: Revolutionary Scientific Minds (mentioned previously). The Scientist in 2008. What’s Holding Science Back. Emergent Science Cities: Natal, Brazil; Jena, Germany; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Mianyang, China; Abuja, Nigeria. The Fundamentals: Intellectual Property, Informatics, Public Perception, Publishing, and the following excerpt from Money: Considering that science is fundamental to the world’s…
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£1,000,000 for a Chemical–Free Material
The Royal Society of Chemistry is offering £1,000,000 to anyone who can produce a 100% chemical–free substance. Why? Because they have grown tired of the word chemical being used negatively, perpetuating the idea that anything containing ‘chemicals’ is inherently bad. The Royal Society of Chemistry is today reclaiming the word chemical from the advertising and marketing industries.…
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Vitamins: A Pointless Expense?
Medical research is beginning to suggest that vitamins have questionable health benefits. One study found that vitamin C is ineffective for cold–prevention unless you’re exposed to extreme physical stress (read: ultramarathon runners and “soldiers during sub-Arctic winter exercises”). The New York Times looks at this trend, noting that in some cases, vitamins may do more…
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Five Physics Lessons for Obama
Foreign Policy presents five physics lessons for Obama, written by Richard Muller, lecturer and author of Physics for Future Presidents (the book, the website, the lecture series and podcast at UC Berkeley). There are lessons on terrorism, energy (oil), nuclear energy, space and global warming. via Kottke
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Gladwell, Journo-gurus, and Anecdotes as Science
You can guarantee that whenever Malcolm Gladwell brings out a book he’ll make headlines. And with his latest book having recently been released, here are a number of interesting and contrasting views. First (via Kottke, and in Gladwell’s own words), what to expect from Outliers: though the story of Sidney Weinberg, from high-school dropout to…
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Reducing the Risk of Human Extinction
A recent article from the University of Pittsburgh’s Centre for Biosecurity, Reducing the Risk of Human Extinction. Abstract: In this century a number of events could extinguish humanity. The probability of these events may be very low, but the expected value of preventing them could be high, as it represents the value of all future…
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Revolutionary Scientific Minds
Revolutionary Minds is a new(ish) video series from Seed Magazine well worth your time. Each instalment profiles a number of scientists with one thing in common: their ideas are revolutionising how science advances. So far: The Game Changers Competition, legal difficulties, information overload, a lack of money, and public relations problems can impede the progress…
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Dopamine and the Social Brain
In a recent article for Seed, Jonah Lehrer writes about new research from the neuroscientist Read Montague linking dopamine to complex social phenomena. There is so much great stuff in the article that I find it difficult to quote just one piece. I’ve decided on this anecdote that I happen to find slightly amusing: The…
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The Lazarus Sign
The Lazarus Sign; something I have never heard of, and hope I never see. Occasionally, brain-dead patients make movements, owing to the fact that the spinal reflexes are still intact. The most complex, and presumably the most terrifying, is called the Lazarus Sign. It is where the brain-dead patient extends their arms and crosses them…