Antonio Egas Moniz was nominated for his contribution to science , the lobotomy. He wouldn't be my first or last pick for such a prestigious honor and apparently others feel the same way. In a case…

In a tale of time traveler gone bad, amateur dinosaur hunter, Nathan Murphy, the fellow who found the famous duck-billed dinosaur Leonardo in the burnt-umber badlands of Montana’s Hell Creek back in…

Antonio Egas Moniz was nominated for his contribution to science , the lobotomy. He wouldn't be my first or last pick for such a prestigious honor and apparently others feel the same way. In a case…

In an article published in the June 25th edition of the journal Neuron, researchers at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, have found that synaptic plasticity, long implicated as a…

The world doesn't always make sense. Witness Mike's blog post on some convoluted language in a news story. I understand that people make mistakes - I do all the time. My personal philosophy is…

In a few days italian post-docs working in high-energy physics will be asked to gather for a nasty exam, held by the INFN -the italian institute for nuclear physics- to qualify valiant researchers…

The man who stopped smoking is the title of a video from the British Medical Journal (BMJ).  The blurb says: Richard Doll was a luminary of clinical research whose case control study, published…

Newton’s apple fell from the tree and after thumping the scientist on the head, fell benignly to the ground. If the same apple fell toward Einstein (and happened to have a little added atomic oomph),…

By honest I don't mean that you only tell what's true. But you make clear the entire situation. You make clear all the information that is required for somebody else who is intelligent to make up…

Modern glaciers, such as those making up the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, are capable of undergoing periods of rapid change, according to new findings by paleoclimatologists at the University…

Some of this is just too much: (from The Guardian): Most of all, though, Aquinas would have been entranced by the idea of genes. If ever there were an Aristotle-friendly idea this is it. Genes…

Worried about your child’s exposure to phthalates, the chemical compounds used as plasticizers in a wide variety of personal care products, children’s toys, and medical devices?   Phthalate…

How can you not love toothpaste for dinner?

State "laboratories of democracy" at work: In recognition of the fact that New York State currently permits compensation for oocyte donation for reproductive purposes for expenses and for time,…

After weeks of painful struggling against all evidence, I think I will finally have to accept the fact that Italians actually approve their Prime Minister's behavior and libertine sex habits: the…

The Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) with their distinct white and black coloring are natives of China, but these hardwood tree killers have been around New…

The Database of Useful Biological Numbers - great stuff, although before using any hard-to-measure number, be sure to know how the measurement was done before you trust the result. Check these out:…

Clinical scientists at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute are starting the first pilot study looking at the delivery of insulin via the nasal passageway as a potential new treatment for diabetic…

Augusto Minzolini (right), director of the TG1 news program of Rai 1, the most followed public italian TV channel, is under siege in Italy, accused of hiding the news of the embarassing story of…