clock | September 15, 2007Extra Gene Copies Were Enough To Make Early Humans' Mouths Water:
To think that world domination could have begun in the cheeks. That's one interpretation of a discovery, published online September 9 in Nature Genetics, which indicates that humans carry extra copies of the salivary amylase gene. Humans have many more copies of this gene than any of their ape relatives, the study found, and they use the copies to flood their mouths with amylase, an enzyme that digests starch. The finding bolsters the idea that starch was a crucial addition to the diet of early humans, and that natural…
clock | September 14, 2007Time deals gently only with those who take it gently.
- Anatole France, 1844 - 1924
clock | September 14, 2007A few days ago I wrote about the Zoo School in Asheboro, NC. It is even better than I thought - I got in touch with their lead teacher and she told me that all of their students have laptops in the classroom with wireless access. Their classrooms also have Smartboards and other cool technology. And they are very interested in their students utilizing the Web in a variety of ways, including blogging.
And obviously, some of them already are, as one of the students discovered the post on her own and posted this comment that I want to promote to the front page:
I am a Senior at the North…
clock | September 14, 2007Yes, we can play now - 52 with no Jockers! Though, to play rummy, we'd need a whole another deck. And we can get there fast if you hurry up!
clock | September 14, 2007A few days ago PZ Myers announced he will have some special guest bloggers on Pharyngula soon. While the first commenters were guessing Big Names, like Dawkins, my comment was: "I am hoping for your students....". A little later, PZ Myers updated his post to announce that yes, indeed, it will be his Neuroscience students who will be guest-blogging this semester.
And today, they started. They were thrown into a lions' den, but they are doing great, holding their own against the famously ruthless Pharynguloids who call them 'kids' and then slam them anyway in many, many comments (they are…
clock | September 14, 2007In the news today, I received a link to this press release:
Open education resource site HippoCampus launches:
The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education has launched an interactive homework help Web site funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The Monterey-based institution said late Thursday that open education resource site HippoCampus provides comprehensive high school, advanced placement, and college general education course content.
You can now go to the HippoCampus site and test it out and start using it.
clock | September 14, 2007As always on Fridays, there are new papers published in PLoS Genetics, PLoS Pathogens and PLoS Computational Biology. I like to take my own picks, and today I pick this pre-publication (there is a provisional PDF online) in my own field:
Meta-analysis of Drosophila Circadian Microarray Studies Identifies a Novel Set of Rhythmically Expressed Genes:
Five independent groups have reported microarray studies that identify dozens of rhythmically expressed genes in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Limited overlap among the lists of discovered genes makes it difficult to determine which, if…
clock | September 14, 2007Carnival of the Liberals #47 is up on Plural Politics.
Friday Ark #156 is up on the Modulator.
clock | September 14, 2007BBC reports that scientists working in the UK government have adopted a Scientific Ethics Code, written by Professor Sir David King. Here is the Code:
Act with skill and care, keep skills up to date
Prevent corrupt practice and declare conflicts of interest
Respect and acknowledge the work of other scientists
Ensure that research is justified and lawful
Minimise impacts on people, animals and the environment
Discuss issues science raises for society
Do not mislead; present evidence honestly
Several bloggers have responded to this. Here is Janet's take:
They seem like quite sensible…
clock | September 14, 2007Unfortunately, due to the Murphy's Law of conference dates, I will have to miss this fantastic meeting, because I will at the time be at another fantastic meeting, but if you can come, please do - registration will be open online in a few days.
Autonomy, Singularity, Creativity
The conference theme is about bringing scientists and humanities scholars to talk about ways that science is changing human life.
November 8th, 9th, and 10th, the National Humanities Center will host the second ASC conference.
And the program features a Who's Who list:
Thursday, November 8th
Frans de Waal
Martha…
clock | September 13, 2007All of us are watchers - of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway - but few are observers. Everyone is looking, not many are seeing.
- Peter M. Leschak
clock | September 13, 2007
Fire Ants Killing Baby Song Birds At High Rates:
Red imported fire ants may be killing as many as a fifth of baby song birds before they leave the nest, according to research recently completed at Texas A&M University.
Ecologist Finds Dire Devastation Of Snake Species Following Floods:
In science, it's best to be good, but sometimes it's better to be lucky.
Fossil Whale Puts Limit On Origin Of Oily, Buoyant Bones In Whales:
A fossilized whale skeleton excavated 20 years ago amid the stench and noise of a seabird and elephant seal rookery on California's Año Nuevo Island turns out to be…
clock | September 13, 2007Well, I was busy with work and everything, but behind the scenes, Mrs.Coturnix took some vacation time and started completely re-doing our apartment with a help of two of her best friends. It already looks better than ever and feels great, but it is not done yet. Oh, no. This weekend, we'll be taking the cats to the vet, kids and the dog to Grandma's house, bringing in a truck and loading all of our stuff on it so people can come in on Monday and Tuesday and paint, replace the carpets and vinyl floors, etc., so we can move back in on Tuesday night. I'll be going back and forth between…
clock | September 13, 2007Fighting against pseudoscience, quackery and superstition sometimes resembles the Wild, Wild West, so it is quite appropriate that the latest edition of the Skeptic's Circle is a Western set in a Saloon in a small town somewhere Out West: Brent Rassmussen narrates.
clock | September 13, 2007OK, that is an overstatement (for now). Will Raymond for Town Council!
There. That's better.
I thought Will must be busy as I did not hear from him lately and he did not show up at any of the recent bloggy events in the area. So, he was busy preparing for his second run for the Town Council. He did not make it last time around, but now the voters know him better, so anything can happen! And having the broad support of local bloggers is not something to scorn at in a place like Chapel Hill either!
I am sure that he'll announce on his blog when he needs locals to volunteer, but until then (…
clock | September 12, 2007One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone: and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.
- Ida Scott Taylor
clock | September 12, 2007Tangled Bank #88 is up on Behavioral Ecology Blog
History Carnival LVI is up on Walking the Berkshires
The 136th Carnival of Education is up on History Is Elementary
The newest edition of the Carnival of the Liberals will be posted some time today at Eteraz.org
clock | September 11, 2007Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance.
- William Shakespeare