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A little science happy for the Labor Day weekend

A little science happy for the Labor Day weekend

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Sadly, this is probably accurate for a good number of us...



As is this...



For the physicists among us:
Fossilized

Fossilized "Squid" Ink Still Good!

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Belemnoteuthis antiquus is technically not a squid, but a belemnite. Belemnites were the first cephalopods (as far as we know) to develop the ingeniously internalized shell that led to the radiation of nearly all modern cephalopods--octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. External shells like those of the ammonites provided predator protection, but they were heavy and hard to maneuver. Presumably, internalizing the shell led to improvements in swimming, freeing these proto-squid so they could compete effectively with fish. However, belemnites did not evolve directly into modern cephalopods--they went extinct.
The Worst Nightmare Scenario For CERN ? A 150 GeV Higgs.

The Worst Nightmare Scenario For CERN ? A 150 GeV Higgs.

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

A few days ago I produced a summary of a poster I presented at Physics in Collisions this week, which dealt with the searches for the Standard Model Higgs boson that CMS will undertake, and the results it can obtain in a scenario when a certain amount of data is collected at the full design energy of the LHC.

Here, instead, I wish to summarize the other poster I presented at the same venue, which concerned the combination of the most sensitive search channels, the sensitivity of CMS with a given amount of data, and the derating of its significance reach or observation power entailed by the running of LHC at a smaller-than-design beam energy. But I will do this only as a way of introducing a more interesting discussion, as you will see below.
Interlude 3: More Science Webtoons

Interlude 3: More Science Webtoons

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

As a relaxing Friday treat, here are two science-related webtoons from occasionally NSFW  Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.  Fortunately, these two are appropriate for all ages.  We are given the true shape of the universe, and learn deep truths about melding cybernetics with flesh.

Shape of universe

Cybernetic rats


Have a nice weekend and join us next week for our hard-hitting science feature articles!

Alex, The Daytime Astronomer

Traceback for August

Traceback for August

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Welcome to Traceback, where I find articles other people have written on Project Calliope.  Having publically announced less than a week ago and with just 2 pieces written, I can safely paraphrase Oscar Wilde: the only thing worse than being blogged about, is not being blogged about.  And indeed we are blogged about.

Jon Newton at P2PNet had the news out before anyone at "Music from space ready for lift-off! (Literally.)  Thanks for the early lead, Jon!
Wave Field Synthesis Gives Us Flat Loudspeakers With Big Cabinet Sound

Wave Field Synthesis Gives Us Flat Loudspeakers With Big Cabinet Sound

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Flat-panel televisions are nothing new.   I think even my father has one in his toolshed by now.  But legitimate flat-panel loudspeakers are harder to come by.    

There are single-speaker surround sound systems, and those are admirable, but speakers, unlike today's televisions, require a great deal of old-fashioned physics, analog-style, because that's how sound reaches our ears - so flat panel ones, though a terrific concept in size, haven't been great in practice.   
Null Hypothesis And The Logic Of Skepticism

Null Hypothesis And The Logic Of Skepticism

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Being a skeptic is a rather lonely art. People often confuse you for a cynic, and I’m not using either term in the classical philosophical sense, of course.
Booting-Up The Universe: Divine Feat Or Random Act?

Booting-Up The Universe: Divine Feat Or Random Act?

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Was an almighty God required to boot up the universe, or would a blindfolded monkey have sufficed?

What a silly question. Isn't it obvious that truly divine powers were needed to create our amazing universe capable of evolving systems of supreme complexity called 'life'? Maybe. Maybe not. It all boils down to the question: How special was the big boot, the mother of all boot-ups commonly referred to as the big bang?

Divine feat or random act?
Security and Science: Rare Minerals and China

Security and Science: Rare Minerals and China

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

This story caught my eye. 

"China currently accounts for 93 percent of production of so-called rare earth elements — and more than 99 percent of the output for two of these elements, dysprosium and terbium, vital for a wide range of green energy technologies and military applications like missiles."

"In each of the last three years, China has reduced the amount of rare earths that can be exported. This year’s export quotas are on track to be the smallest yet. But what is really starting to alarm Western governments and multinationals alike is the possibility that exports
will be further restricted. "
Math is Killing Economics

Math is Killing Economics

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Not really, but Paul Krugman is laying out some criticism of economics that's in the same spirit of my recent criticisms of networks and computational biology.

"How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?":
Wildfires near NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Wildfires near NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was closed Monday as wildfires came within two miles of the facility.  The decision to give most of the 5,000 employees the day off was made Sunday evening.  At that point the fire was no longer a threat to the lab (you think they'd let a government lab burn down?), but the air quality was very poor.  Only mission-critical personnel reported to work.

