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The infinite inflation and the end of time
by @ulaulaman about #cosmology #mathematics #inflation #Hawking #AlanGuth I published this post some years ago (archived version), but for unilateral decision of the online publisher, it is deleted, so...
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A Comet Unnoticed
Comets have long been portents of change. They challenge the rote repetition of our skies. An astute observer of the sky will perhaps have recently noticed a new object in the sky, a comet, present for...
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Oribotritia: Some Mites Just Want to be Left Alone
I'm aware that a lot of people would not automatically think of mites when categorising cuteness, but I dare you to look at the animal in the photo above (taken by Tom Murray) and tell me it's not...
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Newly Discovered Flower Makes Fake Pollen to Fool Bees
"I was certain it was something new when I saw it," says Chris Martine of the bush tomato species he discovered in the Australian outback. It's a scrappy, spiny shrub with crinkly purple flowers that...
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Child rearing - cartoons and oldies rock
Without question our only beloved child turned out as she did because of heavy doses of Calvin and Hobbs cartoons and oldies rock music, which wasn't so old then. Ah, well. At any rate, in a recent...
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End of the semester ups and downs
TPP's email inbox is bulging. That can only mean one thing, it's the end of the semester and this is the last ditch chance to submit all those assignments that were due all semester. Students who have...
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Timelapse: Mount Etna
An artist's impression of Etna's 1766 eruptionby SicilyΔLapse on Vimeo
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Brrrrr! Temperature and wind chil
It's bloody cold outside, and a recent trip to the tropics makes it seem even colder. The temperature this morning was 1 F (-17 C) and a moderately brisk breeze contributed a -15 F wind chill factor...
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The Mosses of her Passion - The Signature of All Things
From the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY ***Spoiler Alert*** This post may contain plot details and quotes from The Signature of All Things. Proceed with caution!...
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TMI Friday: Rectal Repositories !
On today's TMI Friday, we are once again contemplating colon contents, this time looking at the stories of four people who've used their rectums as repositories for interesting objects. I shall recount...
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Drugable.com "ranks billions of drug interactions"? Hold your horses.
Now here's a study that should make most seasoned molecular modelers cringe. Nature News reports on an effort by website Drugable.com that docked 600,000 compounds to 7,000 protein targets and...
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Mammal-like Tooth from the Upper Triassic of Poland
Świło, M., Niedźwiedzki, G., and T. Sulej. 2013. Mammal-like tooth from the Upper Triassic of Poland. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica Accepted Manuscript doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/...
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Laughter Is OK Medicine, Unless It Kills You
Careful with the bedside banter, doctors. Before you put on your best Patch Adams impression, you might want to consider whether your attempts at humor will ease your patient's discomfort or give him a...
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Snow party
What fun! The season's first significant snowfall threatened to interfere with our Costa Rican dinner and picture party for the rain forest ecology class. OK, it was actually no contest; winter...
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Proasellus: Life Under Water
Proasellus slavus, photographed by Hans Jürgen Hahn.The animal in the picture above is not quite the animal that I was planning on telling you about today, but I couldn't find an image of my particular...
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How to avoid being a holiday Grinch
Believe it or else, TPP is not a holiday curmudgeon or a Christmas Grinch. However the holiday season always starts before TPP is ready for it, and that does make him grouchy. For some reason it's...
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Citizen Science in Harvard Magazine
A nice, extended article on recent projects, covering a wide range -- including GamesWithWords.org. Check it out.
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Higher Altitude Protects Teens from Concussions
The human brain is a vulnerable thing, perched in its peanut shell on top of our walking, stumbling bodies. Humans who enjoy collision-heavy pastimes—say, tackle sports—put their brains in particular...
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Results (Round 1): Crowdsourcing the Structure of Meaning & Thought
Language is a device for moving a thought from one person's head into another's. This means to have any real understanding of language, we also need to understand thought. This is what makes work on...
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End of the semester, at last!
Well, that's another fine semester shot to hell. While too busy because of competing demands upon TPP's time, it was a good semester student-wise, really! Four-fifths of the students in my botany...
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