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Environmental Groups Back In Court To Help Fellow Rich White People

The Usual Suspects of the anti-science movement, Center for Biological Diversity(1), Environmental...

Batteries Are Stuck In The 1990s Because Solid-State Batteries Keep Short-Circuiting

The electric car industry is held back by reliance on conventional energy. Despite spending trillions...

Dogs Have Been 'Man's Best Friend' For 14,000 Years

The bond between humans and dogs is one of the oldest stories in anthropology. It may also be a...

Is This The D'Artagnan Made Famous In 'The Three Musketeers' By Dumas?

“I have lost D’Artagnan, in whom I had every confidence,” wrote King Louis XIV to his Queen...

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Hank CampbellRSS Feed of this column.

I founded Science 2.0® in 2006 and since then it has become the world's largest independent science communications site, with over 300,000,000 direct readers and reach approaching one billion. Read More »

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It's Open Access Week!

It's Open Access Week!

Oct 19 2010 | comment(s)

I don't know who decides this "week" stuff - generally, I assume people who do the marketing make the rules so if I decide I want a Science 2.0 Week I get a few people to promote it and that's that, I have a Science 2.0 Week.
Social Media-Enhanced Books: Can iDrakula put e-Books on the map?

Social Media-Enhanced Books: Can iDrakula put e-Books on the map?

Oct 16 2010 | comment(s)

I don't have a Kindle or any other e-reader.  It isn't that I am a Luddite, and it isn't that I wouldn't prefer something easier to hold than a large, hundred-year old print copy I don't want to ruin - it's mostly that online books are costly, I only get a 'license' to read them, the resolution is far lower than what eyes can see and, most of all, there is no enhanced value to compensate for any of the other shortcomings.
HRP-4C: A Fembot eerily more realistic than Lady Gaga

HRP-4C: A Fembot eerily more realistic than Lady Gaga

Oct 15 2010 | comment(s)

The HRP-4C from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, a descendant of the HRP-4 humanoid robot that sent normal people into uncanny valley creepiness territory last year, can sing now.

Clearly catering toward Japanese men, this new fembot is a waif-like 5'2", looks really, really young and likely will have lasers or at least Vulcan cannons that come out of her arms in future models - you know, for fighting off the vampires who will be resurrected after an atomic apocalypse in the future that happens in every Japanese story these days.  
Beware: That 'nubile female' you talk to in

Beware: That 'nubile female' you talk to in "Second Life" could be Richard Dawkins

Oct 15 2010 | comment(s)

Courtesy of GrrrlScientist at Guardian Blogs (who I found courtesy of the venerable yet still awesome ScienceURLs), I got a chance to view an interview of Richard Dawkins conducted by Matt Ridley.   Dawkins is a polarizing figure and maybe not a great public face for people who just want to do positive science outreach but when he stays on message there's really no one better.
“Literary” $10,000 science writing award to be backed by Edward O. Wilson

“Literary” $10,000 science writing award to be backed by Edward O. Wilson

Oct 15 2010 | comment(s)

Actor Harrison Ford, and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner (and Science 2.0 favorite) Dr. Edward O. Wilson are holding a press conference today at 3:30 in Palo Alto, California, to announce the newly created PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.    I won't be there because the award has nothing at all to do with actual science outreach but I am mentioning it just the same.

Caveat Emptor When It Comes To Science Blogs?

Caveat Emptor When It Comes To Science Blogs?

Oct 14 2010 | comment(s)

The American Chemical Society is not new to disliking New Media - like all businesses, they would like to be self-perpetuating and that means people have to give them money for memberships and get a magazine for free which means getting quality without paying would be very bad for their income.