Everything from SciencePunk http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:20:44 -0800 http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/ http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/11/ancient_cities_lost_to_the_sea.php <p>I'm reading the award-winning <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Decoding-Heavens-Solving-Mystery-Computer/dp/0099519763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257372700&sr=8-1">Decoding the Heavens</a> at the moment, so what better time to discover the Smithsonian website has an excellent article on underwater archaeology?</p> <blockquote>Beneath the slate-gray surface of the North Sea, about a half-mile off England's east coast, lies the underwater town of Dunwich. Crabs and lobsters skitter along the streets where some 3,000 people walked during the town's heyday in the Middle Ages. Fish dart through the sea sponge-ridden ruins of its churches, now partially buried in the seabed some 30 feet down.<br><br>Erosion--caused by the North Sea's relentless pounding of England's east coast--had all but consumed Dunwich (pronounced DUN-ich) by 1750. And the sea's silty, cold waters made visibility almost nonexistent for the intrepid few who wanted to explore the medieval ruins.<br><br>Until now.</blockquote> <p>You can read the whole article <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Ancient-Cities-Lost-to-the-Seas.html#ixzz0VvoCJLXH">here</a>.</p> <p>(*Also, an interesting quirk: some javascript on the Smithsonian website automatically appends the source URL to your clipboard when you copy text. All websites should have this.)</p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/11/ancient_cities_lost_to_the_sea.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/11/ancient_cities_lost_to_the_sea.php Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:10:14 -0800 General http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/11/heres_to_you_laika.php <p>And because I didn't get this up yesterday: it's been 52 years since an intrepid little mongrel made it into space. Here's to you, <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika">Laika</a>!</p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="laika2Big.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/laika2Big.jpg" width="387" height="500" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></span></p> <div style="text-align:center;"><iframe class="embeddedvideo" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zsV-qozMz9A&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></iframe></div> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/11/heres_to_you_laika.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/11/heres_to_you_laika.php Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:18:17 -0800 General http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/cover_art_for_the_dutch_editio.php <p>This fantastic slice of art just arrived from Paradigma, who are publishing the Dutch translation of my forthcoming book Zombology. Awesome! I better get writing some words to go with it.</p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="zombology_cover.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/zombology_cover.png" width="456" height="708" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></span></p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/cover_art_for_the_dutch_editio.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/cover_art_for_the_dutch_editio.php Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:09:59 -0700 Zombies http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_5.php <p>The last chance to win a huge illustrated encyclopaedia of science!</p> <p>And so we come to the end of our delightful foray into the thrill and passion for science of you, dear readers. It's been absolutely wonderful, and I've really enjoyed all your comments. I wish had a book for each of you.</p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="edison.JPG" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/edison.JPG" width="500" height="375" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></span></p> <p>So I opened the mighty <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Definitive-Visual-Adam-Hart-Davis/dp/1405322470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255357888&sr=8-1">SCIENCE: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL GUIDE</a>, edited by the always-excellent Adam Hart-Davis, and who should I find but ultimate invention-master and scientific entrepreneur <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_edison">Thomas Edison</a>! Now, I think we can all agree that Edison was a bit of an asshole. It is true, for example, that he travelled the US <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkBU3aYsf0Q">electrocuting animals</a> in an effort to persuade people of the danger of Tesla's alternating current in contrast to his own patented direct current. Patents, Edison like those too. He had lots of them (1,093 in the US alone). In fact, the whole reason the US film industry is in Hollywood is because it was as far away from Edison as they could get, where film-makers could contravene his patents with impunity. </p> <p>But still, the fact remains that Edison made a good business out of invention. Given that the current political climate in the UK sees fit to house the Department for Science as a subsiduary of the Department for Business, and public funding is to be directed at those areas of science with the greatest promise of economic benefit, here's today's question and the final chance to win a copy of the huge SCIENCE book:</p> <p><strong>What would you invent in order to make lots and lots of money?