Science Art: Plate IV. Tapeworms by William Miller, after P. Syme
Another engraving by the Scotch Quaker, mentioned here previously. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Month: March 2010
GeekPop online treasure hunt
So GeekPop ’10 has started, and they’re kicking things off with an online treasure hunt.
Prizes include hula hoops, giant bubble-making kits and vouchers for mp3 downloads… Read the rest “GeekPop online treasure hunt”
Fire from ice.
Discovery News finds a strange new source of energy – gas hydrates, solid chunks of frozen natural gas better known as combustible ice:
… Read the rest “Fire from ice.”In China, the deposit is in a high, frozen plateau,
“If it doesn’t exist then they don’t have a favorite planet.”
Hate Mail From Third Graders is NOVA’s tribute to Pluto’s lost status as ninth planet.
The letters (to Hayden Planetarium director Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson), are well worth… Read the rest ““If it doesn’t exist then they don’t have a favorite planet.””
Flu’s in your head.
BBC has an interesting report on the psychological dimensions of flu:
… Read the rest “Flu’s in your head.”While it seems obvious that we feel under-par when we are ill, Dr Harrison says there is more to it than just physical
Oxytocin and roses….
New Scientist recently got all romantic with an intrepid researcher’s chemical expose of her big fat geek wedding:
… Read the rest “Oxytocin and roses….”WE’D booked the venue, chosen the bridesmaids’
Science Art: “Rocket Ride Is New Planetarium Exhibit,” Popular Science Monthly, April 1938
Hey, look! PopSci just put 137 years of back issues on the internet for free. Science-aesthetic treasure!
They’re at Google Books, from whence this striking… Read the rest “Science Art: “Rocket Ride Is New Planetarium Exhibit,” Popular Science Monthly, April 1938”
Evolution made us conservative, not smart.
LabSpaces shares some interesting research on the role of novelty in human development:
… Read the rest “Evolution made us conservative, not smart.”An earlier study by Kanazawa found that more intelligent individuals were more nocturnal, waking
Beethoven isn’t Beethoven any more.
Slate has a great piece on why the piano we hear now ain’t the instrument great composers wrote on – and how that changes the best known tunes in history:
… Read the rest “Beethoven isn’t Beethoven any more.”But music from the 18th
Snake eating dinosaurs.
Not dinosaurs that eat snakes, Wired says, but snakes that paleontologists discovered eating dinosaurs:
… Read the rest “Snake eating dinosaurs.”But in 2001, University of Michigan paleontologist Jeff Wilson, took a second
Plasma drive’s silver lining.
AFP takes a sunnier look at NASA’s budget trimming. Sure, the government agency said they won’t be landing people on the moon or Mars any time soon. But that leaves more room … Read the rest “Plasma drive’s silver lining.”
Cute little dinosaurs.
Discovery News has the sweetest report on tiny pterosaurs flitting about with songbirds:
… Read the rest “Cute little dinosaurs.”“I think that a group of small pterosaurs was feeding together near a pond or near a lake,”