Science & Society

Analyzing Discovery

Studying science quantitavely has often taken the form of studying publications, such as citation counts, or identifying author networks. But now, Samuel Arbesman and Nicholas Christakis (2011) argue that there are two fairly recent developments that would ...

Article - Gunnar De Winter - Jul 4 2011 - 12:03pm

The Next Big Thing: New Scientist Poll

Recently, New Scientist (with the Royal Academy of Engineering as competition partner) started a poll/competition where readers could send in a brief statement of what they thought would be the 'nex big thing' in engineering. The question was � ...

Blog Post - Gunnar De Winter - Jul 5 2011 - 3:27am

Blooming Botany (3B)

Botany: A Blooming History The last episode of the series by Timothy Walker majored on the exploits of noble scientists whose aim was ...

Article - Robert H Olley - Jul 5 2011 - 6:13pm

Concordle- A Story About The Web

This short story is about a surprising effect: you put something on the web without much advertising for it- and it might find perhaps more users than if you publish it in a traditional Journal. Here I talk about scientific or educational text. I often fin ...

Article - Ladislav Kocbach - Jul 10 2011 - 1:40am

Kickstarter Science Catches On

Must be a zeitgeist thing.  Our own Ground Station Calliope kickstarter fundraiser succeeded, to help fund our Science 2.0 Project Calliope.  Now the NY Times is reporting that other scientists have also been using kickstarter to fund science.  They cite m ...

Article - Project Calliope - Jul 12 2011 - 7:58pm

University Research Under Attack (And One Defense)

One of these loons who thinks all university research is worthless managed to get another  op-ed  to that effect published in the  Chronicle of Higher Education. It's worth looking at, not for the article itself, but for the lengthy and emotional comm ...

Article - Fred Phillips - Jul 18 2011 - 8:16pm

Not Just Science- Military Fiduciary Folly To The Tune Of $300 Million

Because this is a science site, we're going to discuss it when a taxpayer-funded agency is found to be squandering valuable dollars on junk and waste that instead could he used to fund actual transformative research.  Unlike the rest of the science bl ...

Blog Post - Hank Campbell - Jul 18 2011 - 12:25pm

Adrenalise Me

(I guess this goes in the "Science&Society" Field, or maybe just "Random Thoughts.")   Anyway, there's a short film coming out this summer, a promotional thing for the World Wildlife Fund, called "Astonish Me." It pop ...

Article - Danna Staaf - Jul 19 2011 - 5:46pm

Medieval Battlefield: Biomechanics And Physiology Of Fighting In Steel Armour

‘Tut! I have the best armour in the world. Would it were day! (W. Shakespeare, Henry V, 1599)  In Medieval Europe, soldiers wore steel plate armor for protection during warfare. Heavier armor would provide greater protection, but would also make it harder ...

Article - Federico Formenti - Mar 29 2012 - 4:53am

Life's Fall

Life's Fall How many years can a mountain exist, before it is washed to the sea? As a rock tumbles from its perch atop a cliff into the water below, impelled by gravitational acceleration, it is potential transformed to kinetic, object to process, no ...

Blog Post - Sean Gibbons - Jul 21 2011 - 1:31pm