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Deflating Scientific Fallacies

By Guest PostApril 6, 2011Sciencecognitive errors, multifaceted psycho-cultural phenomenon, neurologist, neuromuscular function, scientific thinking, skeptics_guide_to_the_universe, steven_novella

Yale neurologist Steven Novella populates his podcasts and blogs with aliens, ghosts and creationists for a single purpose: to help resurrect the lost art of scientific thinking.

“I am interested in how otherwise intelligent people can get things so horribly wrong,” says Novella. In the process of answering that question he created the website Skeptics Guide to the Universe — which, with 150,000 listeners a week, is one of the 10 most popular science sites on the internet. (more…)

The Art of Making Stars

By Guest PostApril 5, 2011Scienceemission nebula, infrared light, rho ophiuchi, star forming complex, wavelengths

It might look like an abstract painting, but this splash of colors is in fact a busy star-forming complex called Rho Ophiuchi. NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Explorer, or WISE, captured the picturesque image of the region, which is one of the closest star-forming complexes to Earth. (more…)

Oxygen Sensor Invention Could Benefit Fisheries to Breweries

By Guest PostApril 5, 2011Sciencebiological wastes, brewing beer, carbon dioxide, concept of oxygen, fish farming, fluctuations in temperature, monitoring oxygen, oil spills, phosphates, salinity

East Lansing, Mich — Monitoring oxygen levels in water has applications for oil spills, fish farming, brewing beer and more – and a professor at Michigan State University is poised to help supply that need.

The concept of oxygen sensors isn’t new. The challenge, however, has been manufacturing one that can withstand fluctuations in temperature, salinity, carbon dioxide, phosphates and biological wastes. Ruby Ghosh, associate professor of physics, was able to overcome those obstacles as well as build one that provides real-time data and is relatively inexpensive. (more…)

Watch Your Language! of Course–But How Do We Actually Do That?

By Guest PostApril 3, 2011Sciencecares about context, elisah dhooge, irrelevant words, neutral word, offensive word, psychological science, radio, relationship, robert hartsuiker, self monitor, speech, stringent, taboo words, verbal self monitor, words

Nothing seems more automatic than speech. We produce an estimated 150 words a minute, and make a mistake only about once every 1,000 words. We stay on track, saying what we intend to, even when other words distract us—from the radio, say, or a road sign we pass while driving.

An upcoming study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, shows for the first time why we so rarely speak those irrelevant words: We have a “verbal self-monitor” between the mental production of speech and the actual uttering of words that catches any irrelevant items coming from outside of the speaker. (more…)

Research Shows Not Only the Fittest Survive

By Guest PostApril 2, 2011Scienceanomalies, competitive exclusion principle, complex environments, darwin’s notion, diversity of bacteria, fittest survive, genetic diversity, human diseases, robert beardmore, universities of exeter

Darwin’s notion that only the fittest survive has been called into question by new research published in Nature.

A collaboration between the Universities of Exeter and Bath in the UK, with a group from San Diego State University in the US, challenges our current understanding of evolution by showing that biodiversity may evolve where previously thought impossible.

The work represents a new approach to studying evolution that may eventually lead to a better understanding of the diversity of bacteria that cause human diseases. (more…)

NASA Airborne Radar Set to Image Hawaiian Volcano

By Guest PostApril 1, 2011Sciencebig island, earthquakes, eruption, glacier movements, gulfstream aircraft, hawaii, kilauea volcano, landslides, magma, NASA, pacific region, paul lundgren, rift zone, uavsar, uninhabited aerial vehicle synthetic aperture radar, volcanoes

PASADENA, Calif. – The Kilauea volcano that recently erupted on the Big Island of Hawaii will be the target for a NASA study to help scientists better understand processes occurring under Earth’s surface.

A NASA Gulfstream-III aircraft equipped with a synthetic aperture radar developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., is scheduled to depart Sunday, April 3, from the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., to the Big Island for a nine-day mission. (more…)

Novel Nanowires Boost Fuel Cell Efficiency

By Guest PostApril 1, 2011Sciencecarbon nanotubes, cars to computers, catalyst, electrocatalysts, fuel cells, novel material, novel nanowires, platinum particles, tomorrow's energy

Fuel cells have been touted as a cleaner solution to tomorrow’s energy needs, with potential applications in everything from cars to computers.

But one reason fuel cells aren’t already more widespread is their lack of endurance. Over time, the catalysts used even in today’s state-of-the-art fuels cells break down, inhibiting the chemical reaction that converts fuel into electricity. In addition, current technology relies on small particles coated with the catalyst; however, the particles’ limited surface area means only a fraction of the catalyst is available at any given time. (more…)

Twinkle, Twinkle, Quantum Dot – New Particles Can Change Colors and Tag Molecules

By Guest PostMarch 31, 2011Sciencebiocompatible materials, biomedical tests, new nanoparticles, plastic nano particles, quantum dots

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Engineers at Ohio State University have invented a new kind of nano-particle that shines in different colors to tag molecules in biomedical tests. (more…)

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