Lab reopened Tuesday, but I continued to work from Caltech until today, Thursday.  The air at JPL was still smoky, though by now not much worse than at Caltech or at my home in Glendale.
The naked truth: Cool rodents provide insights into longevity!
By Sara Brownell | September 4th 2009 06:21 AM | Print | E-mail

Naked mole-rats are not your average rodent.  Hairless, insensitive to pain, and nearly blind with a social system more similar to termites than to other rodents- they never really seem to fit in! But, don’t be so quick to brush them aside as merely interesting trivia for those awkward moments at cocktail parties.

The Scientific Blogging Wayback Machine - How We Looked Then

The Scientific Blogging Wayback Machine - How We Looked Then

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

In February of 2010, Scientific Blogging, the flagship of Science 2.0, will turn 3 years old.   Yep, you all are getting old.   But by then it will have changed, even from what it looks like now (more on that in November).

Nothing on the internet ever goes away, they say, but if you use the legendary Wayback Machine at web.archive.org, you won't find much on us.    Not on any of their dates.   They think we looked like this:


Zinziber officinale Rose or Ginger used in large number of Ayurvedic formulations is good for digestive power.

Zinziber officinale Rose or Ginger used in large number of Ayurvedic formulations is good for digestive power.

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

  Zinziber officinale Rose or  Ginger  used in large number of Ayurvedic formulations is good for digestive power.

The Ashok tree of Ramayana is Saraca asoca (Roxb) De Wilde and not Polyalthia. longifolia (Soon)Thwaitea.which is an adulterant

The Ashok tree of Ramayana is Saraca asoca (Roxb) De Wilde and not Polyalthia. longifolia (Soon)Thwaitea.which is an adulterant

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name  Polyalthia. longifolia (Soon)Thwaitea.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />



Peer Review Blues

Peer Review Blues

Sep 04 2009 | comment(s)

Right now I'm asking myself why I spent 100+ hours carefully writing a grant proposal that was destined to not get a serious reading. Below are dueling comments from the same reviewer (for the sake of discretion, some details have been censored): #1. On a technology I proposed to develop:
The single cell technology is interesting but does not seem terribly “ground breaking”.
The second goal of designing an [X] method of doing single cell [X] studies would be terrific technological breakthrough.
#2. On a career development plan in which I propose to hone my mathematical and computational skills:
Australia: Dinosaurs, Kangaroos, Kookaburras and Koalas

Australia: Dinosaurs, Kangaroos, Kookaburras and Koalas

Sep 03 2009 | comment(s)


The dinosaurs of Australia disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous, as they did the world over. Their departure marked the end of the supercontinent of Gondwana. By the middle of the Eocene, some fifty-five million years ago, only Australia, Antarctica and South America remained as it straddled the South Pole.

Do You Want Kids To Get Better At Science? Then Write An Article For Them Starting ... Now

Do You Want Kids To Get Better At Science? Then Write An Article For Them Starting ... Now

Sep 03 2009 | comment(s)

Everyone says they want to get kids to get a better science - now we can all actually do something about it.

We're doing a small beta test of our Science For Kids site.(1)  It isn't perfect yet but that's why we need people to try it out.   Once we find any glaring bugs we can sort those out and finish the cosmetic stuff.  

For Scientific Blogging columnists, you can just log in and go to it.  Everything is all set.   For new people who sign up the articles will go into moderation, because, let's face it, we're writing for kids and our names are on the thing so we can't make it a free-for-all.
Squid Culinary Popularity

Squid Culinary Popularity

Sep 03 2009 | comment(s)

Proving myself wrong in record time (see comments on my first post, where I claimed I wouldn't be discussing squid recipes), today's squid is served with chiles, lime, and herbs.

Why?

The coincidence was just too good to pass up. Another commenter suggested that squid popularity these days isn't just a flash in the pan--and then a recipe blog in the Village Voice by that very name posts a squid dish!
Transhumanism - Ray Kurzweil And The Singularity

Transhumanism - Ray Kurzweil And The Singularity

Sep 03 2009 | comment(s)

I've been trying to figure out why "transhumanists" and their predictions irritate me so much.  Perhaps it's seeing humanity reduced to a simplistic engineering problem to be solved.  Or maybe it's the love affair that appears to be happening between them and technology.  Or maybe it's the fact that they all sound like psychics, except that their subject is the human race instead of an individual. Back in July, Massimo Pigliucci addressed some of the problems with transhumanism, however it seems that this is a rather persistent idea.