science

Hey all, I am looking for a book that gives a basic overview of the many sciences. I almost bought "The Canon" but the reviews scared me away. Is there anything out there that is like "The Canon", but isn't? Any recommendations? Thanks

Because it was suggested to start a new thread from the following: http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4296847&posted=1#post4296847 In order for string theory or any scientific theory to be "falsifiable" or "verifiable" it must be "testable" and for it to be testable...

So today I popped up the road to the local shopping centre to start on the Xmas shopping, and to my delight I found that CERN (which is just down the road) were exhibiting there. The best part was one of their blokes doing a lengthy demonstration of the fun things you can do with liquid...

First off, I am new to the JREF forums, and I probably won't be that active. However, I wish to make a small difference and am looking for a way to get some group action started. The problem is the scientific publishing behemoth Elsevier. They publish a huge range of mostly low impact...

Is Global Warming based on "consensus science" or undisputable proven fact or a combination? www.cap.ca/pic/archives/47.6(1991)/editorial.html+consensus+science&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us "Has the scientific method lost its relevance through abuse (as in pathological science) or...

I've heard talk that the big bang may have been acausal. I've also heard that some quantum events appear to have no cause, and I suppose that at the beginning of the universe, it would have been small enough to be on the quantum level. Can anyone give me some examples of causeless events, in...

It seems to me indisputable that science is a useful thing for changing the shape of our world, making life easier and creating exciting TV. But can it actually tell us anything about the nature of reality? I would consider both materialism and evolution theory as pointing toward science being...

"As regular Sb readers have probably noticed, we've almost reached 1,000,000 comments on our network! W00t! To celebrate, from September 14-29, our bloggers are setting up parties all over the U.S. and abroad." The link lists the events. There's one in Seattle on Sat the 27th that I'll be...

Breaking news: "Creationism should be taught in science classes as a legitimate point of view, according to the Royal Society, putting the august science body on a collision course with the Government. The Rev Michael Reiss, a biologist and its director of education, said it was self-defeating...

Six people wanted to have a presidential debate on scientific topics. They organized and got over 38,000 scientists, engineers, and other Americans' to sign off on the idea. These people submitted over 3,400 questions, and fourteen were then posed to both candidates. Senator Obama has now...

How would you summarize the fundamental difference between science and religion (and other forms of "woo"), using only a few concise sentences? Here is my own contribution: In religion, models are built in the mind. In science, models are built independently of anyone's minds. But, here is...

I work with kids who are public schooled, and almost all the high school students I work with say that they hate math and science. When I hear such global statements, I try to understand what the students mean. For example, I might ask someone, "Don't you just mean that you dislike a particular...

I somewhat recently had a brain MRI, and although there were no abnormalities, I'd like a copy of the scan, for educational and entertainment purposes (how cool is it to show my brain to other people?). Is the clinic that scanned me required to send me a copy upon request? How large would such a...

http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54910/;jsessionid=639C8556078C2C552B4BAF3441E6AF7F Why and who is doing this?

Robert Krulwich for Radio Lab gives an outstanding commencement address to the 2008 graduating class of the California Institute of Technology. I personally found it very compelling. http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2008/07/29/tell-me-a-story/

Some of you know I have been an advocate for addressing the underlying causes of people's false beliefs and not to only address the false information they believe. Here is a brief comment from Shermer published in SciAm that adds to our knowledge base on the function of the brain that...

So I was perusing my daily list of tech and science blogs and find an entry that leads me to this article about the creation of synthetic DNA. Almost immediately in the blogs comment section the paranoia begins: Just wait till some of our favorite loons get word of this breakthrough...

As we all probably know, Louisiana recently passed an "academic freedom" law which would allow science teachers to "supplement" their curriculum with materials providing alternative views on biology (i.e. creationism). Of course, who was one of the major backers of said legislation? Our fine...

My entire family is going on one of the Space Adventures ZeroG flights next month, and given that we're a science-oriented bunch, the kids and I want to do some simple science experiments/demonstrations. The trick, of course, is that they have to be compact, not get in the way of the other...

Courtesy of badscience I see there is a report in the Times Higher Education supplement about the inaugural "Scientific research in homeopathy" [sic] conference at the University of Westminster. That would be the same place which promotes CAM as "science". The comments, both on the THE site...

US doctors kill skin cancer with cloned T-cells This is incredible! And I'm sure it is just a start. Designer immune system cells, drugs, or nanotechnology, take your pick. Soon we'll just be injecting the designer cures into people and away they will go to destroy the targeted disease cells...

One of the things that strikes me about the society we live in, even in this age of synthetics, is how many things are made out of metal. I recall one writer who marveled on the stupendous number of inventions that require springs, and how fortunate it is, therefore, that springs are some of...

I always assumed flying fish just jumped out of the water in big leaps. Well these fish are flying, literally, they are not jumping. They were timed over 45 seconds out of the water in a single event. io3u7diLCfU Maybe they are technically still gliding since one cannot see them bat their...

I haven't posted in a while as I try to make each one count. I hope everyone will enjoy this. Some may remember that I have been having an ongoing debate/exchange with my Christian fundamentalist brother over evolution, intelligent design and god. When I feel I have something worth posting from...

I did a quick look to see if this was posted, and I did not see it yet. Forgive me if it has. It is an essay from NPR. I Am Evolution by Holly Dunsworth

A recent publication reports on an experiment questioning five decades of belief that auroral light is not polarised, as reported by Physics World and Astronomy magazine. It's a fascinating scientific development (to me, anyway :)), which I love as it shows science in action; an established...

"Proving Einstien wrong" - or: "alternative" ideas and observation Hi, this is more of a "hypothetical" problem i've encountered. The question is: with the amount of knowledge about the world available today, can anyone seriously still make a claim of having "disproved" general relativity, or...

Considering how the majority of the threads are on 9/11, I decided to look for something more obscure and less evil but more crazy. I present Inside-Out Hollow Earthers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyJ00BxBpIs

http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2275308,00.html As usual Winston still doesn't get it, does he? -

As a scientist, I used to think crystal energy therapy was hokum. Not any more! As a scientist, I was always sceptical of alternative therapies. You see, I am used to thinking in terms of trials and all manner of sciency things, which are not commonly found in the alternative medical sphere...