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There is no Morality and no Such Thing as Ethics

There is no Morality and no Such Thing as Ethics

Jan 02 2017 | comment(s)

Today’s affirmative action professoriate like to talk as though they own the moral high ground because they are not white men. It’s a big act. Even before the affirmative action professoriate came into being, the academic study of ethics and morality was suspect. To this day, when any scholar of ethics publishes a study exploring why people cheat, they tend to do the same things. Keep in mind, that for professors today in this climate of politically correct hysteria, ethics is a hot topic, and it is a fave topic when it comes to teaching undergrads.

Magic Mushrooms And New Concern About Psilocybin Use

Magic Mushrooms And New Concern About Psilocybin Use

Jan 02 2017 | comment(s)

Though opiods are getting all of the government attention, and the substitute fentanyl all of the attention in media, they are not the only substances putting people at risk. Kratom has gotten some media attention, but among users, psilocybin-containing 'magic mushrooms' are a bigger worry, with more than 10 percent in a recent survey believing their worst 'bad trip' had put themselves or others in harm's way, and a substantial majority called their most distressing episode one of the top 10 biggest challenges of their lives.
A Visit To Israel

A Visit To Israel

Jan 02 2017 | comment(s)

I am spending a week in Israel to visit three physics institutes for colloquia and seminars: the Tel Aviv University (where I gave a colloquium yesterday), the Haifa Technion (where I am giving a seminar today), and the Weizmann institute in Rehovot (where I'll speak next Wednesday).
The STENDEC Puzzle

The STENDEC Puzzle

Jan 01 2017 | comment(s)

The STENDEC Puzzle

Ever since BSAA Avro Lancastrian Star Dust vanished on a flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago, the ending of its final transmission - STENDEC - has continued to puzzle experts and amateurs alike.

Star Dust, registration G-AGWH, an Avro 691 Lancastrian 3, departed Buenos Aires for Santiago at 13.46 on 2 August 1947.  It was not seen again until wreckage was discovered in 1998 by two mountaineers climbing Mount Tupungato.  The wreckage was found about 50 miles (80 km) east of Santiago.
Lang may yer lum reek – especially in Alaska

Lang may yer lum reek – especially in Alaska

Dec 31 2016 | comment(s)

In Scotland, traditional New Year greeting is

Lang may yer lum reek


meaning “long may your chimney smoke”.  So may you never be short of fuel for your fire.

So, if I understand this article rightly, this might be a bit difficult for Alaskans in 2017.

EPA To Alaskans In Sub-Zero Temps: Stop Burning Wood To Keep Warm

Lingua Franca Needed: Too Much Science Is Not Published In English

Lingua Franca Needed: Too Much Science Is Not Published In English

Dec 30 2016 | comment(s)

One-third of science is not published in the common language of science, English, and that prevents uptake of the results and citations for the researchers, according to a new analysis.

Language barriers mean science missed at international level and practitioners struggling to access new knowledge, because all major scientific journals publish in English. What science needs is true globalization, but the authors at Cambridge instead argue for more fragmentation, a warmed over version of cultural relativism. They even posit that funding bodies need to encourage translations as part of their 'outreach' evaluation criteria, funding the long tail of communication rather than science itself.
INFN Gives 73 Permanent Positions To Young Researchers In Physics

INFN Gives 73 Permanent Positions To Young Researchers In Physics

Dec 29 2016 | comment(s)

Today I am actually quite proud of my research institute, the "Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, INFN, which leads Italian research in fundamental physics. In fact a selection to hire 73 new researchers with permanent positions has reached its successful conclusion. Rather than giving you my personal opinions (very positive!) I think it is better to let speak the INFN president Fernando Ferroni, and the numbers themselves.
Vera Rubin, her life and leagacy in brief.

Vera Rubin, her life and leagacy in brief.

Dec 27 2016 | comment(s)

Vera Rubin who helped to discover one of the greatest mysteries of nature has died.    She was the mother of astronomical dark matter investigation.  I won't write about her accomplishments at length ...
Three More Chances To Meet

Three More Chances To Meet

Dec 27 2016 | comment(s)

During the past few months I have been giving seminars and colloquia in several institutes around Europe and the US. The topic was more or less always the same, i.e. the discovery criterion used in fundamental physics to decide whether to claim for the observation of a new phenomenon. We set this at 5-sigma -that's, e.g., how the Higgs boson has been discovered in 2012. This is an arbitrary choice, and there is a lot to learn from a study of the history of how the criterion became an established practice, and from the statistical issues it entails.
Here is a list of the past events:

- Oslo University, October 26
- LIP Lisbon, October 27
- SLAC laboratory, November 8
- Northwestern University, November 11
- Royal Holloway University London, November 30
Feliz año nuevo 2017 a todos

Feliz año nuevo 2017 a todos

Dec 27 2016 | comment(s)

Unlike Alex Durig, who has given us 5 Predictions for 2017, I will not attempt to make any.  Rather I will try to enjoy what remains of the 12 days of Christmas (the last one being the 5th of January, and I do not have the energy to pop over to Russia to enjoy another Christmas Day on the 6th.)

