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The 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and tool-driven scientific revolutions
Image: Nobelprize.orgLast year I wrote a post detailing the views of historian Peter Galison and physicist Freeman Dyson of science as being as much of a tool-driven revolution as an idea-driven one....
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Teachers for the peace
http://t.co/W1K0rh9An6 #nobelprize2014 #peace #children #education #teaching The Nobel Prize for Peace 2014 is awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai, teachers and activists for children...
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When is a pumpkin not a pumpkin?
TPP knows where the pumpkin capital of the USA is located. Morton, a little town right here in Lincolnland. And very few pumpkins are grown there. The reason for this is that the jack-o-lantern...
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Edward Witten, chemistry and the problems with falsification
Science writer and journalist John Horgan who wrote the notorious and thought-provoking book "The End of Science" in the 90s has an interesting interview with theoretical physics giant Edward Witten....
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Functional and Biomechanic Aspects of the Scapular Girdle and Forelimbs of...
Vargas-Peixoto, D., Stock Da-Rosa, Á, A., and M. A. G. França. 2014. Functional and biomechanic aspects of the scapular girdle and forelimbs of Unaysaurus tolentinoi Leal et al., 2004 (Saurischia:...
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That's a lot of stars; That's a lot of galaxies
Unless you've had a chance to get away from civilization, way away from civilization, you don't really know what the night time sky looks like because of light pollution. Years ago TPP found himself in...
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The demise of ScienceOnline
So it seems that the pioneering science communication conference Science Online is no more. It's a sad piece of news, especially since I attended the conference twice and had registered to attend it...
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Just a bit of blue
http://t.co/hgbABOxUlm by @ulaulaman about #nobelprize2014 on #physics #led #light #semiconductors Created with SketchBookXOne of the first classifications that you learn when you start to study the...
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So long since I've posted...
But here's an update on the RNA-seq saga.We've been struggling to get evidence that our RNA preps are of good enough quality for library preparation and sequencing. Because the Ribo-zero kits that we...
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Wasps in the Sand
Sand wasp Bembix oculata with prey (a bombyliid, I think), copyright Carlos Enrique Hermosilla.The sand wasps of the tribe Bembicini are a diverse group of about 500 species of wasp that get their name...
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Improving science education in grade school
Research has shown that many kids begin to think science is dull, or just for smart kids, which means those who can memorize lots of stuff, or just for boys, way back in grade school. TPP remembers...
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Food delivery by solar tricycle
Amsterdam - is there anything they won't try first? Here in the great Midwest new ideas are the things people in Seattle now yawn about. Foodlogica is using solar-powered cargo tricycles are providing...
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Who's the world's greatest living chemist?
Roald Hoffmann: My candidate for title of 'world's greatest living chemist'Since we have been making lists of Nobel Prize candidates for the last few weeks and since we already have a few lists of...
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Are religious pictures more powerful than words?
Subliminal priming is a classic way to study how religion might affect attitudes and behaviour. But previous studies have had mixed results - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In the last post,...
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David Greenglass and Robert Oppenheimer: A lesson from history
David Greenglass and Robert Oppenheimer(Images: NYT and NDTV)The name of David Greenglass must have almost completely faded from memory for people of my generation. Greenglass himself probably wanted...
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Panguraptor lufengensis, a New Coelophysoid Theropod Dinosaur from the Lower...
You, H.-L., Azuma, Y., Wang, T., Wang, Y.-M., and Z.-M. Dong. 2014. The first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia. Zootaxa 3873:233–249.Abstract - Previously reported coelophysoid...
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On Freeman Dyson, cadmium estimation and the joy of chemistry
Cadmium sulfide (the solution has a muchdeeper, brilliant yellow color)Freeman Dyson who is a hero of mine and who I have had the privilege of meeting at length several times is someone who has done a...
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Principal Features of the Mammalian Nasal Cavity were Present in Triassic...
Ruf, I., Maier, W., Rodrigues, P. G., and C. L. Schultz. 2014. Nasal Anatomy of the Non-mammaliaform Cynodont Brasilitherium riograndensis (Eucynodontia, Therapsida) Reveals New Insight into Mammalian...
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You're all wet
There's a lot of stuff out there that TPP doesn't think about very much if at all. But every now and again something gives you pause, and so it's a very good question to ask, "Why does wet feel wet?"...
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Durian - Love it or leave it
Unless you have traveled and delved into the culture of SE Asia, you probably don't know a thing about durian. Durian is often called the stinkiest fruit in the world and my Thai friends tell me durian...
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