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What We're Talking About Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Sunny Life and Death

Day and night, the sun is something most of us take for granted. But on Respectful Insolence, disciples stare at it intently in order to gain its energy. Orac writes "sun gazers seem to think that mammals are like plants in possessing an ability to absorb energy directly from the sun"—and diehard gurus claim to have lived for years without food or water. Earnest practitioners risk blindness, dehydration, starvation and death. Orac says "Sun gazing also leaves out the fact that plants get the organic building blocks they use to produce their actual structures from the ground in which they grow. Humans have no such capacity." As the sun grows to a red giant it will boil our oceans and strip off the atmosphere; later it "will die in a fiery, catastrophic explosion, one which will quite possibly obliterate our entire planet, and then eventually cease to shine at all." But as Ethan Siegel reveals on Starts With a Bang, there's a silver lining to that future planetary nebula. He says "everything that makes up you, me, and the entire planet—the tiniest parts of everything we've ever known—they were all made inside a star." Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and solar system to solar system.

"Eat the Sun": Sun-worshiping fantasy versus reality

Respectful InsolenceApril 27, 2012

"The result was not what I would exactly call supportive of her claims. After 48 hours, she developed signs of acute dehydration, which Jasmuheen claimed to be the result of "polluted air." So the producers moved her to a nice, clean, mountainside retreat well away from the city, where the air was clean. It didn't help. As the test went on, Jasmuheen showed more and more signs of dangerous levels of dehydration, although she kept telling producers she "felt fine." Ultimately, the doctor charged with supervising Jasmuheen urged the producers to stop the test because he was concerned about kidney failure due to dehydration and warned that the experiment could prove fatal."

So, you've learned that the Sun is going to explode...

Starts With a Bang!April 20, 2012

"Being faced with not only our own mortality, but the demise of literally everything we've ever encountered throughout the entire history of our world is a philosophical and existential challenge for even well-adjusted adults. [...]

"So yes, the Sun will blow up, someday, but when it does, that's the greatest gift any star can ever hope to give to the Universe. After all, it took billions of stars giving that gift already in order to make you. And you know what?

"It was worth it."

Video

Jill and Cinnamon demonstrate goat milking 101 on Casaubon's Book.

Video

Divers get nose to nose with a sperm whale on Pharyngula.

Video

Many of the moon's craters were formed 4 billion years ago on Greg Laden's Blog.
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In Conversation

“Unlike the nearby 1909 new church of Maglarp, Örja isn't being torn down, possibly because of its greater age and venerability. It has been sold for 1 krona to a family who intends to make it their home.”

Church of Sweden Church Sold As Housing

Aardvarchaeology

Channel Surfing

Life Science

Pharyngula

Near-death, rehashed

The story so far: Mario Beauregard published a very silly article in Salon, claiming that Near-Death Experiences...

Pharyngula

Friday Cephalopod: Onward! Upward!

(via Oceanwide Images) (Also on FtB)...

Pharyngula

Another creationist list of lies

It's always amusing to see creationists try to explain why Charles Darwin was wrong, especially when they...

The Life Science Channel RSS Feed

Physical Science

Uncertain Principles

Outland It's Not: Billionaires Plan Asteroid Mining

I'm about a week late talking about this, but I've mostly resigned myself to not doing really topical...

A Few Things Ill Considered

Another Week of GW News, April 29, 2012

Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H....

Starts With A Bang

Weekend Diversion: Discover the Night Sky for Yourself!

"They will see us waving from such great heights 'Come down now,' they'll say. But everything looks perfect...

The Physical Science Channel RSS Feed

Environment

Confessions of a Science Librarian

The Canadian War on Science: Environmental rules should be better, not easier

David Suzuki is a icon for the Canadian environmental movement. He's like our Al Gore and Rachel Carson...

Tomorrow's Table

Study points to role for both organic and conventional agriculture in sustainable food production

The study points to the need to drop the ideologically charged "organic vs. conventional" debate and instead focus on what matters: the need to reduce the use of the most toxic insecticides, produce food more efficiently using less land and water and to enhance food security in the poorest regions of the world.

Greg Laden's Blog

Criminal Charges Filed in BP Oil Spill (UPDATED)

Yes, it was a crime; it was a crime against nature and against the law of the land,...

The Environment Channel RSS Feed

Humanities & Soc. Sciences

Greg Laden's Blog

I reject your reality and I substitute my own

I don't know if this phrase ... ... originally from Adam Savage or if he's quoting someone. I...