</strong></p> <p>It doesn't have to be good for mankind, or even useful. But it would be nice to show the UK Government where 'science for profit' will lead us...</p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_5.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_5.php Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:24:46 -0700 Art http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_4.php <p>Another day, another beautifully-illustrated definitive guide to SCIENCE to be won!</p> <p>With the contest in its fourth day, I have only two more of these huge books to win. They're worth a princely £30 each, and were edited by the venerable <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.adam-hart-davis.org/">Adam Hart-Davis</a>. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Definitive-Visual-Adam-Hart-Davis/dp/1405322470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255357888&sr=8-1">SCIENCE: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL GUIDE</a> is a great tome of wonder and intrigue, with some great photographs and imagery that I've never seen before. Truly, the art editor was top notch. Here's one example:</p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="bomb.JPG" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/bomb.JPG" width="500" height="375" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></span></p> <p>We had many wonderful suggestions yesterday on what was the world's best-ever invention, from transistors to tools to light itself. Which leads me to ask today's COMPETITION QUESTION:</p> <p><strong>Is there a scientific invention that should have never been created? If so, what is it?</strong></p> <p>The Bomb? Eugenics? Barbed wire?</p> <p><em>PS - for those who think there is merit in every invention, I direct you to <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sciencepunk.com/2008/05/five-stupid-weapons-that-were-actually-made/">SciencePunk's 5 stupid weapons that were actually made</a></em></p> <p><strong>EDIT: Competition closed, please keep your eyes peeled for the next and FINAL chance to win!</strong></p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_4.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_4.php Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:04:35 -0700 Art http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/bca_responds_to_justic_laws_ru.php <p>The BCA have posted this <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/mvA1h">press release</a> in response to news that Simon Singh has been <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/singh_wins_leave_to_appeal.php">granted leave to appeal</a>, stating: </p> <blockquote>The BCA supports and would never seek to stifle legitimate open scientific debate. However, this action is actually a simple libel claim based on the fact that the BCA was maliciously attacked by Dr. Singh in the Guardian newspaper. </blockquote> <p>As legal blogger <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2009/10/bca-now-alleging-malice-by-simon-singh.html">Jack of Kent</a> explains, this is a significant and troubling development:</p> <blockquote>If Simon is held to be malicious then this means that he would lose various defences available to him such as fair comment and also any qualified privilege.</blockquote> <p>However, it remains to be seen whether this is a real claim of malicious intent or a slip of the tongue by the person behind the press release. Jack of Kent has asked for further clarification and is awaiting reply. Keep tuned into his excellent <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://jackofkent.blogspot.com">blog</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.twitter.com/jackofkent">twitter stream</a> for further developments.</p> <p>** EDIT The BCA press release has been replaced with one <em>sans</em> the word "maliciously". Clearly they are not planning a new tactic of trying to prove malice (or if they are, this was a false start). Unfortunately for them accusing Simon of malice might itself be libel, allowing Simon to counter-sue. What a tangled web they've woven...</p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/bca_responds_to_justic_laws_ru.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/bca_responds_to_justic_laws_ru.php Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:58:39 -0700 Singh vs BCA http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/singh_wins_leave_to_appeal.php <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="simonsingh.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/simonsingh.png" width="75" height="75" class="mt-image-left" style="float:left;margin:0 20px 20px 0;"/></span><em>Simon Singh is a UK science writer currently being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association following a critical article on chiropractic treatments published in the Guardian.</em></p> <p>Yesterday Simon went to court to fight for his right to appeal the preliminary ruling by Judge Eady. Silé Lane of <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/333/">Sense About Science</a> reports:</p> <blockquote>Dear friends<br><br>I'm very pleased to tell you that earlier today in the Royal Courts of Justice Simon was granted permission to appeal the ruling on meaning in his libel case with the BCA. Read more about the judgement <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/409">here</a>. The appeal will probably be early next year. In the meantime, we will be busy working on libel reform.