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The best of last June

The first dinosaur bones (that we know of) to have been discovered in British Columbia, Canada, are now being reported. These are bones found in 1971, eventually making their way to the Royal British Columbia Museum, and now being reported by V.M. Arbour and M.C. Graves. The bones were initially found by Kenny Flyborg Larsen, a geologist prospecting for thorium. He was drawn to these bones because the bones themselves are radioactive, and his instruments led him to them.

(This is an update on this, as Arbour kindly sent me a copy of the original paper.)
Continue reading Canadian Dinosaur Find: New Species? →

Hat Tip It’s Alive

Seconds ago, Norm Coleman announced that he concedes the election to Al Franken. He just called Al a minute ago, and stepped out side his home to thank everyone and make the announcement.

It is over.

Science steps in and looks at the processes of nature and shows us how to tease apart the secrets of their workings, slowly and carefully and with missteps along the way. The missteps are readily acknowledged and re-examined. The successes are retested to make sure they closely approximate (within a high confidence interval) the truth. Then they are once again examined as new questions arise that cast doubt on the answers.

… Mike Haubrich on Quiche Moraine

Nature has a special … special thingie … on science journalism. It appears to be more or less open access so even you, a virtual nobody from the perspective of the pirate publishing companies, can actually see it. There are commentaries and articles on blogs and twitter, on the future of science journalism, and so on.

To mark the 6th World Conference of Science Journalists from 30 June-2 July 2009 in London, Nature is shining a spotlight on the profession in changing times. Science journalism faces an uncertain future. But to what extent should scientists help — or care?

Looks pretty interesting. It is here.

The best of last June

Note: Since writing this post a year ago, at the time of Scott’s talk, I learned something interesting that I think it is OK to share with you. Prior to the talk, Scott has received an injury, which was causing him considerable pain during the talk itself. He left from the podium directly to seek medical attention. In addition, his power point slides and notes were destroyed somehow, so he gave the talk cold. And you could not tell. It was an excellent talk.

The Evolution 2008 conference started out today with a special program for K-12 teachers (mainly life science teachers) organized by the Minnesota Citizens for Science Education (MNCSE). The opening speaker was Scott Lanyon, director of the Bell Museum of Natural History. (The Bell hosted this event.)

Scott’s objective was to outline several areas of evolutionary biology where fundamental changes had occurred over recent years. This was to provide perspective and food for thought for the Life Sciences teachers attending the event, and Scott was very successful in this effort.

In each case, Scott described a similar trope … “Not so many years ago, understanding [this or that thing] was thought nearly impossible…. but today, look what we have….”

Specifically, Scott, a bird phylogeny expert, outlined four areas of research corresponding to four major areas of evolutionary biology:
Continue reading Biology Will Never Be the Same Again: Scott Lanyon →

Intermedia Arts Presents
B-GIRL BE
:: A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN IN HIP-HOP ::
Fourth International Multimedia Festival

Summer Camps — August 11 – 14, 2009
Mama Said Knock U Out! Exhibition — August 27 through October 23, 2009
Dance Performances — September 17 – 20, 2009
B-Girl Be Block Party– Saturday, September 19, 2009

art . dance . dialogues . dj . fashion . film . graff . history . media . poetry . rap

Minneapolis, MN— After B-Girl Be’s year hiatus and a challenging start to 2009 for Intermedia Arts, the organization and directors of B-Girl Be are proud to announce that the much-loved event will be resurrected this fall. Thanks to the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Intermedia Arts is able to breathe life into the B-Girl Be festival for the fourth installment of this internationally recognized platform for women in hip-hop.

Building on three years of a wildly successful summit, Intermedia Arts is proud to present its fourth B-Girl Be: A Celebration of Women in Hip-Hop, a multimedia festival encompassing the four elements of hip-hop: MCing, turntablism, breakdancing, graffiti–and more. The mission of B-Girl Be is to influence and inspire leadership to change the perceptions and roles of women in hip-hop for current and future generations. This annual event is a place to make connections, build confidence, sharpen skills and gain access to the tools to create music, film, poetry, rap, aerosol art and dance.

The celebration begins with summer youth camps for girls August 11-14 at Intermedia Arts led by Desdamona and Katrina Knudson. Leading up to and during the block party, check out an international graffiti mural in progress throughout the weekend and don’t miss a hip-hop dance showcase featuring local and national talent curated by local dancer and choreographer Amy Sackett.

On Saturday, September 19, 2009 B-Girl Be culminates its series of events from August through October in a one-day festival at Intermedia Arts. The festival is a multidisciplinary showcase that brings international, national and local women in hip-hop together in Minneapolis for dialogues, painting, screenings, music, performances, workshops and networking opportunities.

Curated by Theresa Sweetland and Michele Spaise, this year’s B-Girl Be gallery exhibition, Mama Said Knock U Out!, will be a multi-disciplinary, cutting edge exhibition that highlights the distinct aesthetics of hip-hop. B-Girl Be proves that women in hip-hop aren’t making a comeback; we’ve been here for years- fighting oppression and knocking down barriers to equal representation in hip hop culture. These artists from all over the world paint on walls, wood, clothing, vinyl, canvas, and metal. Female filmmakers direct, produce and edit their visual journeys. Inside Intermedia Arts’ main gallery, viewers can check out aerosol art, clothing, paintings, photographs, music videos, sculpture, and illustrations representing hip-hop inspired artwork from women around the world. The exhibit Mama Said Knock U Out! runs from August 27 – October 23.

