Science and Health
Has Facebook’s Time Passed?
Okay, I’ve never been a big Facebook user so I might be jumping the gun. Here’s what I have noticed in the past six months – almost all of my new friend requests are coming from family and friends over 60. What’s funny is the comments that accompany these friend requests. Most say the same thing: “Look who finally joined Facebook!”
Basically, I’m not the one to judge whether Facebook’s time has passed. I have an account I glance at about once a month and while I find some of the comments/posts interesting, most are not.
Two years ago, my then 13 year old daughter deleted her Facebook account, citing its useless drama as the reason. She did rejoin, because it was where her school posted its information on Cross Country and Track meets and practice changes. The last time she posted anything on Facebook was on March 20, 2013. Her previous post was on February 23, 2013. Seems to me if Facebook is counting on her to keep them going strong they might be in trouble.
Imagine If…
Republicans embraced the anti-vaccine idiotic message:
I’m glad that (apart from Donald Trump) the anti-vaccine movement isn’t really linked to the right. Can you imagine if vaccine skepticism were seized on by the right-wing noise machine? It would spread like wildfire. A third of Americans simply wouldn’t vaccinate their children, insisting that the health effects of vaccination are just a “theory.” Every Republican in Congress would have to sign an anti-vaccine pledge. There’d be movements to make vaccines illegal in the red states, and dispensers of vaccines would be defunded in those states, and their offices would be shut down. Right-wing billionaires would bankroll documentaries linking vaccination to Hitler and eugenicism, and the Fox/talk radio crazies would flock to those documentaries, which would break box-office records. Half the books on the bestseller list would have covers depicting Democratic politicians as Dr. Mengele.
So… I guess there’s a silver lining?
A Little Hot in Here
Thank goodness for August. If the dog days didn’t cool down, we probably would have had the hottest summer on record. As it was, Delaware experienced our third warmest summer on record since 1895. I’m glad that the Democrats are finally beginning to campaign on effects of climate change on our world. Summer 2012 officially [...]
I Have A Theory… Kentucky Republicans Are Idiots
Kentucky Republican Senators were all on board for educational standards until they discovered that those standards included *gasp!* evolution. In an exchange with officials from ACT, the company that prepares Kentucky’s new state testing program, those lawmakers discussed whether evolution was a fact and whether the biblical account of creationism also should be taught in [...]
Measles Outbreak in UK
In the Liverpool area of England, there has been an outbreak of measles with more than 200 cases reported. Those in the US who have chosen not to vaccinate their children and put them at risk should be worried.
Homophobes Could Be Gay
Over the years as we’ve watched various homophobic leaders get caught in the closet, many of us have developed a theory that maybe these homophobes are in fact gay themselves. Well, now there’s a study that proves just that.
Poll: Americans Believe That Global Warming Is Linked to Extreme Weather
Yesterday, everyone was a buzz about the poll that showed Romney and Obama visually neck and neck. But this wasn’t the poll we should have been focused on, this is: Americans believe that global warming is linked to our extreme weather.
Liberals and Conservatives Think Differently
Science writer Chris Mooney discusses recent studies that show how Liberals and Conservatives think differently from each other.
The Rap Guide to Evolution
According to the artist — this may be the first peer reviewed rap album ever.
Case Closed
Maybe one day, it won’t be a “crime” to understand that humankind has caused global warming.
BBC Criticized for “Fake Balance” in Science Reporting
The British Broadcasting Corporation recently commissioned a report surveying the coverage of science topics across all of their departments and networks. Led by Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London, with content analysis support provided by a team from the Imperial College London.
Let’s Hear It for Evolution
The 2011 Miss USA “scholarship” pageant was held last night in Las Vegas. Out of the 51 contestants, only two of them said that they believed in evolution. Out of all the contestants in last night’s Miss USA pageant, only two affirmed they thought evolution should be taught in schools. The winner, 21-year-old Alyssa Campanella [...]
A Museum Curator Visits The Creation Museum
PZ Myers passes along some observations from a museum curator who visited the Creation Museum in Kentucky and wrote about it in a peer-reviewed journal.
Intelligent Design Is Not Science
Read this statement: The measure from Republican state Rep. Bill Zedler would block higher education institutions from discriminating against or penalizing teachers or students based on their research into intelligent design or other theories that disagree with evolution. Zedler said he filed the bill because of cases in which colleges had been hostile to those [...]
Let’s Bomb The Global Warming Away!
HuffPo has an article about nuclear winter reversing global warming.
The Birds And The Bees
The incidents of unexplained mass fish and bird kills in Arkansas painfully shows us what is wrong with the media.
We’ll Have To Science That
The December issue Scientific American is out and it covers some world changing ideas among many other issues. As one leafs through the issue, a reader could easily skip From the Editor, but this month’s column is interesting. Two items that Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina brings up are what are we doing about global [...]
Why Does It Take A Republican To Say This?
Finally a politician communicates about the benefits of addressing climate change in innovation and technology. Surprisingly, it’s a Republican who’s doing this.
DL interviews Chris Coons: Science!
In Part 2 of our interview with Chris Coons, Unstable Isotope asks Mr. Coons to talk about how he will use his background in science to inform his decisions in the Senate.
Tornoe’s Toon: Christine O’Donnell and Evolution
I don’t know the last time someone had to vote on 2+2, but I’d still like my elected representative to know that the answer was four.
Vulcans Rule, Klingons Drool
The Obama Administration has set a new course for US Space policy that embraces arms control. Actually the arms control policy is an old course favored by Reagan, Bush I and Clinton, but not Bush II (is anyone surprised?). President Obama’s team will look to international cooperation instead of the “Go it alone” attitude favored by Bush and Cheney.
The Politics of Science
Science writer Chris Mooney (Unscientific America and The Republican War on Science) has a recent column in The Washington Post about how scientists need to approach the general populous in getting their facts heard and understood. Mooney looks at climate change denialism, anti-vaccine hysteria and Yucca Mountain. (He doesn’t include opposition to evolution or denial [...]
Hair Of The Dog?
Whenever I’ve had a little too much “fun” (and ended up paying for it) my brother would always say, “hair of the dog.” Looks like he had a point. Scientists have discovered the molecule in the brain that leads to hangovers. The neuropeptide, a brain-signalling molecule, is believed to cause the body to experience withdrawal [...]
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