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POPSMcCain Fails to Understand, Sneeringly Misrepresents Sky Theater As "Overhead Projector" Andrey Kravtsov continues: "I find it appalling that Sen. McCain would call a science education tool for public (largely children) for a historic planetarium with millions of visitors a year a wasteful earmark. The planetarium's focus, as stated on their website (http://adlerplanetarium.org) is "on inspiring young people, particularly women and minorities, to pursue careers in science." Is an investment in such public facility at the time when US competitiveness in math and sciences is a constant source of alarm a waste?" No, it is not a waste. Senator McCain's failure to understand and/or appreciate the importance of science education is indeed appalling, as is his sneering, sniveling misrepresentation of this equipment as an unnecessary, overpriced "overhead projector".
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POPSTravel Alberta To See These Unique Attractions! :roll: When you are making your vacation plans, check out what Alberta has to offer: "Alberta offers a rare treat for the seasoned globetrotter who's craving something new. A seemingly endless expanse of bitumen-laden sands — coupled with the powerful scent of oil from refineries wafting through the hazy air — makes Northern Alberta a truly one-of-a-kind destination. " "some of the unique attractions that await travelers to Alberta: Black sand beaches, toxic lakes and clearcut forests. Until now, this kind of vacation destination was merely the stuff of science fiction; but now, it can be experienced first-hand." Watch the video!
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POPSThe Nerd Girls: Smart, Techie and Feminine
"These girl geeks aren't social misfits; their identities don't hinge on outsider status. They may love all things sci-tech, but first and foremost they are girls—and they've made that part of their appeal...However they choose to geek out, they consciously tweak the two chief archetypes of geeks: that they're unattractive outcasts, and that they're male. " "Forty years ago women made up just 3 percent of science and engineering jobs; now they make up about 20 percent. That sounds promising, until you consider that women earn 56 percent of the degrees in those fields. A recent Center for Work-Life Policy study found that 52 percent of women leave those jobs, with 63 percent saying they experienced workplace harassment and more than half believing they needed to "act like a man" in order to succeed. In the past, women dealt with that reality in two ways: some buried their femininity, while others simply gave up their techie interests to appear more feminine." Go, girls!
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POPSThinking the way animals do
Temple Grandin Ph.D. is an assistant professor of animal behaviour at Colorado State Uni. She suffers from a form of autism, and describes the way she thinks as thinking in pictures. This has helped her understand the way Animals think, with direct association, rather than a logical process. A significant statement which can apply to most people, is the fact that originally as far as she was aware everybody thought the same way. Until she asked people and found this was not the case. She describes a radio station person who said she had no pictures, in her mind, but thought in terms of emotions or words. I'm sure I can understand my dogs. They seem to think in a manner that is simple, and straightforward, it can just be a matter of associating cues with behavior, and remembering Pavlov. I think in Pictures and sounds. There is music I can 'hear' in my mind that not only has the same 'quality' as the original, but there is a remarkable capacity to edit. Perhaps something like Auti
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POPSNature Insight on Proteomics This Insight covers some of the most vibrant areas of research into the 'protein world', taking a journey from single protein dynamics to functional proteomics and drug discovery, through some of the latest technological developments in structural, cellular, evolutionary and computational biology.
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POPSAtheists Need to Chill Michael Shermer makes a point that needs to be made. Atheists need to remember what they stand for , not merely what they are against . Ridicule and contempt have no place in science, and haters should not tarnish its reputation by association. In the words of the greatest consciousness raiser of the 20th century, Martin Luther King, Jr., in his epic "I Have a Dream" speech: "In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline." If atheists do not want theists to prejudge them in a negative light, then they must not do unto theists the same.
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POPSScience is Hard! At least he's being honest and now we know why Evolution isn't popular in the United States... It's too hard to understand.
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POPS50s TV Icon Dies This saddened me to hear of Don Herbert's death. I have many fond memories growing up in the 50's and being a fan of Watch Mr. Wizard. His enthusiasm for science shaped my own perception of the world. For that I say, thank you Mr. Wizard.
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POPS26% of Americans don't know that earth revolves around sun (my understanding is that the 71.2% who correctly said that it takes the earth 1 year to revolve around the sun is actually 71.2% of the 73.6% of respondents who correctly said the earth revolves around the sun. That means that only 52.4% of all Americans know it takes the earth one year to revolve around the sun. That noise you just heard is my jaw hitting the floor. Via Kieran Healy at Crooked Timber
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POPSChristian Academy Science Fair Winners Named Christian Academies shouldn't have science fairs. Can you tell me with a straight face that these kids are getting a quality education? It's one thing for this to be an entry in the fair, but it's completely absurd that it won! I think we found a future president.
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POPS"Long Live Linnaeus": a powerful & colorful force in the history of science The Linneaeus Museum and Garden sound magnificent. I would love to see them and the Swedish countryside. More from the source: “When Linnaeus started, natural history was a mess, and people needed guidelines,” said Thierry Hoquet, an associate professor in the philosophy of science at the University of Paris X-Nanterre. “Do you know in Greek myth the story of how Ariadne fell in love with Theseus, and gave him a ball of string to help him find his way out of the Minotaur's Labyrinth? Linnaeus gave us the thread.”
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POPSWhy would I want my doctor to have studied evolution? If my doctor were treating me, I would want to know that he or she knew about evolution. Evolution is so ingrained in medicine that every doctor should have studied it. As Theodosius Dobzhansky stated, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”; evolution is inescapable in all of the life sciences, including medicine. I have been fortunate in that my personal physicians have been knowledgeable about evolution; I even learned a bit from them. However, it disappoints me that a few doctors do not hold such a view and I feel even sorrier for their patients.
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POPSStunning Photo of Saturn Backlit By the Sun With our sun behind it, Saturn carves out a majestic silhouette against the vastness of space. And the tiny speck peeking through the rings? That's us! Click on images for full-size. (Transmitted by the Cassini probe looking back at the Earth from a billion-mile-out vantage point. Background behind the image's creation.)
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POPSExecutable Biology: Computer Science Sheds Light on Animal Development A new approach to creating biological models reveals much more about cellular processes than traditional biological models. The research scientists are excited because they will be able to save laboratory time and resources for their best leads as to how biological systems respond to variation. This could be a real boon to cancer research.
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