Nearly all life forms rely on the same genetic code to specify the amino acid composition of proteins, but just how individual amino acids were assigned to specific three-letter combinations or…

Despite media reports to the contrary, there is no evidence to support the assertion that smoking in cars is 23 times more toxic than in other indoor environments, say researchers writing in the…

Sociological theory has previously linked black urban decline to poverty,  loss of manufacturing jobs and racial segregation. A new study in Social Forces claims another factor should be added…

In a recent LiveScience article entitled "Why Can't We All Just Get Along?", the topic of liberal and conservative differences was highlighted.  There were clearly numerous factors that affected…

So it looks like Humboldt squid don't kill divers after all. At least, they haven't done so yet. Meanwhile, two different species of very large squid are going on display at opposite ends of the…

"I am too shy to express my sexual needs, except over the phone to people I don't know" Garry Shandling

The Unscientists 2010 Awards - Nominee #2 Richard Lindzen On April 6 2010 I announced The Unscientists 2010 Awards. The rules are simple, and mainly require that: by the use exclusively or mainly,…

Picture thoughts -before they are converted correctly to words. Eonverye taht can raed tihs rsaie yuor hnad.. To my 'selected' strange-minded friends: If you can read the following paragraph,…

Travelling to work early Friday morning, I came across this article in the Metro. Oral sex virus 'causing throat cancer' as scientists urge male HPV vaccine | Metro.co.uk. The article is rather heavy…

Understanding Climate : #5 - Variations In Sunshine Insolation variation I am trying to explain in this series the most important aspects of the sciences most relevant to climate as a cross…

63 Years Old Solo Balloonist Reaches North Pole Jean-Louis Etienne has made the first solo balloon voyage to the North Pole, traveling 3,130 kilometers - 1,945 miles - in five days from Norway to…

My academic adventures have exposed me to a fairly large amount of mathematics.  While I seem to end up wishing I had taken even more mathematics, computer science, and statistics coursework…

I have just returned from over a week working at DESY (das Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron) at Hamburg, and when I am not so tired I hope to write up some more synchrotron stuff for you all. …

If you live in London, then you could do worse than join a Westminster Skeptics night out getting paralytic about science. Westminster Skeptics promote an evidence-based approach and critical…

Decisive Advantage by Chris Potter in the Pittsburgh City Paper. If I had a kid who might want to go into research for a living, I'd want them to read this story. It gives some insight into what is…

In two years the Higgs boson will be close to discovery, and its mass already known, or the particle will be already in the trash bin. That is the single line which best summarizes the scenarios I…

"Airplanes do not "fly"! They are held aloft through the divine intervention of heavenly angels!""I'll notify the Texas Board of Education at once!" I wonder whether such dark levity is the last…

New Missing Link - Or Maybe Not The recent suggestion that Australopithecus Sediba is an intermediate species has aroused controversy. The following extracts are from naturenews. Claim over 'human…

As I start to write this I can hear two helicopters passing overhead. I live in a small road just 5 minutes walk from one of Bangkok's major traffic clots, Victory Monument. Sometimes, writing about…

For science-fiction loving people there's a site :                                        …