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Publication progress...
We still haven't heard back from Science about our January 30 #arseniclife submission. We haven't heard back from PNAS about the postdoc's February 3 uptake-bias submission. But we have good news about...
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Zeno
Many people are familiar with Zeno's paradox, though probably not in the form presented by XKCD: (If you aren't familiar with it or need a refresher, just follow the link above.) Perhaps this is widely...
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Hosility to migrants in Europe is strongest among the 'culturally Christian'
There are many types of religion. In Europe, most people when asked would call themselves 'Christian', even if they rarely (if ever) go to church, and have only a shaky grasp of the core Christian...
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Hind limb osteology of Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum
Lecuona, A., and J. B. Desojo 2011. Hind limb osteology of Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia). Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh,...
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Homeopathic water - thanks for the memories.
Sometimes, just sometimes, it takes a philosopher to figure out why non-scientific treatments appeal to so many people. Damon Young's brief essay on homeopathy gets right to the point, although what...
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How to Slim Down, Manage Your Man, and Stay Tight with Your Girlfriends!
Who ever said science wasn't for us ladies? This week's research is full of tips on looking good, eating right, and taking care of your man! Plus: Don't miss a shocking true story about a girls'...
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Who's Afraid of the Wasabi Fire Alarm ?
It was a strange series of events that lead me to having dinner with IgNobel awards maestro Marc Abrahams, former Monty Python Terry Jones and the inventors of the wasabi fire alarm. I had met Marc at...
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Friday Fabulous Flower - Blue lawn
A few years ago, quite a few years ago, somebody planted Scilla in the yard currently owned by the Phactors. And in terms of naturalization, this introduction was more than a little bit successful....
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If you want them to collaborate, you should let them collaborate
The past few months have seen a string of stories about major drug makers shutting down their neuroscience research, a move that seems to be the exact opposite of what they should be doing, even in...
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We've received the #arseniclife reviews from Science
They're too long to include in a blog post so I've posted them here. Bottom line: the reviews are largely favourable so our manuscript is provisionally accepted! The main concern of the referees is...
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The difference between science and press release
Thanks to @peppeliberti for sharing the preprint. Do you remember the famous OPERA preprint about superluminal neutrinos? After the publication of the results about neutrinos' flight time, a lot of...
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Mitt called - The Phactor is feeling popular!
Mitt called. He wants my vote. In fact he’s called at least 3 times. He said that if the Phactor stayed on the line my questions could be part of an online town hall meeting. Too bad it would have...
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Spring sprung, sprang!
According to my data, the Phactors ususally have 5-6 plants that flower in March. So far this year 35 plants have flowered in March, and there's still quite a few days left! Unfortunately, the...
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Panchetocynodon damodarensis, a New Cynodont from the Lower Triassic of India
Das, D. P., and A. Gupta. 2012. New cynodont record from the lower Triassic Panchet Formation, Damodar valley. Earth and Environmental Science Journal of the Geological Society of India Volume 79,...
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Reminders of death make the non-religious more hostile to religion yet more...
There's quite a lot of research showing that subtly reminding people of death can make them more religious (here's an example). But what's not clear is why that should be - and in particular whether...
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Early Evolution of Postcranial Skeletal Pneumaticity in Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs
I don't think I've posted this paper previously, but it has been in press for a year... Yates, A. M., Wedel, M. J., and M. F. Bonnan. 2012. The early evolution of postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in...
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When Keen Minds Are Quick to Wander
We're all afflicted with wandering minds. Those that are especially prone to gallop away during an easy task may just have more horsepower to begin with. Working memory is the place where your mind...
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The Stars seen from the the International Space Station
'Dedicated to those who dream of exploring the solar system, and those who are sharing their experiences while doing it.'
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Earliest Evidence of Ovoviviparity in Coelocanths
Wen, W., Zhang, Q.-Y., Hu, S.-X., Benton, M. J., Zhou, C.-Y., Tao, X., Yuan, H.-J., and Z.-Q., Chen. 2012. Coelacanths from the Middle Triassic Luoping Biota, Yunnan, South China, with the earliest...
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TWiV live in Dublin
If you happen to be around Dublin on Monday 26th of March and are attending this year's Society of General Microbiology Spring meeting you might want to call into the Viral Zoonoses session and sit...
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