Understanding the Voynich Manuscript #1 Tom, Dick and Harry explain a statistical method. The mysterious Voynich Manuscript. A simple analysis of a sufficiently large text can reveal much about the topic of that text, if the language is known. If the text, as in the case of the Voynich Manuscript, is written in an unknown script, then the same simple analytical method can point the way to the underlying language, or language group.
63 Years Old Solo Balloonist Reaches North PoleJean-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 the tundra of eastern Siberia.Jean-Louis Etienne has always liked rising to new challenges, especially when they combine adventure and scientific objectives. Adventures are the stuff that dreams are made of. They reveal a new way of looking at things, especially to young people, and can be a very effective means to convey scientific knowledge that in other forms sometimes falls on unreceptive ears.
New Missing Link - Or Maybe NotThe recent suggestion that Australopithecus Sediba is an intermediate species has aroused controversy.The following extracts are from naturenews.Claim over 'human ancestor' sparks furoreResearchers dispute that hominin fossil is a new species.Michael Cherry
Arctic Ice 2010 #3 - The State Of The IceArctic Ice 2010 - a short series of articles.The first part - Arctic Ice 2010 #1 - The Nature Of Sea Ice was an introduction to the behaviour of Arctic sea ice.The second part Arctic Ice 2010 #2 - What People Are Saying discussed current media and blog reports about the state of the Arctic.This third part describes the state of the Arctic ice as of April 2010.
Arctic Ice 2010 #2 - What People Are SayingArctic Ice 2010 - a short series of articles.The first part - Arctic Ice 2010 #1 - The Nature Of Sea Ice was an introduction to the behaviour of Arctic sea ice.This second part will discuss current media and blog reports about the state of the Arctic.The third part will describe the state of the Arctic ice as of April 2010.Polar ice basics
Arctic Ice 2010 #1 - The Nature Of Sea IceArctic Ice 2010 - a short series of articles.This first part is an introduction to the behaviour of Arctic sea ice.The second part will discuss current reports about the state of the Arctic.The third part will describe the state of the Arctic ice as of April 2010.In order to understand the current state of Arctic sea ice it is necessary to know if it is in any way 'normal' or 'abnormal'. In this first article I give some historical and scientific notes to show what has been observed historically.Exploration and discovery
The Unscientists 2010 awardsShamelessly stealing the Festival Of Idiots central theme and with no proper credit given to its originator, The Rugbyologist, the Chatter Box proudly announces The Unscientists 2010 Awards.The rules, hereinafter known as 'the rules':Now be it known that:
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 zone recently, and, predictably, there have been cries of "what happened to global warming?"It is Spring. The evidence of global warming is all around for anyone who has eyes to see it. But there are none so blind as those who will not see.Propaganda
South Dakota Exempted From Laws of ScienceThe 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 political declaration that climate change is a myth. Presumably, any of the good citizens of Dakota who believe this science nonsense about photographic records of ice melting must be deluded.Now, why does the sub-text remind me of the creationist / I.D. agenda?Is this what students are learning in South Dakota?How deluded will the voters be come election time?-----------------------------State of South Dakota
Freedom Of Information And UK LawThe UK's Freedom Of Information Act 2000 - FOIA - has been much in the news and public debate of late, mainly in connection with allegations that the University Of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit has acted in breach of the FOIA.Before I go further in my analysis of what law is, and what the relevant law means in the context of the allegations against the CRU, I have some important points to make.
Faint Young Sun - No ParadoxThe faint young sun paradox is no paradox, according to a recent paper in Nature.The faint young sun paradox is that the earth didn't freeze over when the sun was weaker at the time when the oceans formed. Earth's climate has been fairly constant during the approx. 4.6 billion years of earth's existence, despite the fact that radiation from the Sun is believed to have increased by 25-30 percent over that time.Professor Minik Rosing, from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, and Christian Bjerrum, from the Department of Geography and Geology at University of Copenhagen, together with American colleagues from Stanford University in California claim that there is no paradox.
Fossilized WeatherIf you want to know what the weather is doing you can do as the candlelight fisherman in the song did, and "open the pane and pop out the flame and see how the winds do blow". Or you could look at the nearest weathervane. They come in all sort of designs, shapes and sizes.
Simon Singh Wins - US Law To The Rescue!The British Courts do not indulge themselves in bogus judgements - not even on April 1st.This article is genuine.A note on common law:Both the US and the UK are common law jurisdictions. British courts will accordingly take note of US court judgements, but are not legally bound to follow them.Occasionally, a judge will recognise that UK law is insufficient alone to secure a just result. In such circumstances the judge may be more inclined than otherwise to accept a sufficiently fair and just US ruling as providing a model and a precedent.
