Clipmarks | tabsey's 'science' clips

Scientists: get off your pedestal and get round the table

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:41:39 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Part of an article that looks at pressures on scientists.

Scientists face a problem. On the one hand they want to persuade society that the scientific approach is the best way to understand the world, to provide rational solutions to the world’s problems and to use technology to make our lives better. But on the other hand, practicing scientists realise that science is full of uncertainty, that there is much more about the natural world that we don’t understand than we do, and that there is a limit to the predictive power of science.

To some extent society forces scientists into this difficult position. To win funding, to publish papers in high profile journals and to get prestigious jobs, scientists have to convince others of the certainty of their research and its utility to society. They have to sell their science as the best.

Academia perpetuates a hierarchical system. There is a common belief that if you need to know the answer to something you have to talk to the most distinguished professor in the most prestigious university in the land

Tags: expectations, - we, always, have, more, for, others

New Solar Cell Easy As Pizza To Make

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:33:44 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Too easy.

Clip Source: www.npr.org

Listen Now [2 min 59 sec] add to playlist

Weekend Edition Saturday, October 4, 2008 · The iJET is a new type of solar cell that's cheap and easy to make, requiring not much more than a pizza oven, some nail polish remover, and a common inkjet printer. Australian scientist Nicole Kuepper describes her invention.

Tags: science

Robert Winston criticises dangerous 'science delusion'

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:50:34 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Bit like the chook and the egg. Scientists have for centuries been questioned closely by religions and many theories went on hold due to church action. Now that the science world is taking the limelight from religions, they want to do some discussing.
The emphasis on trying to prove the big bang theory could be interpreted as a swipe at religion.

Clip Source: richarddawkins.net

Lord Robert Winston has renewed his attack on atheist writers such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens, whose arguments he said were "dangerous", "irresponsible" and "very divisive".

The science populariser and fertility expert said that the more bombastic arguments of atheist scientists were making dialogue between religion and science more difficult.

"I would argue that the 'God Delusion' approach is actually very divisive because it is the one way surely of not winning over opposing views … Religious people can say, 'look these guys just don't understand us'."

"We need to be much more sophisticated in how we handle these problems in our society and I don't think the propositions of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and a number of other writers have really furthered useful healthy debate. I think actually they've limited it – that worries me"

Tags: science, religion

Clumps Growing on Phoenix Lander Legs

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:24:39 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The first pic shows the lumps growing.

Clip Source: www.universetoday.com

Clumps of material have adhered to the legs of the Phoenix Mars Lander, and the clumps continue to change and grow. The science team has discussed various possible explanations for these clumps. One suggestion is that they may have started from a splash of mud if Phoenix's descent engines melted icy soil during the landing. Another is that specks of salt may have landed on the strut and began attracting atmospheric moisture that freezes and accumulates. The clumps are concentrated on the north side of the strut, usually in the shade, so their accumulation could be a consequence of the fact that condensation favors colder surfaces. Below, compare images taken on September 1, 2008, or the 97th Martian Day or sol, since landing with another image taken about three months earlier, on Sol 8.

Phoenix's Robotic Arm Camera took both images. The top image from Sol 97 was taken at about 4 a.m. local solar time. The view in this Sol 97 image is southward

Tags: science, burial

Australia 'stalling' due to innovation neglect

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:29:34 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Successive govts in Australia have forced our leading thinkers/researchers/scientists out to England and America. They have also ignored the census and allowed shortfalls to happen in nursing and teaching, let alone jobs requiring higher qualifications. All visions for the future were just that, visions.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

The Federal Government has been urged to fund the full cost of university research, with a report warning that Australia's commitment to innovation is stalling development.

The report received more than 700 submissions and has made 72 recommendations across a range of areas such as business and education.

Report head Terry Cutler warns Australia's innovation system must must be urgently remodelled.

His report says government support for science and innovation has fallen by nearly a quarter in the past decade, with the number of researchers per thousand employees down substantially.

