In the classic science fiction novel, Venus on the Half Shell by Kilgore Trout, the question of how intelligent life evolved (at many different locations) in The Universe is raised, and pursued by the novel’s protagonist. As the novel ends, it turns out that the origin of intelligent life across the universe is …SPOILER WARNING … END OF THE BOOK IS BELOW THE FOLD
Monthly Archives: February 2008
Shark
It is no secret that shark videos are very, very popular. So, it is not surprising that Mark Powell at Blogfish has posted this rare and unusual footage of shark-human interaction. Continue reading Shark
Is Blood Ever Blue? Science Teachers Want to Know!
According to one of the leading experts on the human circulatory system, blood flowing through veins is blue. Continue reading Is Blood Ever Blue? Science Teachers Want to Know!
The Living Bird
Cornell Lab or Ornithology has always had a lot of good stuff on the web. Now, they have a new site called Living Bird. Go check it out.It’s basically an online journal with a lot of cool articles, including some science, birding advice, etc. … and outstanding bird pictures.Hat tip: Biological Ramblings. And, speaking of Birds in the News, have a look at this particularly interesting Birds in the News post over at Living the Scientific Life. Here.
Richard Dawkins – Break the Science Barrier, Part 1
SCIENCE is useful but that is not all it is. Science can be uplifting, thrilling, life-enhancing. Originally broadcast on Britain’s Channel 4 in 1996, Break the Science Barrier follows the Oxford Biologist Richard Dawkins as he meets with people who have experienced the wonders of science first-hand. We meet the astronomer who first discovered pulsars, the geneticist who invented DNA fingerprinting, a scientist who discovered a protein that causes cancer, and others. Dawkins interviews famous admirers of science such as Douglas Adams and David Attenborough, and asks them why science means so much to them. We also see how dangerous ignorance of science can be in classrooms, courts, and beyond.With so many expressing paranormal beliefs and ignorance of science, Dawkins encourages viewers to contrast these ancient superstitions with the power and beauty of our scientific achievements and understanding.
Continue reading Richard Dawkins – Break the Science Barrier, Part 1
Proven: Michael Behe is a Moron
Michael Behe made a guest appearance in Beaver County the other day to engage in a debate on intelligent Design vs. Real Science. He got interviewed by a local reporter, who posed questions to both Behe and his antagonist. Here I provide a few excerpts for your amusement. Continue reading Proven: Michael Behe is a Moron
NASA Connect Ancient Observatories
Berry Go Round #1
This is your best chance to own a pristine copy of a Virgin Carnival, on it’s very first round on the internet.Berry Go Round is a carnival about plants, and you can find the first installment here, at Seeds Aside.
Science Debate Two Thousand Eight in Business Week
Science Debate 2008 got a writeup in Business Week.
When most of the Republican candidates for President proclaimed that they did not believe in evolution during a debate last year, astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss was one of many who were aghast. The Case Western University professor and best-selling author was even more upset when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee shrugged off concerns, saying that he was running for President, not writing a middle-school curriculum. “How could being scientifically illiterate be perfectly acceptable?” Krauss asks. “No one would accept a candidate who, say, denied the Holocaust.”Instead of just fuming, Krauss seized on an idea then being proposed by screenwriter/director Matthew Chapman to stage a Presidential campaign debate focused on science….
Yet Another Crop of Crackers Attacks Education in Florida
What?! Is Florida totally full of morons, or what?The Bay District School Board will vote on Wednesday on a resolution that waters down the proposed state standards for life science education. Please go to the Channel 7 web site where this story is posted and add your comments along side some guy from New York who is the first to chime in (in favor of rational thinking). If you are from one of these states mainly known for slack-jawed yokels who prefer to marry their siblings but will take a cousin in a pinch, and are NOT one of these morons, please, it is especially important that you chime in.Oh, and if you are from Florida and are offended by my attitude … Don’t ask me to change. Change Florida. I’m busy up here working on Minnesota, and we’ve got our hands full….
Has Ron Paul Quit?
Vague reports are circulating that Ron Paul is quitting his bid for president. He wrote this letter to supporters. Continue reading Has Ron Paul Quit?
Microsoft Goes Soft on Yahoo Hostile Takeover?
Secret information available only on, well, major news outlets, seems to indicate that Microsoft has backed off a recent attempt at a hostile takeover of Yahoo. Continue reading Microsoft Goes Soft on Yahoo Hostile Takeover?
Darwin’s Plantation: Evolution’s Racist Roots
The provocative title of this post is the title of a new book, by Ken Ham (founder of the absurd Creation Museum, in the woeful state of Kentucky) . Charles ware is co-author. Continue reading Darwin’s Plantation: Evolution’s Racist Roots
Darwin and the Voyage: 06 ~ Bugs
When reading the Voyage, it is impossible to miss the observation that much of the time Darwin was engaged in adolescent boy behavior: Pulling the heads off insects, noting how long they would wiggle after cut in half, closely examining the ooze and guts, occupied much of his time. Obviously, careful observation and a strong stomach were not all that was required to think up Natural Selection and his other theories, or the Origin of Species would have been written dozens of times by dozens of grown up kids. Continue reading Darwin and the Voyage: 06 ~ Bugs
Men Rendered Obsolete
Men are largely useless, and worse, detrimental to normal operation of a society. But they have been retained because they were the only known source of sperm. Not any more. Continue reading Men Rendered Obsolete