Early reaction to the publication of a paper by physicists at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory hints at the existence of a previously unknown elementary particle.  Is it the Higgs boson…

If you read this site, it won't surprise you to see me write that some people feel like the environment is more important than their fellow man.  I am not saying they all want to kill their…

UPDATE (4/7): I posted a link to a nice animated GIF which shows the (approximate) effect of scaling up the MC/data jet energy scale factor on the CDF new particle signal. See here.UPDATE (4/7): I…

A solid month of almost daily “there is no problem but today we have big progress on it” is near, and a post on this record was planned to come in a few days time, but today my irony meter exploded,…

C.S.I. Gloucestershire County In today's thrilling episode, our intrepid police officers detect a serious crime and respond with eight officers and a helicopter.  Yes, friends. …

Last weekend, Dynamic Patterns Research attended a virtual presentation in Second Life. It wasn't an imaginary talk, but actually a very real discussion that included George…

Is stupidity rising? Are we witnessing an alarming proliferation of irrationality and an exuberance of ignorance?  Stupidity seems a concern to a growing group of scholars. Last month alone two…

I've just come across a fabulous tune from Newfoundland that captures perfectly the chaos of jigging (fishing with special lures) for squid: Holy smoke! What a scuffle! All hands are excited. 'Tis a…

A gigantic theropod dinosaur has been discovered in China. According to findings published in Cretaceous Research, the newly named dinosaur species Zhuchengtyrannus magnus probably measured about 11…

Deaths due to cancer for both men and women in the United States continued to decline between 2003 and 2007, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer.  Overall…

I say: O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, Thou whose years endure throughout all generations. Of old Thou didst lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy…

Mysterious Symmetry between Destruction and Growth asked “How on earth does blowing stuff up violently constrain unrelated growth mechanisms? This is the mystery.” In the science of ultra cold Helium…

Upon launch, there will be 32 picosatellites, all desperately trying to beam their messages to Earth. FCC frequency coordination and requirements are the next hurdle to solve for Project Calliope.…

Rocket science deserves its reputation as a difficult subject to approach. Relativistic rocket science is scarier still. If one tries to take this difficult, scary subject, and apply it to the way…

In the autism world, feel-good stories really don't come along all that long often, and heartwarming stories about severely impaired individuals all of a sudden speaking out in perfect English…

Fisherfolk can be tremendous founts of information about marine animals. They know where to find different species, what sort of baits they like best, what sizes to expect, and how all these things…

One can see its autumn season now and leaves are falling in tropical climate.  The  fallen leaves contain almost 40 percent carbon which has been absorbed from the atmosphere. Thus plants…

Some days I wonder if we were set up from the get-go to expect less, to hope for less, to dream of less. My son's prognosis was grim and bitter to the heart when he was a tender five. And yet…

I have recently dusted off an algorithm I had invented eight years ago, one I dubbed "Hyperball algorithm". It might come handy for predicting the b-tagging rate in CMS events with jets, for an…

Google Europe managed to generate $7 billion in profits yet paid tax on only $50+ million.  How is that possible?   They're headquartered in Ireland to take advantage of its low 12.5% tax…