Skeptical Inquiry

"…extinctions rates during mass extinctions were significantly higher in open-ocean-facing..."

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:20:33 -0500

“…extinctions rates during mass extinctions were significantly higher in open-ocean-facing settings than in epicontinental seas, indicating that open-ocean settings were more susceptible to the mass-extinction-causing agents.”

- Paleontologists find extinction rates higher in open-ocean settings during mass extinctions

Oldest hominid skeleton revealed : Nature News

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:07:53 -0400

Oldest hominid skeleton revealed : Nature News

Uneven expansion of space, caused by variations in the density...

Mon, 18 May 2009 07:15:44 -0400

Uneven expansion of space, caused by variations in the density of matter on an epic scale, could produce the effects that astronomers conventionally attribute to dark energy. (via Does Dark Energy Really Exist?: Scientific American

)

"Two physicists…have an idea that can turn travelling [sic] at the speed of light from science..."

Sun, 17 May 2009 18:10:24 -0400

“Two physicists…have an idea that can turn travelling [sic] at the speed of light from science fiction to real science, just like the warp speed at which spacecraft travel in the fictional TV and film series ‘Star Trek’.”

- Spacecrafts may soon travel faster than light

"But the real surprise was that acupuncture was effective even when the treatment didn’t break..."

Sun, 17 May 2009 18:05:17 -0400

“But the real surprise was that acupuncture was effective even when the treatment didn’t break the skin. “It’s not necessary to penetrate the skin. There’s no advantage to tailoring and no advantage to using a needle. Why?” Cherkin said. “It throws open the question of how does this work.””

- Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Back Pain - healthfinder.gov

Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog »...

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:40:46 -0400

Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Iron-breathing Species Isolated in Antarctic for Millions of Years

Nice example of a descriptive map, and an interesting story.

Most Distant Detection of Water in the Universe | SpaceRef - Your Space Reference

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:42:39 -0400

Most Distant Detection of Water in the Universe | SpaceRef - Your Space Reference:

Evidence that water existed more than 11 billion years ago.

Indexed

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:33:35 -0400

Indexed :

Very clever blog.

Was A ‘Mistress Of The Lionesses’ A King In Ancient...

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:27:47 -0400

Was A ‘Mistress Of The Lionesses’ A King In Ancient Canaan?

Scientist may have cold fusion breakthrough | Chronicle | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:18:48 -0400

Scientist may have cold fusion breakthrough | Chronicle | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

I wonder how much of this latest result is to attract funding and much it’s a genuine breakthrough.

Next Big Future: Cambridge Making Carbon Nanotubes Ribbons at Centimeter Lengths with 9 Gpa Strength, Which is Four Times Stronger than Kevlar

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:14:03 -0500

Next Big Future: Cambridge Making Carbon Nanotubes Ribbons at Centimeter Lengths with 9 Gpa Strength, Which is Four Times Stronger than Kevlar:

Carbon fiber research producing fibers ten times longer in just two years, without decrease in strength. The strength is good for skyhooks and borderline for space elevators. Next steps appear to be spinning cables from the material and increasing production throughput.

Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning - Telegraph

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:47:55 -0500

Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning - Telegraph

"But he said surprises such as this are always welcome. The 1960s discovery of microwaves from the..."

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:07:43 -0500

“But he said surprises such as this are always welcome. The 1960s discovery of microwaves from the big bang, after all, was made by researchers who were trying to improve telephone communications. “That’s how science works,” he said. “The unexpected is interesting.””

- From far away, signals loud and clearer | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/08/2009

Florence Nightingale wasn’t just a well-remembered nurse;...

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:27:54 -0500

Florence Nightingale wasn’t just a well-remembered nurse; she was a pioneer in analytical techniques.

Science News / COXCOMB

'Intelligent' computers put to the test | Technology | The Observer

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:08:17 -0400

'Intelligent' computers put to the test | Technology | The Observer :

Also interesting. Arguably a sort of slight of hand, but doing it the “hard way” like this will be a good learning experience. The next iteration will be more elegant.

ABC News: Scientists Study Out-of-Body Experiences

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:32:38 -0400

ABC News: Scientists Study Out-of-Body Experiences:

Possibilities for understanding consciousness and, someday, extending life in novel ways.

"Eight-year-old children have a radically different learning strategy from twelve-year-olds and..."

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:32:41 -0400

“Eight-year-old children have a radically different learning strategy from twelve-year-olds and adults. Eight-year-olds learn primarily from positive feedback (‘Well done!’), whereas negative feedback (‘Got it wrong this time’) scarcely causes any alarm bells to ring. Twelve-year-olds are better able to process negative feedback, and use it to learn from their mistakes.”

- Learning From Mistakes Only Works After Age 12, Study Suggests

perspctv

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:23:41 -0400

perspctv:

Nice visualizations, and constantly-updating news feeds. Not a bad model for any dashboard.

"deep inside the planet Mercury, iron “snow” forms and falls toward the center of the planet, much..."

Sun, 18 May 2008 19:48:56 -0400

“deep inside the planet Mercury, iron “snow” forms and falls toward the center of the planet, much like snowflakes form in Earth’s atmosphere and fall to the ground. The movement of this iron snow could be responsible for Mercury’s mysterious magnetic field”

- Iron ‘snow’ helps maintain Mercury’s magnetic field, scientists say | Eureka! Science News

Chris Harrison - Web Trigrams Visualization Interesting...

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:52:14 -0400

Chris Harrison - Web Trigrams Visualization

Interesting visualizations of trigrams. The layout is also aesthetically pleasing, making these good examples of what can be done.