I’ve been cranky lately. Blame the heat — yesterday it was 106. CELCIUS. Okay, no, it was Fahrenheit, but still, that’s pretty freaking bad, especially when the humidity is hovering around 55%. I can’t get anything done when I sweat just thinking about potential future movement. My computer heats up the entire apartment by a few precious degrees, and my cats were apparently... »
Did ‘Nessie’ roam down under? Thank you, Reuters. Thank you for inspiring the wet dreams of countless myth-obsessed cryptozoologeeks. Scientists in Australia discovered fossils of two reptiles in the Plesiosaurs genus, located on the site where once stood an inland sea. The statement issued by the researchers indicated that one reptile resembled a seal, and the article doesn’t de... »
Check out this article about Amazonian medicine, specifically the Caesalpinia pulcherrima. This pretty red and yellow flower holds some powerful medicine, as Western science is just beginning to fully explore. For centuries, it has been used by rain forest tribes for a variety of purposes, from fevers to sores to coughing. The most interesting usage, though, is to induce abortions. West African sl... »
Oh, man. Words cannot properly express my pleasure at the fact that in a mere THREE DAYS, the world will be treated to a brand new New York Dolls album. What’s this got to do with skepticism, you ask? Plenty. And if you don’t like punk rock, I’m about to give you a reason why maybe you should try to get into it anyway. First of all, the first single off the new album is a song ab... »
Let’s dive right back in, hm? Check out this New York Times article about one scientist’s view on the whole “Where are all the female scientists” debate. In the interview, Dr. Ben A. Barres discounts hypotheses that men and women may possess inate differences that give each differing skill sets, calling such ideas “sexist opinions.” Dr. Barres goes on to bla... »
Consider the musings of this blogger at Yawning Bread. “This then raises a question: do we, like them, believe what we believe merely out of familiarity? Do we put faith in scientific rationalism simply because it is something we’ve grown up with, not because it is in any way more objectively correct? Consider this: how many of us are able to explain exactly how Tamiflu works, or what ... »
Read this very funny article in today’s New York Times about an Egyptian archaeologist who has unearthed a new find. Dr. Zahi Hawass is Egypt’s chief Egyptologist. He’s exactly who you would get if Indiana Jones’ underappreciated assistant wrote a tell-all – all show, no substance. To be fair, this article is very clearly biased (which is exactly what makes i... »
A new study apparently supports the “Born Gay” theory, toppling the previously popular “Chooses to Subject Self to Lifetime of Discrimination and Ridicule Just to Anger God” theory. Surprise! This is pretty interesting. I’ve read in the past about a theory of homosexuality related to the number of siblings one has, and this study does seem to show a correlation. This ... »