The report has recommended that the cost of research at universities be fully funded and says increased funding should be given to research agencies such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

Tags: education

Friday Silly Science

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:14:47 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: cosmicvariance.com

Women are from Maserati, men are from Lamborghini. At least, that’s what science tells us:

To test the theory that high-performance cars get people hot, Moxon had 40 men and women listen to recordings of the three Italian exotics and a Volkswagen Polo. Everyone had significantly more testosterone after hearing the exotics, and all of the women were turned on by the Maserati. The guys, on the other hand, were drawn to the Lamborghini…

As for the Polo? Everyone had less testosterone after listening to it.

The effect could simply be related to Italian cars vs. German cars, of course, rather than the high-performance engines. No word on how Porsches would stack up against Grecavs. Clearly more research needs to be done.

Note that the Wired blog post is entitled “Science Proves Exotic Cars Turn Women On,” but the study indicates that men are turned on as well. A fast car is equal-opportunity sexy.

Tags: science, humour

50 Years Ago: Greatest Scientific Discovery is Science Itself

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:30:48 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Instant parameters.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

SEPTEMBER 1958
THE CREATIVE PROCESS— “The most remarkable discovery made by scientists is science itself. The discovery must be compared in importance with the invention of cave-painting and of writing. Like these earlier human creations, science is an attempt to control our surroundings by entering into them and understanding them from inside. And like them, science has surely made a critical step in human development which cannot be reversed. We cannot conceive a future society without science. —Jacob Bronowski”

Tags: just, ahead, of, unintelligent, design

The Thousand Best Popular-Science Books

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:48:31 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The site promotes input on selections, but the list looks pretty thorough.

Clip Source: cosmicvariance.com

Over at Cocktail Party Physics, Jennifer has cast a baleful eye on the various lists of the world’s greatest books, and decided that we really need is a list of the world’s greatest popular-science books. I think the goal is to find the top 100, but many nominations are pouring in from around the internets, and I suspect that a cool thousand will be rounded up without much problem.

Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond

Godel, Escher, Bach, Douglas Hoftstadter

Cosmos, Carl Sagan

Einstein’s Clocks and Poincare’s Maps, Peter Galison

How the Universe Got Its Spots, Janna Levin

Chronos, Etienne Klein

The Language Instinct, Steven Pinker

Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman, Richard Feynman

The Mismeasure of Man, Stephen J. Gould

Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos, Dennis Overbye

The Inflationary Universe, Alan Guth

The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene

Warped Passages, Lisa Randall

The Astonishing Hypothesis, Francis Crick

The Double Helix, James Watson

Prisoner’s Dilemma, William Poundstone

Tags: cock, tail, partly, physics

The All New Airborne, Invisible, Untrackable Long Distance Laser-Beam Death System

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:48:02 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Does this sound like a NeoCon dream, or what? We at the Daily Galaxy have absolutely nothing bad to say about the US Air Force's plans for an airborne, invisible, untrackable long distance laser death system. And if you know what's good for, neither do you.

The idea of laser guns is as old as science fiction itself, and like many things that eventually made it into the real world the practical version is a little different from the fantasy. You can't see laser blasts shooting around the place - for one thing it uses infra-red light, so unless you're the Predator you're out of luck, and for another it turns out that laser beams move at the speed of light. Who could have guessed?

Tags: science, fiction?

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:33:39 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Part of an blog by Peter Hitchins for the Daily Mash. I love the way he "handles" Dawkins.

Clip Source: www.thedailymash.co.uk

Sometimes I like to hang upside down and read a book. A recent upside down literary experience involved a book by the Oxford dog-strangler Richard Dawkins. Mr Dawkins latest 'theory' calls for Satan to be made lord of the universe, while the armies of the gay kick down your door and force you to dress in a kaftan made from hemp.

'Mr' Dawkins 'supports' his 'theories' with 'science'. Well, Mr Dawkins, in case you were too busy squirting acid at monkeys to notice - this is England. So you can take your 'science' and your 'reason' and your 'thoughts' and just fuck right off.

You will not be surprised to hear that both Mr Miliband and Mr Cameron intend to make Mr Dawkins the next Archbishop of Canterbury. It's enough to make you want thrash yourself so very, very hard across the thighs and buttocks.

