Category: science
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The 23 Toughest Challenges in Mathematics
According to DARPA, that is. The Dynamics of Networks: Develop the high-dimensional mathematics needed to accurately model and predict behavior in large-scale distributed networks that evolve over time occurring in communication, biology and the social sciences. via Kottke
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The Origins of Progress
In order to find out what our world will look like in the not so distant future, Kevin Kelly questions what drives progress? What is the origin of our progress? There are several factors but chief among them is the invention of what we loosely call science. The ancient world accumulated many fabulous inventions [that]…
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10 Things About Black Holes
Even though some of these would be well-known to someone with a passing interest in astronomy, the passion Phil Plait writes with makes me love everything he produces. This time, Bad Astronomy on ten things you don’t know about black holes. It’s not their mass, it’s their size that makes them so strong They’re not…
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Attenborough on Creationism
I’m considering treating someone (possibly myself!) to David Attenborough’s The Life Collection: the full set of David Attenborough’s Life series, consisting of over 60 hours of some of the best nature footage in history. As is the norm when I’m intrigued by anything, I head over to Wikipedia and read all I can on a…
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Glow in the Dark Animals
‘Mr. Green Genes’ is a transgenic cat that glows in the dark. As a huge fan of both cats and science, I think this may be my ideal pet. From the ScienceBlogs Weekly Recap: The cat’s DNA [has been injected] with a gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP), to easily visualize whether the protein was…
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How Cats Control Human Culture
I’ll admit I may have overstretched myself slightly with this sensationalist title. What it should say is, “How the Toxoplasma Gondii Brain Parasite May Influence Human Culture“; but that’s not nearly as fun. Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled brain parasite spread by cats. Our feline companions are its preferred home and […] like most parasites,…
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Powers of Ten
Powers of Ten is a 1977 IBM-commissioned film taking us on a journey out to the edge of the observable universe before returning to an atom’s nucleus in the hand of a man picnicing in a Chicago park… all within 9 minutes. Depicting the relative scale of the universe in factors of ten, the film…
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Why Most Published Research Findings Are False
Last week in Lab Notes we were told that we shouldn’t believe what we read in scientific journals and to take headline-grabbing articles with a grain of salt. Not because they’re intrinsically false, but because if they aren’t, it’s only a matter of time before they’re replicated and corroborated. Lesson: if a finding is important,…
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Biodiversity, Extinction, and the End of Evolution
Three excellent articles from Seed Magazine: How We Evolve takes on the myth of human evolution being at an end. Natural selection derives its power to transform from the survival of some and the demise of others, and from differential reproductive success. But we nurse our sick back to health, and mating is no longer…
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The Geologic Time Spiral
As an accompaniment to the rather dense Age of the Earth article on the USGS website, there is a great graphical representation of geologic time available: The Geologic Time Spiral. If I were a teacher, I would definitely get the poster-sized version up on my wall.