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From Towel Day To SpaceX And Transparency Grenades

From Towel Day To SpaceX And Transparency Grenades

May 25 2012 | comment(s)

Why Science Test Scores Being 'Stagnant' Is A Good Thing

Why Science Test Scores Being 'Stagnant' Is A Good Thing

May 24 2012 | comment(s)

More high school students are taking math and science classes - a good thing, we all want more science literacy - but the U.S. Education Department, in its quest to stop people from wondering how it still exists after 33 years of education not being a federal prerogative, cautions that scores have stagnated.

To people not trying to rationalize their jobs, and not in the scare journalism business, that simply means we had nearly 50% fewer people in 1970 but we have a lot more now and the same percentage are good at math and science.  Math and science remain hard.

That's why smarter people do it.
Autism, Autism Speaks, And The True Stakeholders

Autism, Autism Speaks, And The True Stakeholders

May 24 2012 | comment(s)

Autism isn't a four letter word in our house. It's not something we treat with kid gloves, not something we see as a tragedy or, in our kids' case, in need of a cure. We see it as something to be worked with and around, but we don't talk much about it terms of being a negative thing. We try not to define it in terms of  core deficits, but in terms of how it makes socialization and language more challenging and different. 

It is what it is and in all honesty, we don't TALK about autism much here as a family. Everybody has issues and strengths. No biggie.

Don't Hate - Voters Were Born That Way, Say Psychiatrists

Don't Hate - Voters Were Born That Way, Say Psychiatrists

May 24 2012 | comment(s)

We tend to associate with people we like and that like us because they are like us - so it's no surprise I hang out with wickedly smart, outrageously attractive people. Long-term relationships, even non-sexual ones with women as ridiculously awesome as me, are part of what separates us from food...I mean, other animals.  Well, sort of. Maybe birds do that too.
Scare Pic Of Earth Water Visual Framing Or Global Warming Wake Up Call

Scare Pic Of Earth Water Visual Framing Or Global Warming Wake Up Call

May 24 2012 | comment(s)

The following, scary pictures are making it around the net at present:



And here separating the fresh water:


Finding My Religion: The New Intersection Of Christianity And Environmentalism

Finding My Religion: The New Intersection Of Christianity And Environmentalism

May 24 2012 | comment(s)

CHERRY HILL, NJ -- Standing next to my Dad under the watchful eyes of the sculpted Jesus I remembered well from childhood church services, I resolutely censored a mental curse. I hadn't attended Catholic mass regularly in years, and while I was embarrassed by my stumbling responses to some recently-reworded portions of the service, I was still absolutely certain of profanity's sacrilege during this particular Sunday hour.

Whenever I'm home for a visit, I'm reminded of religion's formative importance during a childhood that included attending weekly mass and religion classes, singing in the children's choir, and, later, lectoring during services.
Organic Spinach Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns

Organic Spinach Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns

May 24 2012 | comment(s)

Taylor Farms Retail, Inc. of Salinas, California is initiating a voluntary recall of Organic Baby Spinach following a random test conducted on a finished package by the USDA that found salmonella.

Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause infection and symptoms, including diarrhea (sometimes bloody), stomach cramps and fever. Infection typically lasts a few days and most people recover without medical treatment but, because of that, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe there may be as many as 30 times the 42,000 cases reported each year in the U.S. alone.
Modern Squid Ink Unchanged From Jurassic Times

Modern Squid Ink Unchanged From Jurassic Times

May 23 2012 | comment(s)

Usually "No Change in X" doesn't make a very splashy headline, but when the lack of change occurs over 160,000,000 years and X is squid ink, people get excited.

And with good cause. This is the first time that ink from a fossil cephalopod has been analyzed chemically, and it turned out to be indistinguishable from modern cephalopod ink. One hundred and sixty million years. No change.
Skin Into Heart Tissue Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Skin Into Heart Tissue Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

May 23 2012 | comment(s)

Skin cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), from heart failure patients have been reprogrammed to transform into healthy, new heart muscle cells that are capable of integrating with existing heart tissue, according to a new paper in the European Heart Journal.
In Defense Of Criticism (And Skepticism)

In Defense Of Criticism (And Skepticism)

May 23 2012 | comment(s)

My friend Benny (who produces the Rationally Speaking podcast) really hates the word “skepticism.” He understands and appreciates its meaning and long intellectual pedigree (heck, we even did a show on that!), but he also thinks — based on anecdotal evidence — that too many people apply a negative connotation to the term, often confusing it with cynicism.