Arctic News Or Science Abuse? As I write these words, media reporters and bloggers are gleefully reporting the recovery of the Arctic ice. There has been snow in many parts of the northern temperate…

A lot has been going on recently in blogs I sporadically visit (I am not a big reader myself). I thus thought I'd put together a list of valuable links here. First of all, Michael Schmitt deserves…

Evidence that environmental factors can contribute to autism has been around for several decades. The first clue comes from studies of monozygotic (‘identical’) twins, who share 100% of their…

A new study by scientists at the University of Michigan and Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes suggests that the evolution of morphology and physiology are controlled by different genetic…

A 95-million-year-old amber deposit discovered in ethopia has added 30 arthropods from thirteen families of insects and spiders. The fossils represent some of the earliest African fossil records for…

The drinking habits of the people in your extended social group play a major role in determining how many adult beverages you consume, says researchers writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The…

Madagascar's radiated tortoise is rapidly nearing extinction due to rampant hunting for its meat and the illegal pet trade. Biologists with the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and Wildlife…

South Dakota Exempted From Laws of Science The South Dakota Legislature thinks that scientific laws are made up by people to suit agendas.Accordingly, they have invented some agendist stuff to make a…

Out in the woods and wondering what the temperature is? Slip down to the nearest stand of deciduous trees to search for the wee Snowy Tree Cricket, Oecanthus Fultoni, part of the order orthoptera.…

Exercise can alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms and should be more widely prescribed to patients who can't access or won't accept traditional therapies, say mental health experts from Southern…

Web sites that foster online communication and interaction are not merely vapid echo chambers of self-promotion, according to a new study in American Behavioral Scientist. In fact, just the opposite…

Some solar physicists have suggested that prolonged low solar activity could offset the effects of anthropogenic global warming. But a new Grand Minimum of solar activity would decrease the rise of…

A new review in the Agronomy Journal suggests that crop residue removal from corn, wheat, and grain sorghum may not be the most earth-friendly source of biomass for cellulosic ethanol production.…

43 percent of people are undecided, reluctant or do not wish to have their organs and tissue donated after their deaths, according to a new survey conducted by Donate Life America. The results shows…

We've had our first missing link of 2010.  What, you ask?  Was the missing link not discovered twice even last year?  Well, yes, if you read the mainstream media it happens quite often…

Out in the woods of North America and wondering what the temperature is? Slip down to the nearest stand of deciduous trees and bushes to search for the wee Snowy Tree Cricket, Oecanthus Fultoni.…

About two dozen families of eurypterids “sea scorpions” are known from the fossil record. Although these ancient predators have a superficial similarity, including a defensive needle-like spike or…

Not long ago, I read J.R.R. Tolkien's mythopoeia masterpiece, The Silmarillion (his creation myth for the world of The Lord of the Rings). Upon finishing it, I immediately picked up Sparks of Life, a…

In my article on brain waves and consciousness I looked at some research associating gamma wave activity with consciousness. This is, however, a controversial area in that other researchers have…

I was working on a paper recently, and my boss included a editing note that got me thinking.  The topic dealt with certain circuits in the limbic network of the brain.  The note included…