<br><br>Simon said: "This is a great result, but we now have to win the appeal . and then we have to win the trial. So there is still a long battle ahead in my case and in reforming the libel laws. Thank you to everyone for all your support and please use today's success to encourage others to sign up to supporting libel reform."<br><br>BBC Newsnight came along to the meeting in Westminster last night and interviewed Simon and other supporters of the campaign for their report on the chilling effects of England's laws; watch it <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ndt7t/Newsnight_13_10_2009/">here</a> (the report starts 34 minutes in).<br><br>Simon, Tracey Brown and John Kampfner of Index on Censorship will be discussing today's judgement and the chill of libel laws on free discussion of science and evidence tomorrow, Thursday 15th October, at the City University London and Association of British Science Writers debate on Science Journalism and Libel Law. For more information see <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.city.ac.uk/whatson/2009/10_oct/151009-scij.html">here</a>. I hope to see some of you there.<br><br>All the best<br><br> Síle</blockquote> <p>This is great news, but as Simon says, there is still a long way to go. To stay in the loop regarding the Singh case and other attacks on free speech by our abject libel laws, visit the indispensable <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/">Jack of Kent</a> blog.</p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/singh_wins_leave_to_appeal.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/singh_wins_leave_to_appeal.php Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:25:36 -0700 Singh vs BCA http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_3.php <p>Another chance to win a gorgeous illustrated encyclopaedia of science!</p> <p>Thank you everyone who donated their thoughts to <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_2.php">yesterday's provoking question</a>, the consensus seems to be that we are, right now, living in a bloody great time for science. The winner was Dave Ferret, who gets a copy of the massive, beautiful, 512 page <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Definitive-Visual-Adam-Hart-Davis/dp/1405322470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255357888&sr=8-1">SCIENCE: THE DEFINITIVE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE</a> edited by Adam Hart-Davis. Today another copy must be won!</p> <p>So I was leafing through this book (with the help of a JCB, because that's how big this book is), and I chanced upon this marvellous entry:</p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="babbage.JPG" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/babbage.JPG" width="500" height="375" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></span></p> <p>Even though Charles Babbage had trouble seeing the full potential of his marvellous counting machine (that honour fell to <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://2dgoggles.com/">the first programmer</a>, Ada Lovelace), computers are now everywhere. And I mean <em>everywhere</em>. We can't seem to live without them, and they've only been able to fit in our pockets for the last 50 odd years. </p> <p>Anyway, to win a copy of the book, answer the following question:</p> <p><strong>What do you think has been the most influential scientific invention, ever? </strong></p> <p>Stonehenge? The caged ball bearing? Lasers? The choice is yours!</p> <p><strong>EDIT: Competition is now closed! But you can try, try again!</strong></p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_3.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_3.php Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:15:40 -0700 Art http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_2.php <p>Another day, another chance to win <strong>SCIENCE: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY</strong>!</p> <p>Well, it's going to be hard to beat the massive response to the first round of this competition - thank you to everyone who commented. It was heartening to see so much love for science, and I've now got a fantastic collection of reading material to add to my list. </p> <p>Back to the book! Here's a beautiful spread in SCIENCE of on one of my favourite inventions ever: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harrison#The_first_three_marine_timekeepers">Harrison's Chronometer</a>, which helped to solve the <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_problem">Longitude Problem</a>, changing the world forever. It's a tale of obsession, invention, and cruelty retold wonderfully in Dava Sobel's <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Longitude-Genius-Greatest-Scientific-Problem/dp/0007214227/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255443679&sr=8-1">Longitude</a>. </p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="harrison.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/harrison.jpg" width="500" height="375" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></span></p> <p>So, as we're on the subject of time and place, here's the competition question. For the chance to win a copy of the massive, beautiful, illustrated encyclopaedia SCIENCE, I want to know:</p> <p><strong>Which era of scientific discovery (past, present or future) would you most like to live in?