GPS, Relativity, and Tinkering
One of the great examples of practical application of both special and general relativity is in the Global Positioning System
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General scientific topics or issues
Out of the Ashes?
Philip Clayton at “Religion Dispatches” has a post up about evolution/creationism issues and the yin/yang of the classes of antievolutionists
Read moreLaTeX and MicroSoft Word
I’ve gotten used to using as my usual document preparation tool. However, many of the people I collaborate with are
Read moreFreeze Me, Please! Another Bid Text (1)
I’ve changed my bid text to tell an anecdote about penguins and the predatory skua. I’m not just interested in
Read moreAnother Look at Law and Theory
There’s a lot of philosophical discussion about what, precisely, constitutes a law or a theory in scientific practice. There’s also
Read moreFreeze Me, Please!
Quark Expeditions has a contest going. They are making a promotion out of sending a blogger to Antarctica on an
Read moreBeaked Whale Stranding in the Azores
This came across MARMAM just now. Subject: [MARMAM] Six Beaked Whales stranded in Azores (URGENT) From: “marc fernandez” Date: Sat,
Read moreTrip to Nashville
There was no sight-seeing, but I went to Nashville, Tennessee from last Sunday to last Thursday. This was to present
Read moreSirenian International Goes Sociable
Sirenian International, a manatee conservation and public outreach organization, now has a Facebook group. SI also has a field course
Read moreNYT References Panda’s Thumb Blogger Tara Smith
An op-ed column by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times referenced Panda’s Thumb blogger Tara Smith. The op-ed is
Read moreRichard Dawkins and the Purpose of Purpose
Oxford University’s previous Charles Simonyi Professor for Public Understanding of Science, Richard Dawkins, visited Michigan State University in East Lansing
Read more200th Anniversaries
Today is the 200th anniversary of the births of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. I’ll be adding things to this
Read moreBiosonar Turns Waspish
Nature (7228, p.361) had notice of an article in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (96, 82-102, 2009) that demonstrates
Read moreMissing Mike Majerus
Mike Majerus, the Cambridge zoologist and lepidopterist, died overnight between this past Monday and Tuesday. Majerus patiently rebutted both religious
Read moreBegley and the Grand Conclusion
Sharon Begley had a piece in Newsweek magazine about scientists rethinking positions. Begley is not the retiring sort, apparently: Rare,
Read moreAcademic Free-For-All Day
The Alliance for Science has a page up for Academic Free-For-All Day. Ever since that sad debacle known as the
Read moreWhy Your Neighbor Hates Evolution
Lansing Community College had an in-service day today with round-table discussions. Diane and I had volunteered to lead three such
Read moreBush’s Partial Protection
A news item notes that President Bush signed three new national monuments into effect and is being praised by various
Read moreFragmentary Fossils
Mr. Elsberry; I came across the talk origins site on accident as I was doing some browsing about the subject
Read moreDuke Researchers Find Large Amoeba that Moves
A Duke University press release notes the discovery of a large (1 inch diameter) marine amoeba that moves slowly and
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