A French court has just decided a case that will likely have a great deal of effect on online search engines if the decision is upheld after appeals. A French man had been accused of “crimes…

America's fastest-growing brand of belief is non-belief, says biologist (and guest columnist here) Jerry Coyne in a USA Today editorial. The religious approach to understanding inevitably results in…

America's fastest-growing brand of belief is non-belief, says biologist (and guest columnist here) Jerry Coyne in a USA Today editorial. The religious approach to understanding inevitably results in…

At the dinner held 10 days ago for those who had retired as our department finally closed the day before, my previous PI (until 2002) recommended me to read The Origins of the British: The New…

Harrison Ford is reported to have said to "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, referring to the dialogue in "Star Wars", "George, you can type this shit, but you sure as hell can't say it." It was…

Harrison Ford is reported to have said to "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, referring to the dialogue in "Star Wars", "George, you can type this shit, but you sure as hell can't say it." It was…

Arianna Huffington made a grand gesture - a fleet of buses for people to attend Jon Stewart's rally to D.C. to protest...well, apparently they are protesting the protesting by right wing people…

Arianna Huffington made a grand gesture - a fleet of buses for people to attend Jon Stewart's rally to D.C. to protest...well, apparently they are protesting the protesting by right wing people…

Will Los Angeles go the way of Paris?  The City of Angels can learn a lot about public health from the capital of croissants. Not long ago, I came across a book about the trials and tribulations…

In one airline I asked for a cup of tea (second time) during an 8 hr flight.   The steward asked “ were you not served before? “  I felt it was a mistake to ask a second time so I…

Today is the last of the International Cephalopod Awareness Days: Squid Day! Naturally Squid-A-Day is feeling very festive. Sorry I missed Day Two--yesterday was the first day of the squid workshop…

Deaf or blind people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but  no one has explained how and why that could be. Researchers say they have discovered there is a causal link…

Deaf or blind people often report enhanced abilities in their remaining senses, but  no one has explained how and why that could be. Researchers say they have discovered there is a causal link…

What happens to sunscreens when they are exposed to sunlight?   They degrade, and how the skin is affected by those degradation products is the subject of research at the University of…

Biometric scientists at the University of Southampton say they can identify ears with a 100% success rate. In a new paper, scientists from the University’s School of Electronics and Computer Science…

You may not be able to trust Exxon for objective data on emissions and our planet but you sure can't trust advocacy-based political groups in a highly-charged political state like California either.…

You may not be able to trust Exxon for objective data on emissions and our planet but you sure can't trust advocacy-based political groups in a highly-charged political state like California either.…

Under the science/environment topic, one tidbit of hot news this past week was a paper linking a synergestic effect between a fungus and a virus and the death of honeybee hives.  What was not…

This article has basically nothing to do with baseball or Barry Zito's curveball so you can stop reading if that is your interest - or check out   The Science Of Baseball: What Is The Fastest A…

The ChatterBox Arctic Index This index is a work in progress.  I am trying to make it easier for my readers to find articles which may be of interest to them.  Comments are disabled for…