Is Emotional Hangover Real?

Is Emotional Hangover Real?

Dec 27 2016 | comment(s)

Everyone has heard of the hangover, it is that sluggish feeling after drinking too much alcohol- A group of psychologists now contend that emotional experiences can induce physiological and internal brain states that persist for long periods of time after the emotional events have ended.

In other words, your emotions can cause a hangover. 
ACA Penalties Force Hospitals To Stop Readmitting Patients

ACA Penalties Force Hospitals To Stop Readmitting Patients

Dec 27 2016 | comment(s)

If you are sick and need to be readmitted to the hospital after already spending time there, your chances of being allowed back in have dropped since the weight of federal law has imposed penalties on readmissions under the Affordable Care Act, in an effort to contain costs that have ballooned out of control with almost 11 million new people on Medicaid rather than in private exchanges.

The authors of the analysis are cheering this as policy efforts that  motivate health care providers to improve performance but they didn't actually analyze successful medical treatment, they simply used the metric of readmission.
5 Predictions for 2017!

5 Predictions for 2017!

Dec 26 2016 | comment(s)

#1. The Democrat Party Will Become the Party of Angry Black People

Pileup: A Nasty Background To Higgs Plus Top Pairs ?

Pileup: A Nasty Background To Higgs Plus Top Pairs ?

Dec 26 2016 | comment(s)

Today while I was having a shower I happened to think at how cool it is that we can actually measure the rate of production, in single hadron-hadron collisions, of multiple elementary particles. A graph like the one below, now routinely produced by ATLAS and CMS whenever they collect more data or switch to a higher center-of-mass energy, looks "natural" to produce, but it is actually surprising that we indeed can pull it off - it requred careful design choices in a number of ways. I wish to discuss one of these here.

Holiday Physics Card, 2016

Holiday Physics Card, 2016

Dec 25 2016 | comment(s)

Just put them in the mail on December 24...










It was a fun year of thinking, whether the idea is right or wrong. Since the core idea fits on a Christmas card, it is worth continuing to think about in the new year.

Peace to all, and to all a good night.
Wishing For New Physics In Next Years' Results

Wishing For New Physics In Next Years' Results

Dec 24 2016 | comment(s)

In any physicists' new-year wish list there is a mandatory item: the finding of some unexpected, bolt-from-the-blue new physics result - possibly leading to highly-cited publications, press interviews and invitations, and ultimately career advancements or other similar ego boosts. Because we do it for the progress of mankind and the furthering of human knowledge, but we also do it for ourselves- we are human beings too.
When will Physics be Done?

When will Physics be Done?

Dec 22 2016 | comment(s)

Many people have predicted the end of fundamental physics.  Often these are at the end of great progress such as the late 19th century when classical physics was quite well understood, or in the midst of such a flurry of action when it seems like all the pieces are coming together such as in the 1920’s and 1930’s in nuclear and quantum physics.  Clearly, there are many mysteries and surprises yet to uncover in fundamental physics but is there a pattern in its historical progress that might indicate where we are in its completion.  This type of analysis (also called logistic analysis or learning “S” curve patterns) have been often observed in business and the rate of technology development, e.g., steam en

Teenager Raped To Death And Doughnuts In The Surgery Room

Teenager Raped To Death And Doughnuts In The Surgery Room

Dec 22 2016 | comment(s)

If I wanted to create a fake news story – I would lead with a sensational headline. Something that would incense and shock the readers and be extra “clickbaity”. Perhaps a hook about a teenager getting raped to death. That should get some serious traffic.

When It Comes To Glioblastoma, A Class Of 'Ineffective' Chemotherapy Drugs May Help

When It Comes To Glioblastoma, A Class Of 'Ineffective' Chemotherapy Drugs May Help

Dec 22 2016 | comment(s)

Ineffective drugs are generally a bad idea - natural medicine, osteopathy and homeopathy are not considered medicine because they can't demonstrate efficacy, and chemotherapy drugs are expensive so the standard is higher.

But when it comes to the devastating brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme, some patients have benefited from treatment with a class of chemotherapy drugs that two previous large clinical trials indicated was ineffective against the disease. The chemotherapy drugs block the growth of new blood vessels in the tumor and the patients lived an average of about one year longer than those who were given other classes of chemotherapy drugs.
Enjoy Processed Food This Christmas - Like People Did 4,000 Years Ago

Enjoy Processed Food This Christmas - Like People Did 4,000 Years Ago

Dec 21 2016 | comment(s)

Modern diet fads, like paleo, farm-to-fork, the weird Food Babe's if-she-can't-spell-it-you-shouldn't-eat-it beliefs, harken back to a simpler time when people lived off the land, and nothing had  preservatives and it was all Whole Grain.

In reality, ancient people could not work hard enough or fast enough to create food science that would prevent booms and busts of starvation and rationing. They wanted their food processed, to turn unpalatable or even toxic foodstuffs into something that could be consumed, and they even made progress doing it 10,000 year ago. First was the use of fires or pits and the invention of ceramic cooking vessels, and those led to an expansion of food preparation techniques.