Technically, Igor is no longer a tropical storm, but the National Hurricane Center had decided to let Igor keep it’s Tropical Storm Symbol and that status that goes along with that for the rest of the day. If Igor shapes up and gets its act in gear, then, well, we’ll see.
Continue reading Igor is living on borrowed time →

Rachel Sussman shows photographs of the world’s oldest continuously living organisms — from 2,000-year-old brain coral off Tobago’s coast to an “underground forest” in South Africa that has lived since before the dawn of agriculture.

Why does the wind blow, and why does it blow the way it does?
Continue reading Why the Wind Blows: A History of Weather →

Published by Yale University Press A Portrait of the Brain by Adam Zeman is a new book describing how the brain works (and does not work) in something of an Oliver Sack’s experiential manner, but with a twist.

Zeman is a Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology at the Peninsula Medical School. A Portrait of The Brain describes the brain with reference to a sort of hierarchical scale (mainly of size) ranging from the atom to the soul, and running through such constructs as the organelle, the cell, the brain region, and the individual.

Each of these levels is a stopping point for a discussion of the biological meaning of structures at this scale generally, brain function in particular, and one or more disorders of the brain best understood at this level. These discussions are further elaborated with informative historical references.
Continue reading A Portrait of The Brain by Adam Zeman →

Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture (DIY Science) is a new book by Robert Thompson. The premise is simple. The coolest thing in the world is a home chemistry set like this one from Gilbert, which combined both chemistry and microscopy:

Chemistry Set Combine the sciences of Chemistry and Microscopy in one big laboratory set! Microscope has a magnification of 60 power, plus unique Polaroid device that shows the brilliant colors of specimens under the lens. Set includes “Fun With Gilbert Chemistry”, “Gilbert Microscope”, “Glass Blowing” manuals and dissecting stand. From the Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop

Continue reading Home Chemistry: A New Guide for Hobbyists and Home Schoolers →

I just thought I’d put this up on Jaf’s recommendation as an example of a non-dirty campaign ad. Substance free, perhaps, but at least it’s not smear. Read Jaf’s update on the Minnesota Campaigns and their ads.

As Jaf points out, Bruce Kennedy was such a nice guy, and Minnesotans are so nice, that Kennedy, when running for office, had to make his own attack ads against himself. Like this one:

And this one:

In the Gulf oil spill’s aftermath, Lisa Margonelli says drilling moratoriums and executive ousters make for good theater, but distract from the issue at its heart: our unrestrained oil consumption. She shares her bold plan to wean America off of oil — by confronting consumers with its real cost.

Continue reading The political chemistry of oil →

Hat Tip Mike

And now for our weekly history lesson …

Bonus lesson: Hieroglyphics …
Continue reading Divorced, Beheaded and Died →

Hat Tip: Miss Cellania

Cartoonist Jim Toomey created the comic strip Sherman’s Lagoon, a wry look at underwater life starring Sherman the talking shark. As he sketches some of his favorite sea creatures live onstage, Toomey shares his love of the ocean and the stories it can tell.

Continue reading Learning from Sherman the shark →

A key binding that selects all and places it instantly on the clipboard, and works in all software. This is such a common sequence of commands it should be made into one command. It could be called “mop” or “nom.”

See the whole “WANTED” list here.

Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design is a must read for those interested in the Evolution – Creationism controversy. In particular, this volume is an essential part of the personal library of every science educator, for reasons that I will describe below. If you know a Life Science Teacher, this is a perfect birthday present. If you have a child in the public K-12 education system in the US, or the analog somewhere else, donate a copy of this book to the appropriate life science teacher!

In this important book published by Oxford University Press in 2004, Forrest and Gross assert that there is a new strategy afoot among pro-creationists. What Forrest and Gross claimed four years ago is every bit as much true today. This strategy consists of …

… a no-holds-barred commitment to particular, parochial religious beliefs about the history and fabric of the world … This variant has eliminated brilliantly the obstacle of rational opposition to ideology … The new strategy is wonderfully simple. Here is how you implement it: exploiting that modern, nearly universal, liberal suspicion of zealotry, you accuse the branch of legitimate inquiry whose results you hate, in this case the evolutionary natural sciences, of — what else? — zealotry! … Crying “viewpoint discrimination,” you loudly demand adherence to the principle of freedom of speech, especially in teaching, insisting that such freedom is being denied your legitimate alternative view…

This bold strategy is working, not just with religious fundamentalists, who do not need to be convinced anyway, but with people who have no such fundamentalist commitment and who are in principle well-enough educated to see what is happening. …

This lusty new variant of creationism is advancing rapidly by means of a strategy called “The Wedge.”

Continue reading Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design →