Tags: humour, can, be, humerous

Future 'Top 10' Hot Careers in 2012: Space Tourism to Genetic Counseling

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:53:19 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Time to advise to the grandkids. Bloody parents these days.........blah, blah, blah..

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

1) Organic food Industry

Qualifications: Organic food expertise in farming, business or science.

Salary range: $50,000 to $80,000

2) Computational Biology

Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree or higher in bioinformatics, computer science, mathematics, biology or related area; strong software engineering skills.

Salary: $106,000 to $118,000

3) Parallel Programming

Qualifications: A bachelor's degree or higher in computer science or relevant field, non-linear thinking and creativity.

Salary: $79,000 to $88,000

4) Data Technology

Qualifications: Experience in virtual environments, imaging and visualization, technical skills, willingness to learn new tools and imagination.

Salary: $90,000 to $102,000

5) Simulation Engineering

Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, physics or relevant field; analytical skills; and interpersonal skills.

Salary: $91,000 to $114,000

6) Boomer Caregiving

7) Genetic Counseling

8) Brain Analysts

9) Space Tourism

10) Roboticists

Tags: competition, will, abound

Did Upright Walking Start in Trees?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:18:31 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: So, our ancestors copied the tree dwellers.

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Maybe walking upright on two legs isn't such a defining human feature after all. Scientists who spent a year photographing orangutans in the rain forest say the trait probably evolved in ancient apes navigating the treetops long before ancestors of humans climbed to the ground -- a hypothesis that contradicts science museums the world over.

But it's more in tune with fossil evidence, contends Robin Crompton of the University of Liverpool, who co-authored the report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

“An increasing number of people have been questioning this old 'up from the apes' idea'' of how bipedalism evolved, Crompton said.

The popular explanation: Some chimpanzee-like creature that dragged its knuckles on the ground descended from trees into grasslands, and gradually straightened up to walk like modern humans.

Tags: two, legs, = sore, back

Plasma Bullets Spark Northern Lights

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:02:46 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Whole article gives a better understanding of what is happening. Amazing stuff.

Clip Source: science.nasa.gov

That's the conclusion of researchers studying data from NASA's five THEMIS spacecraft. The gigantic bullets, they say, are launched by explosions 1/3rd of the way to the Moon and when they hit Earth—wow. The impacts spark colorful outbursts of Northern Lights called "substorms."

Right: A substorm of Northern Lights photographed from the window of an airplane over Hudson Bay, Canada, on Feb 27, 2008. Credit: Jeff Hapeman. [more]

"We have discovered what makes the Northern Lights dance," declares UCLA physicist Vassilis Angelopoulos, principal investigator of the THEMIS mission. The findings appear online in the July 24 issue of Science Express and in print August 14 in the journal Science.

Tags: scientists, with, money, make, it, happen

New Method Identifies Genes Affecting Health In Fraction Of A Second

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:48:13 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: With discoveries such as this, one would think science must be paying for itself. This could make life better for millions.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2008) — A new tool which makes it possible to extract information about an individual's health from genotypes in a fraction of a second, has been developed by an academic at the University of Southampton.

Professor Joao Marques-Silva, at the University's School of Electronics and Computer Science and collaborators have developed a new approach to the process of inferring haplotype information from genotype data.

A haplotype can be defined as a group of alleles of one or more genes on a single chromosome that are closely enough linked to be inherited usually as a unit and a genotype refers to the combination of alleles inherited from both parents.

According to Professor Marques-Silva, the current method of extracting haplotypes from genotype data is based on statistical approaches, which can take a long time to compute.

Tags: brilliant, medical, scientists

Lost Ladybug Project Turns Kids Into Scientists

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 12:24:59 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: Something for the kids, grand kids, to be involved in. My first real science lesson, maybe.

Clip Source: www.npr.org

Listen Now [3 min 50 sec] add to playlist

All Things Considered, July 5, 2008 · Calling all kids! Cornell University wants you to find and photograph ladybugs. John Losey, a professor of entomology at Cornell University, hopes children will help document ladybug populations around the country. Some native species are dwindling, while exotics are on the rise.

To participate in the project, go to the Lost Ladybug Project Web site or send an e-mail to ladybug@cornell.edu.

Tags: science, is, for, thrills, and, thought