Science & Society

If you want clicks, then now is the time to write about earthquakes and nuclear disasters. That is why Science 2.0 has now an article telling us how great it is that the quake hit Japan, because Japan is so well prepared, and this is mostly thanks to the ...

Blog Post - Sascha Vongehr - Apr 18 2011 - 3:34am

Deconstructing Petitions: Making Evidence-Based Decisions, Not Knee-Jerk Ones

The online disability rights and autism advocacy movements intersect, with appeals from the autism advocacy movement appealing to the larger disability rights movement. Recently, a new petition has been started by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network calli ...

Article - Kim Wombles - Apr 3 2011 - 7:49pm

Japan's Nuclear Emergency- The Straight Goods- Update

Japan's Nuclear Emergency- The Straight Goods- Update The latest reports coming from Japan indicate that the current nuclear emergency is not as great as some people had feared it might be. Despite some media reports: there have been no reactor explo ...

Article - Patrick Lockerby - Mar 15 2011 - 7:20am

Why You Should Be Worried About Japan’s Nuclear Reactors

For days now, scientists and science blogs tell us not to worry about Japan’s nuclear reactors. Nothing can happen; no radiation will be released, all is fine. We are treated to false experts even, to one-sided rants of somebody who studied risk managemen ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - Mar 24 2011 - 3:04pm

ASAN And The IACC, ICD-9-CM Codes, And Wandering: A Call To Reasoned Action

ASAN and the IACC On Monday, I went through an ASAN petition to the CDC that appears to have been intentionally hyperbolic and meant to get supporters foaming at the mouth. Since I posted the piece, I've continued to look into the ICD-9-CM, IACC ...

Article - Kim Wombles - Mar 17 2011 - 5:28pm

UK Chief Scientific Adviser In Verbal Meltdown Over Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

The UK Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, is in Tokyo trying to dampen expat fears that the Fukushima nuclear reactors could possibly ruin their lives. I had actually received snippets of this meeting by email and wa ...

Blog Post - Richard Mankiewicz - Mar 16 2011 - 10:34am

Numerical Concepts And Language May Be Linked

Language may have an undervalued role in learning the meanings of numbers. A study based on research using deaf people in Nicaragua who never learned formal sign language showed that people who communicate using self-developed gestures (homesigns) were u ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 18 2011 - 4:00am

Introduction To Radiation

Given the general fear regarding radiation levels around Japan, this seems the perfect time to give a short introduction to this important topic. There is a lot of confusion regarding radiation and radiation poisoning and this article will try and break it ...

Article - Siju Mammen - Mar 21 2011 - 4:37pm

5% of men and 10% of women believe that the Earth is bigger than the Sun?

Really? Seriously according to OK Cupid's analysis of their data from asking 642533 people the question 5% of men (gay and straight) and 10% of women (gay and straight) think the Earth is bigger than the Sun. This finding is in a posting by Ok Cup ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Jul 11 2011 - 9:28am

Get Potassium Iodide Or How Respond To The Present Irrationality?

In Nanjing, that is close to Shanghai, and I suppose also in other places around here*, you cannot buy salt anymore. Every last grain has been bought up. Why? Apparently, some evil guy started the rumor that table salt, which is sodium chloride (NaCl), ca ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - Mar 24 2011 - 3:03pm