EvolutionBlog

Maybe My Next Book Should Be About Atheist Gatherings

As you have probably guessed from the blog drought around here, it's the end of the semester. That...

Aardvarchaeology

Church of Sweden Church Sold As Housing

In England and other countries, churches have long been deconsecrated and used as shops and for housing....

The Social Sciences Channel RSS Feed

Education

Uncertain Principles

Bad Reporting About Women in STEM

This is apparently my day to be annoyed at the reporting of pieces about gender differences in STEM,...

USA Science and Engineering Festival: The Blog

Tomorrow: Join us for the Woodstock of Science!

The excitement is filling the air at Sneak Peek Friday today as we are gearing up for an amazing weekend! The Festival takes place Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 10-4 at the Walter E Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Please visit our "Plan Your Day" section on our website for important information regarding attending this FREE event. Those attending the Festival will be in for quite a treat with over 3,000 hands-on science and engineering activities and over 150 stage shows!

Greg Laden's Blog

Santa Clause vs Alan Alda -- Religion vs Evolution

There are limits to what you can safely show students in High School, but are they appropriate?

The Education Channel RSS Feed

Politics

Greg Laden's Blog

Are bills regulating fireworks there to protect stupid people from themselves?

Yes. But don't assume you know a stupid person when you see one. Our governor just vetoed a...

erv

Senator Susan Collins (R) plays political games with pandemic preparedness... and your life

Collins is all for pandemic preparedness for political reasons, except when she is against it for political reasons.

erv

Americans United for Separation of Church & State OKC: Spring Dialogue Event

If you are in/around the OKC area, you arent going to want to miss the FREE event the...

The Politics Channel RSS Feed

Medicine & Health

Respectful Insolence

Preclinical research has a problem, but that doesn't mean religion is better

Remember Vox Day? Sure, I bet you do, at least if you've been a regular reader of this...

Greg Laden's Blog

Happy Anniversary ACT UP

Technically, it was a few days ago, but I missed it. Here's Rachel Maddow's coverage: Visit msnbc.com for...

Respectful Insolence

"Eat the Sun": Sun-worshiping fantasy versus reality

Almost exactly a year ago, I came across a bit of woo so incredible, so spectacularly stupid and...

The Medicine & Health Channel RSS Feed

Brain & Behavior

Greg Laden's Blog

A very good documentary about human brains and brain evolution

EvolutionBlog

Some Very Cool Card Magic

I recently attended the Gathering for Gardner conference in Atlanta, held every two years to honor Martin Gardner....

Respectful Insolence

Looking for Jesus in all the wrong places

I have a soft spot for pareidolia, as regular readers know. It amuses me to no end to...

The Brain & Behavior Channel RSS Feed

Technology

Greg Laden's Blog

Remember that animation of an inflatable flying windmill?

Here's the real thing:...

Confessions of a Science Librarian

Friday Fun: How much of a Klouchebag are you?

Klout is kind of evil. Basically, it's the impact factor for the Web, where this random company uses...

Greg Laden's Blog

Helium-filled, high-altitude wind turbine prototype unveiled

An American company, Altaeros Energies, recently launched a prototype helium-shelled wind turbine that can be used at high...

The Technology Channel RSS Feed

Information Science

Confessions of a Science Librarian

Around the Web: DRM is a toothless boogeyman, Shaking up the lecture, Copyright in Canada and more

Why DRM is a Toothless Boogeyman, Ebooks are like Video Games, and Amazon is the Winner Shaking Up...

Confessions of a Science Librarian

Around the Web: Even Harvard can't afford everything, The importance of physical campuses, DRM strategy and more

Harvard Faculty Advisory Council Memorandum on Journal Pricing: Major Periodical Subscriptions Cannot Be Sustained "No, we can't" A...

Confessions of a Science Librarian

Open Data & The Panton Principles: Thoughts on a presentation to librarians

As I mentioned last week, on Tuesday, April 17 I was part of a workshop on Creative Commons...

The Information Science Channel RSS Feed

Jobs

Confessions of a Science Librarian

Reading Diary: Marketing for Scientists by Marc J. Kuchner

It's probably best to start with what Marc J. Kuchner's new book -- Marketing for Scientists: How to...

Greg Laden's Blog

Open Position: Climate Wiki Intern

A small non-profit concerned with climate change is seking a "Climate Wiki Intern" which sounds very interesting. Knowing...

Dean's Corner

Liberate your Shoelaces, Flexagons!

Ads of the World. Can business cards evoke creativity, spark interest? Standard business cards seem outdated, dull,...

The Jobs Channel RSS Feed
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