Me, but Italian

I was interviewed a week ago by an Italian Master’s student in science communication, Chiara Ceci. We had a great conversation, and she turned it into a podcast. It’s kind of weird to hear myself translated. If you are interested in hearing what I had to say, or in brushing up on your Italian you can take a listen here.

Making Science Political

I know many people out there like their science and politics to mix about as much as a red sock in a load of white laundry. However, the two are inextricably linked no matter how furious the protestations.

This is one of the reasons that I have made The Weird From Washington with Dr. Michael Stebbins a regular part of the TWIS line-up. Politicians are making decisions about our lives that should be informed by science, yet science remains the red-headed stepchild of the United States government. Science is ignored. It is attacked. It is misused and mistreated.

There is a light in the woods, and we will see how bright it can burn over the next year as scientists and bloggers band together to force science into the Presidential debate. Will independent media be able to put science and the environment on big media’s plate? Will it become an issue outside of the halls of academia?

Support the ScienceDebate2008.

TWISmas

I am a huge fan of the holiday season. Not for christmas persay, but for the general spirit of the season. I just got my very first very own xmas tree ever. I decorated it this evening with lights borrowed from friends, stuffed animals, mini disco balls, a hand-puppet, and my keychain collection.

Enjoy!

Yummy Chocolate

I just finished shooting an episode of Food Science that’s all about chocolate. It should be coming out in a month or so… whenever all the post-production is finished. But, in my recent infatuation with the dark and tasty treat, I came across this website about chocolate from the American Chemical Society. It is… ahem… choc full of great information.

Pretty Picture

I love Hubble…

Science in America

The October issue of Discover magazine had a series of articles about the state of science education in America written by various well-known scientists and experts in the educational system (a great read if you haven’t seen it yet). This month, I turned to the letters to the editor section of the magazine to find the responses from the magazine’s readership. Most were pretty much what I expected, “Thank you for publishing…”, ” No wonder we are losing the lead…”. Then I came to a letter in which the writer expressed dismay at a comment written by Lisa Randall. The letter, I believe, strikes at the heart of the disconnect that is felt between scientists and a good proportion of the American public.

Here is Lisa Randall’s “disturbing” statement:

“It is incredible that in this advanced nation we let beliefs impede scientific research.” Continue reading »

Thanks For Science

I am incredibly thankful for science. I thank science for allowing me to see the world with objectivity. I thank science for allowing me to see the world as it is, an amazing, awe-inspiring place. I thank science for giving me tools with which to learn more about my world. I thank science for never sitting still, but always striving for more. I thank science for challenging the status-quo. I thank science for teaching me that it is ok to subvert the dominant paradigm when knowledge necessitates a change. I thank science for the technology I use and the medicine I take. I thank science for the food that I eat and the buildings in which I live. I thank science for pushing humanity’s limits. I thank science for verifying and falsifying human beliefs. I thank science for making life easier and yet more complex all at the same time. I thank science for the information that will help me make an educated decision. I thank science for finding cures. I thank science for never saying that it is 100% certain. I thank science for always asking questions.

Do you have a reason for being thankful for science?

Something I never expected

So, searching for a story for TWIS, I entered “Scientists Trap a Rainbow” into Google’s search field, and this is what came back:

Incredulity

Oh, dear. Dr. Watson has gone and done it again. Now, he’s known for being quite the contrarian and for making controversial statements that get people up in arms. When I interviewed Dr. Watson on TWIS a couple of weeks ago there was no hint of his opinions on race.

Anyhoo, he’s stirred himself up one bee’s nest of trouble by insinuating that people of African descent are less intelligent than anyone else. He bases this idea on the hypothesis that there should be differences between peoples evolving in disparate locations.

“There is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically.”

Sure, ok. I can accept that statement. But, not this one:

“”all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours… people who have to deal with black employees find this not true”.

He’s probably basing the comment on the idea that because whites and blacks evolved in different places with different cognitive demands they probably don’t have the same intelligence. Each might have specific cognitive strengths or weaknesses. But, the way he phrased the second bit just comes across as discriminatory. It sounds as if he means different is lesser. Any intelligent person should realize that A+B does not = C in this case.

Continue reading »

King Kong Blues

So, I’m not really watching King Kong. I saw the original a long time ago, but I’ve never seen the Peter Jackson remake. Marshall is in the living room watching Mr. Jackson’s amazing movie, and I find myself unable to even listen to the thing. I’m sure the movie is amazing, but to me the story is just too sad to bring into my life. Yet, here I am writing about it (first entry in ages actually).

The story of King Kong is one of misunderstanding, greed, and the terrible acts of which humans are capable. Throughout the past couple of hours I have found myself tense and almost sick to my stomach from thinking about the inevitable end of the film. That big ape should have been left alone, just as scores of indigenous peoples throughout history should have been left alone. I know that’s probably a bit of a stretch, but I can’t help but be reminded of so many terrible human acts that could have been averted if people weren’t so consistently greedy.

So, when I cry at the end of King Kong, it’s not just for Kong. It’s for much, much more, and that’s why I just can’t bring myself to watch it. I know, I probably shouldn’t be so sensitive. 😛