A good use of captchas...

We all have to type those stupid captchas from time to time. It usually irritates me to do so. After reading this I don't mind any more. Another good use by the scientifically inclined...

Does anyone care about science?

The March 28 issue of Science had a disturbing article. A survey by the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago found that only 11% of the people they surveyed could come up with the name of a living scientist. Nearly half could not come up with the name of a living or dead scientist. Another study by the Pew Research Center for the People and Press found that for every 5 hours of U.S. cable news only 2 minutes are devoted to science or the environment. To give you an idea of what they do show during the same time period 10 minutes was devoted to celebrity news and nearly half an hour to crime. So is it because the public does not care about science or the media does not care? I have to say it is the media. As usual they underestimate their audience...

McCain over the edge?

Well, this makes things a little easier for me. I had still thought that John McCain had some good ideas and if he won the election I would not be that upset. No more. I have now lost complete respect for him and could never in good conscious vote for him. It is amazing how a politician can lose every ideal he has stood for when he panders for votes...

Can Scientist's Dance?

I got this link this morning and had to pass it along. And who ever said Ph.D students did not have a sense of humor? The molecular code videos farther down are cool too.

Science, Evolution, and Creationism

The National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine yesterday released an 88 page booklet documenting the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution and evaluating the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including "intelligent design.". A must read for the new year for anyone who cares about the future of science education in this country...

In the name of science...

Let me start off by saying I am a fan of science. A big fan. We would not be here today without it. It is a good thing. That said I don't agree with everything done in the name of science. New Scientist published a list of the 10 most bizarre experiments carried out in the quest for knowledge. There is some weird stuff here. A point to remember though is out of strange things some good can come. The experiment with the two headed dog, as repulsive as it was, led to intricate surgical techniques that paved the way for the first human heart transplant. Which leads to the question does the ends justify the means? Also what are the rights of animals in experimentation? Two hot button topics that deserve posts of their own...

Why did the monkey pee on his feet?

Scientists will research anything. I am glad we have evolved beyond this. Well, most of us have anyway. I can't speak for drunk frat boys...

News Consumption over the last 20 years...

Pew Research Center posted a table showing the results of its PewNews Interest Index over the last 20 years. There is some interesting information in the numbers. Two of the trends up are Washington Politics and Money. I can see money being an issue people would want to follow closely. Many Americans are having a hard time making it as the latest mortgage foreclosures show. Another area that has almost doubled in the last 20 years is people's interest in Personalities and Entertainment. The constant coverage of Britney, Lindsey, Paris, etc. I think shows this trend. The category that troubles me the most though is Science and Technology. Over the last 20 years the number of people who follow news on this has dropped by just over 50%! That is amazing to me. Talk about screwed up priorities. The drop in the number of American born students entering undergraduate and graduate programs majoring in science and technology continues to fall. People do not realize that the future of our economy depends on these fields. So what is the answer? I wish I knew...