03 MAR 2014 by ideonexus
Science and Democracy are Synergistic
The values of science and tha values of democracy are
concordant, in many cases indistinguishable. Science confers
power on anyone who takes the trouble to learn it. Science
thrives on the free exchange of ideas; its values are
antithetical to secrecy. Science holds to no special vantage
points or privileged positions. Both science and democracy
encourage unconventional opinions and vigorous debate. Both
demand adeguate reason, coherent argument, rigorous standards of
evidence and hones...
1 The two concepts support one another.
23 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Scientific VS Political Statements
When a scientist says something, his colleagues must ask themselves only whether it is true. When a politician says something, his colleagues must first of all ask, 'Why does he say it?' 1 
notes
notesVeracity VS Intention.
13 APR 2012 by ideonexus
The Geological Strata Could Not have been Put Down At the...
Surely, somewhere, at least one courageous trilobite would have paddled on valiantly (as its colleagues succumbed) and won a place in the upper strata. Surely, on some primordial beach, a man would have suffered a heart attack and been washed into the lower strata before intelligence had a chance to plot a temporary escape.... No trilobite lies in the upper strata because they all perished 225 million years ago. No man keeps lithified company with a dinosaur, because we were still 60 million ...Folksonomies: faunal succession
Folksonomies: faunal succession
1 notes
notesOtherwise we would, somewhere, find a trilobite in an upper strata or a human with the dinosaurs.
28 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
The Birth of Immunology
I like to think that when Medawar and his colleagues showed that immunological tolerance could be produced experimentally the new immunology was born. This is a science which to me has far greater potentialities both for practical use in medicine and for the better understanding of living process than the classical immunochemistry which it is incorporating and superseding.Folksonomies: immunology
Folksonomies: immunology
1 notes
notesBurnet mentions the importance of producing immunological tolerance experimentally.
20 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Evolution Predicts the Flowering of Mustard Plants
Here’s another prediction: under prolonged drought, natural selection
will lead to the evolution of plants that flower earlier than their ancestors. This is because, during a drought, soils dry out quickly after the rains. If
you’re a plant that doesn’t flower and produce seeds quickly in a drought,
you leave no descendants. Under normal weather conditions, on the
other hand, it pays to delay flowering so that you can grow larger and
produce even more seeds.
This prediction was tested ...Folksonomies: evolution predictions
Folksonomies: evolution predictions
1 notes
notesScientists predict how a drought will affect the flowering time of plants in California, and it comes true.
20 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Speciesization in a Test Tube
We can even see the origin of new, ecologically diverse bacterial
species, all within a single laboratory flask. Paul Rainey and his colleagues
at Oxford University placed a strain of the bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens
in a small vessel containing nutrient broth, and simply watched
it. (It’s surprising but true that such a vessel actually contains diverse
environments. Oxygen concentration, for example, is highest on the
top and lowest on the bottom.) Within ten days—no more than a few
...Folksonomies: evolution experiment
Folksonomies: evolution experiment
1 notes
notesBacteria evolve into different species in order to adapt to the different environments at the bottom and top of a test tube.
28 AUG 2011 by ideonexus
Religion Influences Responses to Epidemics
The Christian tradition, set by the example of Jesus as a healer, stands out, Hughes says. Helping the sick was one way to ensure a trip to Heaven, so risking death from a disease's spread was encouraged. Other religions did not promote such extreme altruism. Islamic teachings basically disavowed the existence of contagious disease, despite some Arabic scholars thinking otherwise at the time. Thus Muslims believed there was no sense in trying to avoid sick people, and the emphasis was on cari... 1 notes
notesA person's religion may prompt them to overcome their survival imperative and assist the contagiously ill, while people moving into cities are drawn into religion for the support group it provides.
10 AUG 2011 by ideonexus
Pride Turns Off a Scientific Audience
Pauling's talk was made with his usual dramatic flair. The words came out as if he had been in show business all his life. A curtain kept his model hidden until near the end of his lecture, when he proudly unveiled his latest creation. Then, with his eyes twinkling, Linus explained the specific characteristics that made his model the α-helix uniquely beautiful. This show, like all of his dazzling performances, delighted the younger students in attendance. There was no one like Linus in all t... 1 notes
notesWatson describes Pauling's lecture and his showmanship, which quietly infuriates his audience.
27 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
The Paleo Diet
An old movie called Quest for Fire opens with our ancestors seated by a fire, munching on a variety of foods. Large insects buzz about the flames. All of a sudden, one of our relatives shoots out his arm, clumsily grabbing an insect out of thin air. He stuffs it into his mouth, munches heartily, and continues staring into the fire. His colleagues dig around the soil for tuberous vegetables and scrounge for fruit in nearby trees later in the movie. Welcome to the world of Pleistocene haut... 1 notes
notesLook to our ancestors for best practices for diet.
02 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Allegra Goodman's Hippocratic Oath for Scientists
I promise never to allow financial gain, competitiveness or ambition cloud my judgment in the conduct of ethical research and scholarship. I will pursue knowledge and create knowledge for the greater good, but never to the detriment of colleagues, supervisors, research subjects or the international community of scholars of which I am now a member.Focuses on clear judgement and working toward the greater good.
