I have always held a fascination for transposons, or jumping genes as they are sometimes called. Part of this interest may be due to my background in Drosophila genetics, where a transposon called a…

40 is the new 30, but maybe it should be the new 80. A report from BBC says mental abilities start to dwindle at age 27, "marking the start of old age." The story refers to a study by Timothy…

Extreme violence resulting in multiple deaths occurs with mounting frequency around the world. March 11, 2009, a teen in Germany slaughtered 15 people, UK News reports. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/…

Need a few Irish Gaelic words for the pub? Want a few trivial tidbits to impress your fellow revelers? Plan to discuss science (eolaíocht) over pints? Read on! Take a PDF cheat sheet with you to…

Are we living in an age of stupidity? From the dawn of written history we have evidence of the development of the scientific method as a way of thinking. I believe the method has its origins in legal…

I've written perhaps four articles to date and I'm already tired of defining what an "allele" is.  Granted I encounter this annoying waste of writing time more frequently because…

Maybe ESA’s Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) is destined to launch on the exact same date as Vanguard 1, the third artificial satellite to ever orbit our planet after…

This blog is not about music, unless it be the 'music of the spheres'. It is a sad fact that, throughout recorded history, many books have been irretrievably lost. In many cases, had these books…

Remember the good old days of new media?    Trust the contributors, trust the audience.   Those days are gone, my friends - if you work in old media.Writing on the Poynter Institute…

This is a   " bolt on  blog  "  to my  earlier Jan 15  2009  blog, on Spiral Sunspots   The  bolt  on,    is prompted …

It's March 14 - happy Pi day! (And now it's official - Congress just recognized March 14 as Pi Day!) For those not mathematically inclined, 3.14 is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its…

Our website got hacked. Astronomy sites are a popular target. It's safer to hack NASA than, say, the NSA. All the bragging but little of the risks. Hacking NASA to get at 'inside stuff' is…

Tinfoil News A British government spokespersonality has today issued an official denial of the government's intention to ban the wearing of tinfoil hats. This was in response to rumours following…

As we walk back to his office, a small Mars rover appears to be making its way through the snow.   "These kinds of things happen at MIT," he says.

Question;  What do you see when you look at a Spiral Galaxy.  ?    Answer;   A Galaxy with a Spiral.  Sorry, wrong answer.  The   correct answer…

Whether you follow the "duck, duck, gray duck" school of thought or are firmly ensconced within the "duck, duck, goose" camp, you probably agree that it takes a male and female duck to make a baby…

I interrupt my battery history series for this important news: In case you hadn't heard, the next big thing in batteries is fast charge and discharge times. One of the main hangups with electric cars…

...and the depth vs. breadth argument in science education continues, even though .This article chimes in with some updated information.  A new study shows that students who studied basic topics…

Our editor, Hank Campbell, is collecting ideas for the SB 2.0 T-Shirt Collection. Here are a few ideas. I'd love to have some of yours. Maybe you'll see your name in lights... or at least on…

"Wow!" "Look, look here. Is it a dinosaur? A T-Rex? A deer? What is it?" Those who've chased elusive fossils and cracked concretions know these gleeful questions well. The rush and excitement of…