By definition,  a Black Hole is Gravitationally closed.   In the event that a stray photon,  velocity  "c",   were to  venture skyward within  the…

First green tea may have anti-cancer properties. Now it turns out, according to a pre-pub in the ASH journal Blood, that polyphenols in green tea can interfere with cancer treatments. Researchers in…

I don't drink coffee, and to some degree this has impeded my astronomy career. Coffee is the one social connection even the most isolated theorist engages in. Heck, our wall of 3x3 monitors showing…

I feel like I found this article with near-perfect timing, considering that I am starting a unit on genetics in my Biology classes.  To recap: sadly, after scientists seemed to have successfully…

Google Earth has the answer to this question, apparently.  Developers are starting to include ocean floor data in the maps accessible via the program.  It's about time, really- but first I…

What is it, this life that we are presented with? Human history has brought us from bands roaming, hunting, each day guided by mere survival, through villages and great empires of mortar and steel.…

A mystery is solved for me today: the "flies" on my rice paper plant flowers are the wild native bees that make honey! The ancients of the Americas hunted for the honey of the…

Now instead of just picturing the ocean while sitting in my cubicle, I can actually see it! You've all likely heard about Google 5.0. One of my favorite parts is Google Ocean - check out these blurbs…

Steve over as Quintessence of Dust has prepared an excellent edition of Mendel's Garden. Read about how to know when you're being overcharged for personalized genetic testing, how to tell whether…

Charles Darwin wrote in 1835 about the Galapagos Islands: "September 15th — This archipelago consists of ten principal islands, of which five exceed the others in size. They are situated…

This morning I woke up to read this in the Daily Telegraph: Can we please forget about Charles Darwin? As we celebrate Charles Darwin's anniversary, a leading geneticist argues that our…

If it's daytime, why am I as an astronomer even up? But all the other astronomers work days, so dutifully, I'm at work by 9am each day. I code, manage, have meetings. I estimate that I only get 3…

Terrible science from a time when I knew very little in the domains of both science and writing. I've considered deleting this post but feel that would be a disservice to my prior self.If…

http://www.2h.com/articles/iq-tests/iq-test-scores-how-reliable-are-they... http://www.audiblox2000.com/dyslexia_dyslexic/dyslexia014.htm http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Accurate-Are-Standard-IQ-Tests…

The alumni magazines that come to my house rarely get much more than a quick glance, but this month the Rochester Review has an interesting interview with H. Allen Orr, one of the leading…

Looking for more evolution blogging? Check out the eighth edition of Carnival of Evolution at Biochemical Soul. There is great stuff on fossils, genes, parasites, antibiotics, and Darwin, so head on…

I had high hopes for "Gender Madness in American Psychiatry: Essays from the Struggle for Dignity", Kelley Winters. ( ISBN-10: 1-4392-2388-2, ISBN-13: 9781439223888 ) I write for Wikipedia on the…

It's Friday and time for a coffee break. Looking for more Darwin reading? (If you're already sick of the Darwin Bicentennial, you're in for a loooong year.) Michael Shermer takes on common…

On the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birthday in February 2009, biology and medicine find themselves in crisis.  The promise of stem cell therapy has the potential to dramatically improve…

Are you ready for a treat? Have you ever wished you could be with Charles Darwin on his travels just for one day? Perhaps -- when he first saw immense glaciers? Well, I've arranged…