“‘Science counts, and it has not counted sufficiently in this administration.'” The NYT reports on the birth of the bipartisan group Scientists and Engineers for Change (covered yesterday at Medley.)
Tag: Science
Philanderers of the Pleistocene.
“‘It is a pattern that has built up over time,’ said Dr Jason Wilder, from the University of Arizona in Tucson, USA. ‘The norm through human evolution is for more women to have…children than men. There are men around who aren’t able to have children, because they are being out-competed by more successful males.’” One of my high school roommates — now a biologist at Arizona — unearths genetic evidence that prehistoric Lotharios really got around, while Beta Cavemales have always had it bad. I dunno, I always thought Barney Rubble did pretty well for himself…
Give me Genesis!
Alas, on its way back from exploring the solar winds, the Genesis capsule plowed into the Earth today at 100 miles an hour after its chutes failed to open.
All Along the Watchtower.
The International Space Station is soon slated to pick up a princely view.
It’s Super, Thanks for Asking.
In something of a breakthrough, astronomers discover a “Super-Earth” that’s smaller, rockier, and closer — a mere 50 light years away — than the many gas giants previously discovered. Alas, with a surface temperature of approximately 1160 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s probably not the best spot for finding any kind of life. Still, baby steps.
Ugh.
Don’t call it a comeback…maggots return as an accepted medical tool. Well, I for one am overjoyed. The jury’s still out on bleeding, I guess.
Not Exactly Soundgarden.
“The more black holes eat, the more they spill, and it is widely thought that their feeding frenzies power the violence seen in the nuclei of many galaxies, including the powerful quasars that are so bright they outshine their parent galaxies.” The NY Times delves into the strange sounds emanating from black holes. “The frequency of these waves was equivalent to a B flat, 57 octaves below middle C, the astronomers calculated.“
Short-sighted NASA.
An outside panel of experts entreat NASA to save the Hubble, “arguably the most important telescope in history.” Given it’s been both a rare PR victory for the administration and an amazing source of scientific data, one would think the Hubble would remain a top priority, even despite all the new talk of Mars.
I am not an animal…ok, maybe I am.
“The border collie, a breed known primarily for its herding ability, was able to go to the room with the toys and, seven times out of 10, bring back the one he had not seen before. The dog seemingly understood that because he knew the names of all the other toys, the new one must be the one with the unfamiliar name.” New research suggests that dogs understand language quicker than we think. Duh…You should see how fast Berk learned the menu at KFC/Taco Bell.
Ares or Bust.
Via a frequent reader, Explore Mars Now, a website which attempts to visualize red-planet-viable spacecraft using existing technology. Well, it’s already more realistic than Mission to Mars.