The threat of a gas shortage has loomed large in the headlines this week. Whilst the threat seems limited to heavy industrial users, the cold-snap, talk of a cold winter (and
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Category Archives: Science
One side can be wrong
September 1, 2005 – 6:59 pm
There is a very heated debate going on in America at the moment, as to whether or not “Intelligent Design”, aka Creationism, should be taught “alongside” evolution. The argument, so it goes, is that a balance should be given in teaching children an alternative. The Guardian has a comment piece from Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne, [...]
Ignorance
August 23, 2005 – 10:30 am
“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge” - A fabulous quote from Charles Darwin (also here), and also a chance to shamelessly link to a friends website and painting featuring the same quote.
E=mc2
August 19, 2005 – 11:30 am
Last night we watched E=mc2, which was broadcast to mark the 100th anniversary of the publication of the perhaps the single most important - certainly the most well known - equation. The dramatised story, whilst a bit enthusiastic in the wardrobe department in places, was fascinating none the less. It certainly did a superb job [...]
Creationism: God’s gift to the ignorant
June 30, 2005 – 3:21 pm
I’ve just come across a typically thought provoking article by Richard Dawkins, Creationism: God’s gift to the ignorant. In it he elegantly talks about how Scientists relish understanding mysteries, rather than the Creationist delight in exulting in them, and striving to keep them mysterious. The default “you cannot explain X therefore it must have been created [...]
15 answers to creationist nonsense
May 22, 2005 – 6:46 pm
Scientific American has an article refuting the 15 most common creationist arguments opposing evolution, which makes for interesting reading particularly in light of the news that a museum is opening putting the creationist view on our coming into existence (via boingboing) I’ve been following the debate in the United States over evolution from a distance, but [...]
The beauty of rainbows
May 20, 2005 – 1:03 pm
I’m currently reading Richard Dawkins’ “Unweaving the Rainbow“, and was quite beguiled by his excellent explanation of the information that can be extracted from light. There is much information packed into the light we see from distant stars, and a lot of beauty associated with light waves. His central thesis in the book is that Keats [...]
Men’s health
May 12, 2005 – 11:18 am
Radio 4 often continues to play on my radio long after I’m up, and sometimes I hear parts of programmes I wouldn’t otherwise listen to. This morning the first article on Woman’s Hour was the issue of men’s health. Men are much less likely to go and visit a doctor than women, and have a [...]
The Selfish Gene; The Blind Watchmaker
April 9, 2005 – 3:30 pm
It’s very rare that in reading a book, your views on life can be changed quite so profoundly. These two books, however, have managed to do just that in a quite surprising, entertaining and altogether unexpected fashion. I’d heard talk of “