</strong> Would you be a gentleman scholar in the Victorian days of the polymath? Unlocking the great foundation truths of mathematics with the Ancient Greeks? Or streaking out into the stars in centuries to come? </p> <p>Answers in the comments section please!</p> <p><strong>EDIT: Competition now closed - although you can still answer the question if you want. For another chance to win, see part 3!</strong></p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_2.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/win_a_science_mega-book_part_2.php Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:11:07 -0700 Art http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/british_press_banned_from_repo.php <p>Most of the UK press are avoiding this story for obvious reasons, so kudos to Alex Massie and the <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/alexmassie/5417651/british-press-banned-from-reporting-parliament-seriously.thtml">Spectator</a> for breaking rank:</p> <blockquote>This time, perhaps even the lawyers have gone too far. It's hard to recall, even in the long history of appalling gagging orders, a more disgraceful injunction than this: <p> <blockquote>The Guardian has been <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/12/guardian-gagged-from-reporting-parliament">prevented</a> from reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds which appear to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights.<br><br>Today's published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found.<br><br>The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented - for the first time in memory - from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret.<br><br>The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, who specialise in suing the media for clients, who include individuals or global corporations.</blockquote>Remarkable, even by the appalling standards of our libel laws and addled judiciary. This appears to be the question in, er, question:<br><br><blockquote>From Parliament.uk, "Questions for Oral or Written Answer beginning on Tuesday 13 October 2009″<br><br>(292409)<br><br>61<br><br>N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura.</blockquote>And this is a report on how the oil company Trafigura tried to cover up pollution in Africa.<br><br>This country's libel laws have been a disgrace for years and one can only hope that egregious abuses of an already abusive system persuades folk that, dash it, something must be done.<br><br></blockquote></p> <p>The Twitterati are going absolutely apeshit over the case, and <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/jackofkent">@jackofkent</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/dontgetfooled">@dontgetfooled</a> deserve credit for being among the first to raise the alarm and uncover the offending documents. Trending topics include <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23guardiangag">#guardiangag</a>, <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23gagCarterRuck">#gagCarterRuck</a>, and <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23trafigura">#Trafigura</a>. A demonstration against press censorship and anti-democratic legal action is <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://tweetvite.com/event/gagcarterruck">planned for Thursday</a>.</p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/british_press_banned_from_repo.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/british_press_banned_from_repo.php Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:20:54 -0700 Legal Chill http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/five_copies_of_the_mega-book_s.php <p>This week, five SciencePunk readers will win a copy of <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Definitive-Visual-Adam-Hart-Davis/dp/1405322470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255357888&sr=8-1">SCIENCE: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL GUIDE</a>, edited by Adam Hart-Davis!</p> <p>I received a copy in the post today, and let me tell you, this book is HUGE. Huge in scope, in detail, and in raw physical presence. That is I am going to insist on calling it SCIENCE, all in caps. Words couldn't do justice in describing just how massive this hardcover is, so here's a picture of me shortly before I was crushed under the weight of it and had to be rescued by my <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sciencepunk.com/2008/02/my-sweet-ant-farm/">pet ants</a>:</p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><img alt="science_me.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/science_me.jpg" width="500" height="477" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></span></p> <p>Science follows in the tradition of publisher <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/">DK</a>'s lavishly produced pictorial encyclopaedias, which include <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Definitive-Visual-Civilization-Present/dp/1405318090/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255358761&sr=1-1">History</a>, <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781405304719,00.html?strSrchSql=ocean/Ocean">Ocean</a> and <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Illustrated-Encyclopedia-Universe-Dorling-Kindersley/dp/140533309X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255358687&sr=8-1">Universe</a>. It's 512 pages of delightful diagrams, wonderful art, and above all, cool science. This is the kind of book that, as a child, made me want to be a scientist. And still does. Even physics looks