Science

  • The Science of Funny

    Rav Winston sent me a link to a fantastic New York Times article: What’s So Funny? Well, Maybe Nothing. The article covers ongoing research at University of Maryland, Washington State University, and Florida State in which scientists are attempting to figure out why we laugh. In the Florida State research, subjects were presented with the following joke under different scenarios:…

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  • Further discussion about The Top 10 Myths About Evolution

    Here are the 10 myths that are discussed in The Top 10 Myths About Evolution by Cameron McPherson Smith and Charles Sullivan. I’ve added a couple of notes where I think the myth is unclear from the chapter title. From your experiences in talking to people about evolution, have you found these to be the common misperceptions that people hold?…

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  • Where are the Women?

    No, this isn’t about where to find a date, but where the female authors are on the list PZ linked to today of the “Most significant SciFi/Fantasy books of the last 50 years.” There are a total of 4 women authors on the list, and one of them is J.K Rowling. Now, I liked Harry Potter–but aside from making a…

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  • Woods Hole in Pictures

    I’ve had a long day of classes and meetings, so I’m going to be lazy and delay my post about the seafloor. Instead, I urge you to check out this link for some great information on Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, a place I’m proud to call my home for graduate school. Be sure to check out the “WHOI Through the…

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  • Missing Ocean Crust?

    Pillow basalts on the ocean seafloor. Pillow basalts commonly are found at the surface of the seafloor, especially at mid-ocean ridges. There’s no pillow basalts at one place in the Atlantic Ocean, though. At this place the Earth’s mantle is exposed!   As a marine geologist, I am somewhat stunned to read this article about missing ocean crust. What is…

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  • Science: 1, Pseudoscience: 0

    Wow. I totally posted this at the same time as Stacey! I’ll leave it, just because I worked so durn hard. +++ Once again, scientists manage to actually do what the pseudoscientists have been pretending to do for centuries — in this case, read minds. Rav Winston tipped us off to ongoing research wherein scientists are able to accurately determine…

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  • Mind-reading Machines

    Scientists in Germany are using an MRI machine to read people’s intentions and predict future behavior with a success rate of 71%.  Finally, a development that could put Sylvia Browne out of business. The experimenters are working with volunteers that are unaware of the subject of the experiment.  They are slid into an MRI machine and asked to decide whether to…

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  • International Polar Year!

    The penguins are celebrating. IPY has begun! Everybody celebrate! The International Polar Year had begun! Through March 2009 (wait a second: isn’t that two polar years? Oh, well… who said Earth Scientists could do math?) Earth Scientists from all over the world will concentrate their efforts on understanding Earth’s polar regions. There will be all kinds of special expeditions, meetings,…

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