Science Seminar Bingo (a.k.a. making the brutally dull science talk a little more interesting)
Via PhD Comics
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Category: *
September 20, 2011
Godzilla anatomy
Interesting fire breathing apparatus layout (dual tubes for ignition?). I’m also curious what that big gland is in his leg. Anyone read Japanese?
Via Black Sun
September 20, 2011
I…am…Scientist…Asian…Rockstar… (O.K. maybe not a rockstar). What science subject should I write my next song about?
Yes, it’s true! In my younger days, I had many a futile dream of being a rockstar in a rock band. Nowadays, I live this dream vicariously with the odd song (poorly) written and recorded for science’s sake. Generally, this is done as a challenge, whereupon I make the comments section a place for suggestions.
For example, below is a song I had to put together because someone threw in the word “mitochondria.”
Here is the mp3 for your listening pleasure (best with headphones) – just click below to listen.
MITOCHONDRIA!
(verses)
Floating round in a cell,
making A T P
In your own kind of hell
in the cytoplasmic sea
You got own DNA
Came maternally
Never sure how you stayed
Endosymbiotically
(Chorus)
Mitochondria, Mitochondria, Mitochondria, Mitochondria
Mitochondria, Mitochondria, Mitochondria, Mitochondria
(Bridge)
Inner membrane, oxidation, many cristae, metabolism
Electron transportation chain!
REPEAT VERSES
Anyway, enough with the organelle talk – leave some suggestions below and I’ll do my best to have something written within 2 to 3 weeks.
September 19, 2011
The Horrid Voice of Science
Some poetry to consider. Quite striking, although I personally tend to disagree.
The Horrid Voice of Science
by Vachel Lindsay
“There’s machinery in the
butterfly;
There’s a mainspring to the
bee;
There’s hydraulics to a daisy,
And contraptions to a tree.
“If we could see the birdie
That makes the chirping sound
With x-ray, scientific eyes,
We could see the wheels go
round.”
And I hope all men
Who think like this
Will soon lie
Underground.
September 19, 2011
Hadn’t heard of this before, but it’s brilliant: the Dihydrogen monoxide hoax
“In the dihydrogen monoxide hoax, water is called by an unfamiliar name, “dihydrogen monoxide”, followed by a listing of real negative effects of this chemical, in a mock attempt to convince people that it should be carefully regulated, labeled as hazardous, or banned. The hoax is designed to illustrate how the lack of scientific literacy and an exaggerated analysis can lead to misplaced fears.[1] “Dihydrogen monoxide”, shortened to “DHMO”, is a name for water that is consistent with basic rules of chemical nomenclature,[2] but is not among the names published by IUPAC[3] and is almost never used.”
Via Wikipedia
And related to the same hoax:
“A student at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair, April 26. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical “dihydrogen monoxide.”
And for plenty of good reasons, since:
it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
it is a major component in acid rain
it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
accidental inhalation can kill you
it contributes to erosion
it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients
He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical.
Forty-three (43) said yes,
six (6) were undecided,
and only one (1) knew that the chemical was water.
The title of his prize winning project was, “How Gullible Are We?”
He feels the conclusion is obvious.”
Via the newsgroup: rec.humor.funny
September 18, 2011
3D structure of AIDS retroviral protein solved by gamers
ABSTRACT:
Following the failure of a wide range of attempts to solve the crystal structure of M-PMV retroviral protease by molecular replacement, we challenged players of the protein folding game Foldit to produce accurate models of the protein. Remarkably, Foldit players were able to generate models of sufficient quality for successful molecular replacement and subsequent structure determination. The refined structure provides new insights for the design of antiretroviral drugs.
September 16, 2011
Real life Tatooine found by Kepler Telescope.
When Tatooine was depicted on film, many scientists doubted that such planets could really exist. Now there’s proof.
“It’s possible that there’s a real Tatooine out there,” said John Knoll, visual effects supervisor at the special-effects firm Industrial Light and Magic, which was behind the “Star Wars” films. “Kepler 16b is unambiguous and dramatic proof that planets really do form around binaries.”
The new discovery is expanding the bounds of what scientists, as well as filmakers, can conceive, he said.
“Again and again we see that the science is stranger and cooler than fiction,” Knoll said during a NASA press conference today. “The very existence of these discoveries gives us cause to dream bigger, to question our assumptions.”
Via Space.com
September 15, 2011
For Science!
This one made me spit out coffee.
What I particularly like about this cartoon is the fact that I’ve been substituting other words for “science” and seeing if I can get the same desired effect.
In other words, try: “For Social Science!” or “For Canada!”
Doesn’t really work does it? In fact, the only other word I could come up with, where I think you might be able to get away with it, is “For Charity!”
Interesting?
September 15, 2011
Best review ever for a radioactive substance on Amazon.
Apparently, there once was some Uranium Ore you could’ve purchased from Amazon.com
This review/comment that I’ve screen grabbed below is priceless:
September 14, 2011
The microbiology of the five second rule.
“The first test involved E. coli bacteria, ceramic tiles, and gummy bears. It was a simple timed test to see if the gummy bears had picked up any bacteria at all after five seconds. They had. But was the relatively short time they’d been exposed to the bacteria a mitigating factor? What if they’d been on the floor an hour? A second series of tests picked up were the first left off. This one used slices of bread on surfaces contaminated with salmonella. Five seconds of exposure left the bread with between 150 and 8,000 bacteria. A minute left them with about ten times as much. So overall, there is value in snatching a piece of food off the floor as quickly as possible. Still, a minute is twelve times as long as five second, while the food had only picked up ten times the bacteria. Clearly there was a rush of bacteria the moment the food hit the floor.”
From io9.com.
September 14, 2011
I’m Comic Sans, a**hole…
“Listen up. I know the sh*t you’ve been saying behind my back. You think I’m stupid. You think I’m immature. You think I’m a malformed, pathetic excuse for a font. Well think again, nerdhole, because I’m Comic Sans, and I’m the best thing to happen to typography since Johannes f**king Gutenberg.”
When McSweeney’s delivers, it really does deliver – link
September 13, 2011
The “universe is a bunny dream” hypothesis. Testable? Predictable?
I wonder if a similar thought process occurs when climate change denialists enter the fray.
popperfont.net 