interesting:</p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/assets_c/2009/10/science_inner-20597.php"><img src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/assets_c/2009/10/science_inner-thumb-500x354-20597.png" width="500" height="354" alt="science_inner.png" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></a></span></p> <p>SCIENCE is the kind of book that you can pick up and fall into, and I can easily see my young self becoming absorbed for hours inside its beautifully illustrated world. Adam Hart-Davis carries the reader from prehistory and the dawn of science, through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, hurtling past the Industrial Revolution in a blur of steam and iron and then soaring into the space age, before plunging into the microscopic world of the Information Revolution. It's gratifying to see that (compared to the books of my youth), plenty of attention is paid to non-Western contributions to science, notably Arabic and Indian advances in mathematics, optics, and chemistry. It also includes a gorgeous reference section jam-packed with charts and tables of essential data, from an extensive list of Messier objects to the Beaufort wind scale, and a who's who of science.</p> <p>It is, in short, deserving of the term 'definitive'.</p> <p>So, on to the contest. Every day this week I'll give you the chance to win a copy of SCIENCE (RRP £30). The winner will be selected by an arbitrary and quite possibly entirely random process. But to be in with a chance, you have to answer the following question:</p> <p><strong>Which book inspired your passion for science? </strong></p> <p>Is it an encyclopaedia or a novel? Sci-fi or sci-fact? Tell me which one it was, and why, and you could win!</p> <p>Winner announced tomorrow. Answers in the comments section please!<br /> <strong><br /> EDIT: CONTEST CLOSED - CONGRATULATIONS #26 CHRIS! </p> <p>Stay tuned for another chance to win...</strong></p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/five_copies_of_the_mega-book_s.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/five_copies_of_the_mega-book_s.php Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:25:07 -0700 Art http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/bizarre_paper_on_interspecies.php <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/good-karma/"><img alt="caterpillar_CC_jf.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/caterpillar_CC_jf.png" width="85" height="74" class="mt-image-left" style="float:left;margin:0 20px 20px 0;"/></a></span>This strange episode of dodgy science and publishing is worth reprinting in its entirety from <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/10/weird-science-says-think-green-but-dont-go-green-or-slouch.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss">Ars Technica</a>:</p> <blockquote>Scientific publishing weirdness: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/08/25/0908357106">This paper</a> didn't strike me as weird so much as completely bonkers, given its opening sentence: "I reject the Darwinian assumption that larvae and their adults evolved from a single common ancestor." It forwarded the proposal that the difference between larval and adult forms of insects--between caterpillars and butterflies, to give one example--arose because insects are the product of a hybridization event between a caterpillar-like organism and something that looked like the adult. The two different forms represent what once were two different species. There's no evidence for this, and any number of reasons to indicate it's wrong. The person who wrote the article is retired after having pushed similar ideas for decades; he's apparently so poorly read on the subject that he doesn't realize that there's already data that addresses the test of his proposal that he puts forward (and shows that he's wrong).<br><br>But things apparently <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=national-academy-as-national-enquirer">get weirder still</a> when you <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091009/full/news.2009.985.html?s=news_rss">look at the history of the paper</a>. Members of the National Academies of Science are able to shepherd papers through the review process at its Proceedings journal (a practice that will end next year), which is the only reason this got through. The member in this case is Lynn Margulis, who got into the NAS because of her endosymbiosis hypothesis for the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts. But since then she's been suggesting hybridization and endosymbiosis as the explanation for just about anything in biology, whether the data support it or not. The paper looks to be her way of thumbing her nose at a scientific club that would have her as a member, as she hand-picked a group of equally disgruntled reviewers (choice quote from one: "I'm willing to lower that bar.").<br><br>Things have now descended into chaos. PNAS is refusing to put the paper, which is available online, in one of its print editions, and its editor is sitting on other papers from Margulis while awaiting an explanation for what happened here. </blockquote> <p>I'm looking forward to that explanation... </p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/bizarre_paper_on_interspecies.