A Lesser Jet-Flying Clown Than Rubbia

A Lesser Jet-Flying Clown Than Rubbia

The job of experimental particle physicist is strongly correlated with worldwide travel. Paid for and self-inflicted, sure. But not exactly always pleasant, nor to exotic destinations. In fact,…
Mothers Rock!

Mothers Rock!

Mothers Rock! The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Blessings on the hand of women!Angels guard its strength and grace,In the palace, cottage, hovel,Oh, no matter where the place;Would that never storms…
Merck Publishes Fake Peer-Reviewed Journal

Merck Publishes Fake Peer-Reviewed Journal

According to The Scientist,  Merck paid Elsevier to publish Merck's own "peer-reviewed" fan-zine, Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine, in 2003.  Its articles don't show up in…
The Book of Multiverse

The Book of Multiverse

This has been a slow news day.  On such days, my mind tends to drift somewhat.  Combining the science of linguistics with the philosophical notion of multiple parallel universes leads to…
Tenure at Last!

Tenure at Last!

This morning I signed a contract with INFN, the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics, which grants me tenure in the role of research scientist. Start date: 05/04/2009. End of penalty: never. Am I…
2,300-Year-Old Egyptian Puppy

2,300-Year-Old Egyptian Puppy

A recent find has archaeologists and pet-lovers equally excited. How much do you love your little Fido? Enough to wrap him in linen and take him with you?  I'm not thinking summer vacation here…
The Daytime Astronomer's Career Path

The Daytime Astronomer's Career Path

So you wanna be an astrophysicist? Try this route! Leave a well-paying NASA job to get a Ph.D. Begin studying solar CMEs ... while the sun is at solar minimum. Assessing how the web is kicking…
The Sorry Decline of Press Freedom

The Sorry Decline of Press Freedom

A new report on the freedom of press has been released today by freedomhouse.org. Freedom House is an independent, non-profit organization created in 1941 to monitor and defend the freedom of press…
Science 2.0's Lesser Used Logos

Science 2.0's Lesser Used Logos

As long-time readers know, we like to celebrate various holidays and events by making subtle changes to the site.    Sure, sometimes it involve ninjas taking over and writing our science…
What is a Fudge Factor ?

What is a Fudge Factor ?

What is a Fudge Factor ? It is a most unfortunate fact that, however beautiful a theory is, the data plots just don't want to fit the nicely drawn curve.  It is a problem in all fields of…
The Large Hadron Collider is Back Together

The Large Hadron Collider is Back Together

2008 was a horrible year for the Large Hadron Collider. Just nine days after an extremely successful, highly publicized start-up on September 10th, when hundreds of reporters gathered at CERN to…
Dancing with the birds

Dancing with the birds

The number of species who can dance - actually get down, shake their groove thing, etc - has jumped from one (humans) to three. The other two? Parrots and elephants. Unlike other animals, according…
Swine Flu Psychology

Swine Flu Psychology

Stanford Psychologist, Marcel Selathe, is looking for volunteers for a study on the way people are responding to the spread of Swine Flu. As you have heard in the news, there has been an outbreak of…