For the most up-to-date information and to learn how to purchase tickets, call Intermedia Arts at (612) 871-4444 or visit www.intermediaarts.org. All events take place at Intermedia Arts unless otherwise noted. Intermedia Arts is located at 2822 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55408.

Funding by: The National Endowment for the Arts/ Sponsored by: Moxie Salon and Emetrece Productions.

INTERMEDIA ARTS WEBSITE

Schedule of Events:

B-Girl Be Block Party
Saturday, September 19, 2009; Noon-10:00 PM

Project Girl & B-Girl Be Summer Camps
August 11-14, 2009

Mama Said Knock U Out! Exhibition
August 27-October 23, 2009
*Exhibition Opening Reception
Friday, August 28, 2009; 7:00-10:00 PM

B-Girl Be Dance Performances
September 17-20, 2009
September17-18: 8:00 PM
September 19: 2:00 & 10:00 PM
September 20: 3:00 PM

Fundraising Events:

Moxie Hair Salon
Hair Raising Event For B-Girl Be*
Sunday, August 30th; 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Uptown Location
$30 Haircuts, Reservations and Walk-ins welcome
#612-813-0330

PHOTO / INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES: Featured Artists and Curators, Local B-Girls,

Intermedia Arts’ Staff and Board

CONTACTS:
Melisa Riviere Theresa Sweetland
B-Girl Be Co-Founding Director B-Girl Be Co-Founding Director
Media and Marketing Director & Aerosol Art Curator Executive/Artistic Director, Intermedia Arts
Phone: 612-281-9970 Phone: 612-874-2813
Email: mriviere@emetreceproductions.com ~ theresa@intermediaarts.org

Eric Michael Johnson has a Bachelors degree in Anthropology and a Masters in Evolutionary Anthropology. He pursued his PhD in Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University before joining the University of British Columbia to complete a doctorate in the History and Philosophy of Science.

And he now blogs here.

Following the excellent round of rocket photography by Steve Jurvetson, we now come down to earth with minerals photographed by B. Jefferson Bolender.

Skepchickcon is a Track at Convergence 2009. Convergence 2009 is one of those science fiction conventions where everyone dresses up as Klingons and such. I’ve never been to one but I’ve sure seen plenty of them on TV and in the movies.

Skepchickcon is a “Track,” which means it is a series of panels and stuff integrated with systematic planned partying parallel to other “Tracks” at the convention.

Personally, I’m on three of the panels: Blogging Skeptically; Science Online, and Evolution 101. Plus I’ll try to attend some of the parties.

Here is my schedule:

I’m less sure about the July 3rd stuff, but I’ll do what I can.

There is much more information available about Convergence and 2009, as well as the Skepchickcon Skeptics track here at Skepchick.

There is also a facebook page here.

Anyone else going? Who/what are you dressing up as?

I have no comment on this.

Gotta go … helicopter coming.

Bing, son of blogger and politico Mike Haubrich, has just arrived in Japan where he will spend several months assisting in a linguistic research project in the Greater Tokyo Metro area. And hopefully getting around the country a bit to see some cool stuff.

He’s got a web site tracking his trip here.

Please note that there is a little donation button on that site. I think he’s short of cash.

UPDATE: grrrrrrrrrr…..

The original story, now retracted, is below the fold.

Somebody is dicking around on the internet. It is possible that the Daily Express article is a “hoax” or a “fiction” … at least, this is what some are claiming. See the updates here on Bad Astronomy.

I’m not sure if I would use the word “hoax” if this is simply inaccurate reporting. A hoax is different (sort of like the difference between a mugging and a hate crime?).

I also don’t like the phrase “it is a fiction.” What does that mean exactly? This story has several elements to it, including the description of the processes the data went through, including NASA losing the tapes, including looking for the tapes, including failing to look for the tapes, including finding some kind of tapes, including thinking that the tapes that were found had the missing data on them, and including trying to get the data off the tapes.

Does the phrase “it is a fiction” mean that all of that is made up? Some of it?

The original story implies that NASA was mad because the story was being released early. Is that a fiction as well?

At this point it is entirely up to NASA to make a clear statement about what is true and not true and to give us the details. Of course, they can take their time to do this right. And if they feel that the Express overstepped their bounds, they should make that clear as well.

Continue reading Lost Moon Tapes Found in Perth Australia →

The best of last June

Triatoma infestans, Chagas vector This is the conclusion of a report to be published in the June 2008 PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases journal. The report, by Peter Hotez of George Washington University and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, is a clear indictment of economic disparity in the United States. The bottom line: Many poor Americans are, effectively, living in a poorly managed third world country.
Continue reading Poor and disadvantaged suffer greatly from poverty-caused neglected diseases →