PhysicsWeb has a story about a new theory of axions that claims to resolve some discrepancies between past experiments. Two previous experiments looking for axions– hypothetical weakly interacting particles that might be an explanation for dark matter– have found conflicting results: the CAST experiment looking for axions produced in the Sun found nothing, while the… Continue reading New Particles and Epicycles
Month: February 2007
Stealth Creationists and Illinois Nazis
I’m having the sort of morning where I feel like lobbing a grenade at somebody, and the predictable outrage over yesterday’s story about a creationist paleontologist is as good a target as any. The issue here is whether it’s appropriate for Marcus Ross to receive a Ph.D. for work in paleontology, given that he’s a… Continue reading Stealth Creationists and Illinois Nazis
Scientist Cleared, Process Unclear
The New York Times reports that Purdue has officially cleared Rusi Taleyarkhan of charges of scientific wrongdoing over his claim to have produced nuclear fusion on a tabletop through the magic of sonoluminescence. You might recall that these claims were made a couple of years ago, but nobody else has been able to replicate them.… Continue reading Scientist Cleared, Process Unclear
I Told You ‘Bout the Swans, That They Live in the Park
The guys over at the World’s Fair have created an Order of Science Scouts, for those who find themselves longing for merit badges to display on their blogs. Such as, for example, this one: The “has frozen stuff just to see what happens” badge (LEVEL III) In which the recipient has frozen something in liquid… Continue reading I Told You ‘Bout the Swans, That They Live in the Park
Takayama or Kanazawa?
So, as mentioned previously, Kate and I are planning to go to Japan for the World SF Convention, and spend a couple of weeks doing touristy stuff. We’re down for about a week in Kyoto, and a week in the Yokohama/Tokyo area (where the con is). Then, there are 3-4 days at the end of… Continue reading Takayama or Kanazawa?
Science Journalism Awards
Via EurekAlert, the American Association for the Advnacement of Science has announced the 2006 winners of their science journalism awards. Most of the written pieces are available online, so if you’re looking for science-y things to read, this could be a good source of material. None of the winners are bloggers, and there’s no blogging… Continue reading Science Journalism Awards
Three for Three (SU-SJU, UMD-Duke, IM)
Light blogging today, because yesterday was a Hoops Day here in Chateau Steelypips. A goog hoops day, too, with victories in all three games that mattered: Syracuse edged St. John’s, Maryland beat the hated Dukies, and the intramural team I’m playing on won a tough game last night to more or less lock up first… Continue reading Three for Three (SU-SJU, UMD-Duke, IM)
Cognitive Dissonance
There’s an interesting story in the New York Times this morning about a young earth creationist studying paleontology [Marcus Ross’s] subject was the abundance and spread of mosasaurs, marine reptiles that, as he wrote, vanished at the end of the Cretaceous era about 65 million years ago. The work is “impeccable,” said David E. Fastovsky,… Continue reading Cognitive Dissonance
Chart Attack!
Here’s something a little lighter than the last couple of entries, seeing as it’s a weekend and all: Pop-music blogger Jason Hare has a regular Friday feature called “Chart Attack!” in which he posts the Top Ten songs from a past week ending on the same date, and goes through the songs. This week’s entry,… Continue reading Chart Attack!
Evolution Sunday
Kate passes along a link to a New Scientist article noting this today has been proclaimed Evolution Sunday 2007 by the Clergy Letter Project: On 11 February 2007 hundreds of congregations from all portions of the country and a host of denominations will come together to discuss the compatibility of religion and science. For far… Continue reading Evolution Sunday