archives :: science
dog daze (II)
Those atheists who most strenuously object to Matzke’s claim will in general have the greatest emotional and intellectual stake in that position—and as such will ironically have invested in their atheism many of the very religious sensibilities that they claim to abjure. [read more]
dog daze
Which is more damaging to the scientific enterprise—the anti-evolution beliefs of the general public (which, through the miracle of federal funding, have precious little impact on how research is actually conducted), or [read more]
breaking: philosophy of science not boring
The chair of my dissertation committee is featured in the science section of today's New York Times. Evolutionary scientists have never had difficulty explaining the male orgasm, closely tied as it is to reproduction. But the Darwinian logic behind the... [read more]
intelligent design: a discourse
On Wednesday 30 March I will be giving an invited talk before the Indiana University Campus Freethought Alliance. The topic will (conveniently) coincide with my dissertation research: critical analysis of modern design arguments in biology. The audience should be a... [read more]
polar express
The European Space Agency does take some nice pictures. (Click image for high-res version.) These images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, were released at the First Mars Express Science Conference this... [read more]
intelligent design as op-ed
As one of the ID movement's most visible proponents, Behe might seem a good choice for such a task; but he seems to regard this statement of postulates as an argument, which clearly it is not. Perhaps the kindest conclusion to be drawn is that he should stick with the biochemistry. [read more]
physician, heal thyself (part I)
Or: the peril of writing beyond your knowledge. Once upon a time, when I was still a graduate student in physics, I was at dinner with some colleagues and their significant others. During the meal the question arose of why... [read more]
the scientist as philosopher-king
Scientists should, and will, continue to play a role in the shaping and implementation of policy. But the answer to our admittedly imperfect system is not resort to an order of Platonic philosopher-kings. Or of Lewontin's philosopher-princelings, for that matter. [read more]
randomness and design
I've not yet posted a lot on this blog concerning the philosophy of science, or for that matter just science straight up—which is a little odd, considering my vocation. But tonight Donald Sensing has provided inspiration enough. He writes: The... [read more]
just because
Sometimes even the best Hollywood image makers have nothing on the real thing. In a splendid portrait created by light and gravity, Saturn's lonely moon Mimas is seen against the cool, blue-streaked backdrop of Saturn's northern hemisphere. Delicate shadows... [read more]
sleeping with the enemy
As longtime readers of this site might recall, my fixation on electoral politics is a distraction from a very different purpose: writing a PhD thesis in the history and philosophy of science. My dissertation is an analysis of the many... [read more]
footprints (and other musings)
Thirty-five years ago today Apollo 11 touched down on the lunar surface. The image above is one of the most famous of that mission; the footprint belongs to Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon. I... [read more]
the sky is (not) falling
Many physical systems are periodic: the movement in the system repeats at regular intervals. Examples of such systems include Earth's diurnal rotation and the movement of pendulums. To be more precise, actual physical systems are only approximately periodic, as... [read more]
physics is phun
Had I known that this kind of research could have been part of my job description, perhaps I would have stayed in physics. The European Constitution is unscientific, will not achieve the objective of “one person one vote”, and will... [read more]
blame Bush
A Drudge flash report: The collapse of the earth's magnetic field, which both guards the planet and guides many of its creatures, appears to have started in earnest about 150 years ago, the NY TIMES is planning to report on... [read more]
hail Cassini
On Wednesday, the Cassini-Huygens space probe entered orbit around Saturn. A few hours later the craft dove through gaps in the planet's rings—not once, but twice. Call it high-vacuum extreme skiing (the rings are comprised mostly of water ice). The... [read more]
pretty as a picture
I've been into astronomy since elementary school, and the geek in me loves artwork like this: But the dirty little secret of such NASA publicity stills is that space just isn't that photogenic. Even gorgeous telescope images—as opposed to artists'... [read more]
religious tolerance and the Nobel
Phillip Johnson, emeritus professor of law at UC-Berkeley, has made a second career of arguing against “Darwinism.” The scare quotes are necessary, as the meaning of the word varies wildly depending upon who is using it and in what context.... [read more]
Easterbrook already on Mars, Sullivan likes the view
(Or: The return of our permanent guest blogger) As a true fiscal conservative, Andrew Sullivan has been rightfully dismayed over the Bush administration’s profligate spending habits. His latest salvo on the subject picks up where Gregg Easterbrook, former columnist with... [read more]
this could explain a lot
Via Instapundit comes a lovely bit of trivia from the world of science: One third of Britons carry the toxoplasma parasite in their brain. Its natural home is the cat and it's spread in cats' faeces. It can be picked... [read more]
life imitates...The Simpsons
I just saw this episode in reruns a couple of weeks back. From Canada's National Post: An Oregon scientist inspired by Homer Simpson has successfully created “tomacco” — a tomato plant that contains nicotine. … Mr. Baur says the... [read more]
is mithril yttrium silver?
TORn's Green Books presents the latest in an occasional series on the science of Middle-earth. I actually learned a little something about metallurgy: It so happens that there is a class of chemical compounds called “intermetallics.” Like alloys, intermetallics consist... [read more]
