Sunday School JAN 6, 2013

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10 ideas that will shape the new year in science.

Knowing about science is not a trivial pursuit.

How the brain perceives time.

A quarter of the cow genome came from... snakes? Wut?

A common tactic in apologetics is very much on one side of the honest inquiry/rationalization divide.

The Higgs was just the start for the LHC; other mysteries await. If the LHC discovers a new particle it could overturn the Standard Model of particle physics. If that turned out to be the case it would make the Standard Model wrong, but not as wrong as what came before.

Dr. Oz, tv host, is untrustworthy, his advice often conflicting with the best science.

Earth's oldest fossils found in Australia dating to 3.49 billion years ago.

Scientists seek a return mission to Uranus. (giggity)

Why vaccination matters, and why hippies and conspiracy theorists who say otherwise are dangerous.

2012 was the year crazy and stupid went mainstream.

A hot story this week has it that a newly discovered antibiotic in panda blood will solve the antibiotic crisis. Except. Probably not.

Matt McCormick posted on what it means to disprove something.

Ethicist Alonzo Fyfe described the relationship between scripture and morality.

2013 is a new year of missions and events in space.

Cambrian penis worms were voracious opportunists. (You had me at "penis worms".)

House GOP members block the Violence Against Women Act.

Bonobos offer banana bribes for friendship.

Steven Novella looks at the creationist rationalization of the apparent age of the universe that claims that God created the universe with the appearance of age. He followed up later in the week to address some comments to the initial piece.

Astronomers estimate the galaxy contains 100 billion planets.

The credulous will often respond to references to the scientific consensus by saying that "science shouldn't be decided by a vote." Brian Dunning considers the objection and the specific meaning on "consensus" within science.

NASA considers capturing an asteroid and dropping it into orbit around the Moon.

Lots of stories in the news about how researchers were able to drop a cloud of atoms into negative Kelvin temperatures, something that shouldn't be possible given the nature of the Kelvin scale and absolute zero. If you've been looking for an outlet to make sense of the research here you go.

A recently discovered rock is actually a new type of Mars meteorite.

Health journalism is largely the "survival of the wrongest", ignoring the fundamental pitfalls of scientific research and serving up unreliable information.

Two facts about the solar system's past– a less intense sun and a liquid water Earth– seem at odds with each other. What's the solution?

A well-known and long-time opponent of genetically modified organisms admits that he's been wrong all along. The incredible part is his admission that, while writing screeds for major information outlets attacking GMO's, he'd hardly deigned to actually read any scientific papers on the subject he was attacking!

The 6 biggest religious right threats to America.

Good and bad ways of influencing the beliefs of others.

Is spirituality bad for your mental health?

There's been a fundamental shift in the public's support for school prayer. Meanwhile, an Illinois state senator submits a bill requiring students to recite the Lord's Prayer.

Were dinosaur feathers for sexual displays?

Tom Rees wrapped with 2012 with a review of important research into the cognitive science of religion.