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/bizarre_paper_on_interspecies.php Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:35:23 -0700 bad science http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/glow_in_the_dark_mushrooms.php <p>Live Science <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/091005-glowing-mushrooms.html">reports</a> on the discovery of several new species of bio-luminescent fungi, bringing the total up to 71 different flavours of AWESOME. These are not fluorescing under a UV lamp - they really do glow in the dark, giving them the most beautiful name in mycology: <em>Mycena luxaeterna</em>, meaning "eternal light". </p> <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/091005-glowing-mushrooms.html"><img alt="shroom.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/shroom.jpg" width="500" height="200" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></a></span></p> <p>Live Science says:</p> <blockquote>Three quarters of glowing mushrooms, including the newly identified species, belong to the Mycena genus, a group of mushrooms that feed off and decompose organic matter.<br><br>"What interests us is that within Mycena, the luminescent species come from 16 different lineages, which suggests that luminescence evolved at a single point and some species later lost the ability to glow," Desjardin said.<br><br>He and other scientists still have many questions about such glow-in-the-dark fungi, including how and why they light up. They know the luminescent process is similar to that of glowing bacteria and other luminescent organisms. For instance, the glowing involves a luciferin-luciferase mediated reaction that emits light in the presence of water and oxygen. But they are not sure of the exact chemical compounds involved in the reaction. </blockquote> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/glow_in_the_dark_mushrooms.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/glow_in_the_dark_mushrooms.php Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:47:05 -0700 General http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/incredible_photos_from_nikons.php <p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display:inline;"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.pdnphotooftheday.com/2009/10/2252"><img alt="smallworld.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/smallworld.png" width="500" height="585" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align:center;display:block;margin:0 auto 20px;"/></a></span></p><p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.pdnphotooftheday.com/2009/10/2252">PDN Photo of the Day</a> website says:</p> <blockquote>Here we present ten of the finalists from Nikon's 35th Annual Small World Photomicrography Competition, which recognizes photographs shot through a microscope. Contest winners will be announced on October 8. Until October 2, the public can select their favorites in the "Popular Vote" section of the <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/">Nikon Small World web site</a>.</blockquote> <p>Above image: © Shamuel Silberman, Ramat-Gan, Israel<br /> Embryo of guppy fish (40X)<br /> Reflected light by fiber-optics</p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/incredible_photos_from_nikons.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/incredible_photos_from_nikons.php Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:37:12 -0700 Art http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/chiros_try_to_close_down_simon.php <p>UK charity Sense About Science have been instrumental in <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/406">organising support for Simon Singh</a>, the British science writer who is being <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jun/04/simon-singh-libel-british-chiropractic-association-bca">sued for libel</a> by the British Chiropractic Association over an article he wrote in the Guardian, criticising the unsubstantiated health claims made by chiropractors. </p> <p>Now it seems a BCA supporter has tried to close down this campaign. Julia Wilson reports:</p> <blockquote>Dear friends<br><br>You alerted us that someone was touting for ideas about reporting SAS to the Charity Commission. We were aware that chiropractors discussing the GCC complaints had mentioned the idea, which perhaps they saw as a way to get back at Simon and the campaign. <br><br>Well, it happened. We had a complaint against us in respect of Simon Singh and the campaign. Our board responded robustly and we received a letter pretty much by return saying that the complainant's case has been closed. We have put this correspondence up on a link from our campaign page (see <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/406">http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/406</a> ) for anyone who is interested and in the hope that it might help others (we are thinking of the Australian skeptics who've had a complaint against them too, albeit in a different way).<br><br>Best wishes<br><br>Julia</blockquote> <p>The letter from the Charity Commission, outlining the complaint, can be read <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/Letter%20from%20Charity%20Commission%20Sept%2009.pdf">here</a>. Among other things, it questions whether the campaign could "impact unfavourably on the charity's supporters". It looks like the BCA supporter is trying to paint Singh as a pariah whom we should be embarrassed to associate with. How wrong-headed can you get?