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Pumpkin mosaic art
Well, it wouldn't be fall, the harvest season, or Halloween without some sort of pumpkin post, so here you go, a link to an article about the king of pumpkins (spoiler alert: it's a person.). What a...
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TMI Friday: Remember, Remember
This week, fireworks will pepper the skies across England. Now, how does the old poem go ?Remember Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder treason and plot,I know of no reasonTo celebrate Gunpowder...
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November 2013 Desktop Calendar
Another lovely moss from our summer hike up Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire. This is the moss Polytrichum commune. Its common name is the hairy-capped moss, named so for its hairy calyptra. Calyptra are...
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NPR, gray hair, and money
Last evening the Phactors attended a fund-raising event for the local national public radio station, very posh, very interesting and engaging speaker, OK food (what do you really expect?), and everyone...
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“Is Earth F**ked?”
Scientists are beginning to question whether business as usual remains feasible because it's pretty obvious that the one thing capitalism cannot fix, that capitalism won't fix, and that capitalism...
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Standard cat time
It's funny what difference an hour makes and even the 1 hour day-light-savings time/standard time shift causes some discomfort and disorientation. Resetting all the time pieces in the house, not to...
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Cashew nut - the human cost
TPP has been in southern India twice. In this region the cashew is an important crop, but you can't buy any in the local markets; cashews are too valuable as a cash crop export, one of India's 4 top...
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Brevia: Critical thinking prize for this blog
Last week at CSICON 2013 in Seattle, this blog was the recipient of the2012 Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinkingwhich was awarded jointly to Joe Nickell and myself, by the Committee for...
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The Perils of Lamellorthoceras in the Land of Taphonomy
Exfoliated specimen of Lamellorthoceras gracile, from Sweet (1964). The outer shell has been lost. The title of today's post, offhand, is a hideously contrived allusion to something that I suspect many...
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Common Observer, uncommon observations
I have a new online project and venue that I have launched! Common Observer is a collaborative online venue of science, art, philosophy, and culture. The tagline is "Common Observer, uncommon...
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Creationists are infuriating - but not as much as we are
I haven't blogged much lately because of other things in life. Shame. Things like work and applying for a Green Card. This has taken me out of the loop of dealing with creationists for a while, too,...
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History of Bacteriology :The Rebirth of Microscopy
It was Robert Hooke who first popularised microscopy when he published his seminal work in "Micrographia". He had produced exquisite images of the eye of a fly, of tiny fleas, and of the tiny...
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Do even atheists see a purpose behind random life events?
Teleological thinking – confusing effects and purpose – has often been suggested to be linked to religious beliefs. Examples include the belief that the sun is hot in order to keep us warm, or that a...
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Same sex marriage now legal in Lincolnland
Yes, much to TPP's amazement, the Lincolnland legislature rounded up enough votes, virtually all Democratic, to pass the law. The opposition made the same weak arguments that have been making the...
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Schrödinger's Turtle: How Observing Ocean Animals Can Harm Them
We rely on roving ocean creatures to fetch us all kinds of data we couldn't get otherwise. Carrying cameras or GPS units or sensors glued to their bodies, marine animals collect data for human...
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History of Bacteriology: The Cholera Riots
Murmurs of murder rippled through the crowd as it accumulated outside the entrance of the building, cursing the people who entered and exited it. They had watched helpless woman stretchered into the...
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Foiled by Jupiter's testicles
On standard time, it's pretty dark by the time TPP gets home, but after changing clothes and throwing some kibble toward the kitty girls, the lily pond's leaf skimmer net would surely need to be...
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What, right here in Lincolnland, Dr. Strangebrew?
Now how did this escape TPP's eagle-eyed attention? He must apologize because he knows you expect more. So nothing to do but steal the story and run with it, but thank Agricultural Biodiversity Blog...
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Barry Werth on the cost of new drugs
Barry Werth who wrote the swashbuckling book about the creation of Vertex (sequel out in February) has an excellent piece (also highlighted by @Chemjobber) in the MIT Technology Review about the cost...
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Fungus-Farming Beetles Start Tending Their Crop as Babies
Inside the stems of Japanese bamboo plants, tiny farmers are working in secret. They tend to their crop of fungus, growing it in plump white clusters on their walls for eating, all while sealed safely...
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