Comment

Comment by Jaume on December 29, 2010 at 10:35am

What sort of equipment did they use to cut through the snow so cleanly?

Comment by Don on December 29, 2010 at 10:17am

Honshu, Japan.  56 feet!

Comment by Don on December 29, 2010 at 9:24am

You think YOU"VE got snow...

 

Comment by Cohiba on December 29, 2010 at 9:11am

@Adriana -- It's fun so long as you don't have to shovel or drive in it.  Living here in Stamford, I've sadly had to do both... but at least it's pretty!

 

@doone -- Those statistics are very depressing.  I'm actually a bit surprised that the numbers are that low among Democrats and Independents. 

 

I've always found the belief that God guided evolution to be a bit disconcerting.  It seems like a very wasteful and cruel process to use if there is an actual intelligence behind it. 

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on December 22, 2010 at 2:29pm

That article on Mobius symmetry is very interesting, though over my head. My expert opinion though is neato!

Comment by Jaume on December 22, 2010 at 1:36pm

That's not news to the ancients, and to military historians since the Hellenistic period -

 

The successful military use of elephants spread across the world. The successors to Alexander's empire, the Diadochi, used hundreds of Indian elephants in their wars. The Egyptians and the Carthaginians began taming African elephants for the same purpose, while the Numidians used
the Forest elephant. The African savannah elephant, larger than the
African forest elephant or the Asian elephant, proved too difficult to
tame for war purposes and was never widely used. Elephants used by
Egyptians at the battle of Raphia in 217 BC were smaller than their Asian counterparts, but that did not guarantee victory for Antiochus III the Great of Syria. [source]

Comment by iTheist on December 14, 2010 at 2:28pm

Biological Computers: Genetically Modified Cells Communicate Like E...

ScienceDaily (Dec. 14, 2010) — Genetically modified cells can be made to communicate with each other as if they were electronic circuits. Using yeast cells, a group of researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has taken a groundbreaking step towards being able to build complex systems in the future where the body's own cells help to keep us healthy. The study was presented recently in an article in the scientific journal Nature.

 

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on December 13, 2010 at 12:59pm

Scientists Discover Gene Linked With Violent Behavior

Punk rock legend Henry Rollins, prone to his own violent behavior, hosts a television show that investigates the origins of the short fuse. In “Explorer: Born To Rage,” Rollins and a diverse group of men agree to be tested for what is called “the Warrior Gene.”

Scientists say if the gene is non-functioning in men, they may be more prone to violent behavior.  “Born To Rage” airs at 9pm ET Tuesday on the National Geographic Channel.

Comment by Don on December 11, 2010 at 10:41am

Doone and Adriana, regarding the liberal-science correlation (and the corresponding conservative-anti-science bent), do see this discussion on Jerry Coyne's blog of a few days ago.  Great comments (as ever, on his blog):

 

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/the-scientists-w...

Comment by Pope OoO (Out of Order) on December 11, 2010 at 1:20am

This is probably too simplistic but maybe there are two different ways to deal with the world.

 

"Progressive" = Humble admission that there's so much we don't know yet about ourselves and our world, with desire to discover what's unknown and push forward. It's a socially inclusive vision, humbled (again) while seeking input from (and interaction with) the widest range of cultures. Description is favored over Prescription and Proscription.

 

versus

 

It's all about "us" and protecting what we have in our small part of the world. The pressure is to celebrate our own unique culture and tradition and when in doubt, conserve the status quo. Do not seek change or new knowledge, since all of the most important knowledge is already known, and largely perhaps even written thousands of years ago. Prescription and Proscription are favored over Description.

 

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