</p> <p>Chairman Lord Taverne's reply is <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/Sense%20About%20Science%20Letter%20to%20Charity%20Commission%20in%20response%20Sept%2009.pdf">here</a>. He hit back:</p> <blockquote>Our campaign in support of Dr Singh is concerned with the impact of UK libel laws on public discussion about science generally and we considered that a change would be highly unlikely to impact unfavourably on our supporters. Indeed over 17,000 people have signed up in support, many giving time, money and practical assistance. It is supported by other charitable organisations. Donations from existing supporters have increased since May; while this may reflect interest in our other projects it does not suggest the campaign is having an unfavourable impact. We have inspired new volunteers and partnerships with other organisations and have reached other sections of society. All our work and activities have benefited from the publicity roused by this campaign and there has been an increased demand for our older publications.</blockquote> <p>The complaint was <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/PDF/Letter%20from%20Charity%20Commission%20dismiss%20complaint%20Oct%2009.pdf">thrown out</a> by the Charity Commission almost immediately.</p> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/chiros_try_to_close_down_simon.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a> http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2009/10/chiros_try_to_close_down_simon.php Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:35:59 -0700 Singh vs BCA http://www.livescience.com/animals/090909-mouse-levitation.html Anti-gravity machine tackles mammals for the first time fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_434d46ff753f07bbef3f32bd78dfa296 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:36:03 -0700 http://www.baddesigns.com/examples.html A catalogue of failure made before #fail even became a meme fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_cbadd56549c56d8d5cefb20d0d317e88 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:25:56 -0700 http://www.newscientist.com/special/13-more-things From the big bang to the big bloop fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_9f59916de1694042af3c8d447bae4883 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:43:09 -0700 http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a4h7V5lc_xXM The joys of regulation fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_08e217be0eed8e1abbc1dfe6e16564ca Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:37:02 -0700 http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/25/diy-cameraphone-macro-lens-requires-one-old-dvd-player-zero-tec/ Requires one old DVD player, zero tech savvy fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_c8a19cab31e246faab39b5b384a0f900 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:07:21 -0700 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1408414?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=1&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed "Pediatric firearm injuries: time to target a growing population" fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_130a5165cf895acfbccb09a23de97123 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:06:54 -0700 http://www.newser.com/story/66109/t-rex-mostly-ate-babies.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sci This dinosaur needs a PR agent, fast fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_39ce83c15293d322f74936a27226b1e7 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:27:19 -0700 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8174482.stm Food fad fading fast fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_ab6ac0e0359e53fcbba93e709d33876d Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:13:11 -0700 http://www.newser.com/story/64363/hamas-israel-targets-gaza-youth-with-aphrodisiac-gum.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sci Outbreaks of frenzied mastication reported fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_06ec2c92cfc8e27d1d2d2f46177784a7 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:16:54 -0700 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-07/ncsu-rwm070609.php Micro-UAVs are a blend of nature and sci-fi futurism fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_14b876c181d09d69fc973df61aad967f Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:49:25 -0700 http://newgenerationsociety.com/category/journal/ Blog warz! Read their motions on animal testing, leave a comment... fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_91efc9377f4ab9f63f4154f3546c4586 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:24:49 -0700 http://www.newser.com/story/63083/boys-hardwired-to-like-trucks.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sci Apparently truck-preference genes evolved 9900 years before real trucks fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_1674dad96eee1c33c0c4fe0835fcd4c8 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:43:04 -0700 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-06/uow-ebt062509.php Persistent legislation has metastasised into full-blown FDA regulation fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_7731699d212c970d8b406f669640ae33 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:35:09 -0700 http://www.gizmag.com/xeros-washing-machine/12088/ Hmm... Dirt not washed away, so kinda like washing your clothes in the same water over and over. fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_1e5fc8325476ff057bc99c588c56cc0c Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:12:12 -0700 http://www.science-facts.com/2009/06/19/how-heavy-is-the-earth/ Epic fail from a website that calls itself "Science Facts" fKlwSynj3RGeI1v_PhJ3AQ_41e33ae1218f26c8c61a768b111808ef Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:41:11 -0700