Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Racism is ugly
So, it's great to see that there are organizations working to educate the youth about it. It is kind of too bad that there are not organizations working to educate Lake Havasu City Councilmen.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Could Velociraptors have attacked from above?
A recent paper by Phil Manning of the University of Manchester, UK, suggests that Velociraptors may have used their fearsome claws to climb trees and attack prey by leaping down on them. This theory is based on further biomechanical considerations based on his earlier assertion that the claws "could puncture skin and help the dinosaur cling to wounded prey but... [not] rip the skin open." Manning goes on to mention that the Microraptor is now known to have used feathery forelimbs to glide down from trees. These suggestions are further emphasized by the recent findings of Ken Dial at the University of Montana. With slow motion video footage, Dial has shown that ground birds with flight abilities will use their claws to aid their wings in the ascension of vertical surfaces.
(Note: Video starts at 4:58, the relevant area.)
[via io9.com]
UPDATE: Let's Try to Settle This -- Are Birds Dinosaurs?
(Note: Video starts at 4:58, the relevant area.)
[via io9.com]
UPDATE: Let's Try to Settle This -- Are Birds Dinosaurs?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Some Health Updates
That Late-night Snack: Worse Than You Think
Large thighs 'may protect heart'
Those Blinded By Brain Injury May Still 'See', New Study Shows
HIV Is Weaker Than We Think
'Achilles' Heel' In Y Chromosome Linked To Sex Disorders
Alzheimer's genes link uncovered
And a related Alzheimer's breakthrough: Monkey Brains Signal The Desire To Explore
Large thighs 'may protect heart'
Those Blinded By Brain Injury May Still 'See', New Study Shows
HIV Is Weaker Than We Think
'Achilles' Heel' In Y Chromosome Linked To Sex Disorders
Alzheimer's genes link uncovered
And a related Alzheimer's breakthrough: Monkey Brains Signal The Desire To Explore
Friday, September 4, 2009
Customer service algorithms...
...could pave the way for the first leap into A.I.
Reminds me of the short story "The Nine Billion Names of God".
Reminds me of the short story "The Nine Billion Names of God".
Evolutionary Updates
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Being bad is good!
Apparently, there is evidence that many things typically labeled as "bad" actually provide some benefit.
[via Lifehacker]
[via Lifehacker]
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
"One of the oldest canards in the creationists' book is the claim that evolution must be false because it violates the second law of thermodynamics...
..., or the principle that, as they put it, everything must go from order to disorder."
[via NewScientist by way of NewScientist]
The idea is defended with some astute mathematical comparisons, culminating in:
"To spell it out, there's about a trillion times more entropy flux available than is required for evolution. The degree by which earth's entropy is reduced by the action of evolutionary processes is miniscule relative to the amount that the entropy of the cosmic microwave background is increased."
In fact, a recent modeling effort intended to illustrate the possibilities of life spontaneously erupting from primordial soup determined that "[w]ithout the ability of tRNAs to discriminate between various amino acids, such a random system might not be able to self-assemble into a highly organized code capable of supporting life." "They found that the properties of the molecules set the concentrations at which the molecules needed to exist for a coded regime to emerge."
[via NewScientist by way of NewScientist]
The idea is defended with some astute mathematical comparisons, culminating in:
"To spell it out, there's about a trillion times more entropy flux available than is required for evolution. The degree by which earth's entropy is reduced by the action of evolutionary processes is miniscule relative to the amount that the entropy of the cosmic microwave background is increased."
In fact, a recent modeling effort intended to illustrate the possibilities of life spontaneously erupting from primordial soup determined that "[w]ithout the ability of tRNAs to discriminate between various amino acids, such a random system might not be able to self-assemble into a highly organized code capable of supporting life." "They found that the properties of the molecules set the concentrations at which the molecules needed to exist for a coded regime to emerge."
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
There been some press about the release of thirtysomething on DVD...
but this is about being thirtysomething at the end of the first decade of the 21st century.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Potential silver-lining for depression: analytical super-computing!
Depression's Evolutionary Roots presents the idea that depression may be an advantage conveyed to allow for analytical focus on particular problems. An argument to support this is that depression can produce a lack of enjoyment in previously enjoyable pursuits.
[via instapundit]
[via instapundit]
Labels:
analytical,
depression,
eating,
sex,
social withdrawal
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