Category Archives: Science
Oldest known dinosaur nesting site discovered in South Africa
A fantastic discovery has been made in early Jurassic strata at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa. The area has previously revealed many excellent fossils, including skeletons of prosauropod (early dinosaurs preceding Sauropods, and often bipedal) Massospondylus. In 1976, a block of siltstone was found to contain a partial egg clutch of this species with in ovo embryonic remains. A study led by Prof. Robert Reisz (University of Toronto), began in 2006 to investigate the site further and has uncovered a nesting site with several complete nests and fascinating evidence of complex reproductive behaviours. The nesting site is approximately 190 million years old, making it the oldest vertebrate nesting site of its kind, and 100 million years older than the previously oldest known nesting site with in ovo embryonic fossils. Read the rest of this entry
Science Showoff (24/1/12)
Update: Thanks to everyone who came along. I had a wonderful night and thoroughly enjoyed the other performances. Feel free to tweet or FB message me if you want a copy of the slides from the presentation.
Londoners! The date for this month’s Science Showoff has been changed and it just so happens I’ll be in the area on the day (21/1/12). If you want to see me stand on a stage and link taxonomy, Darth Vadar, a rigid penis, and Boris Becker, then come along! It’s at the Wilmington Arms, from 1930 until 2200. Don’t worry, I’ll only be on for a little while.
More info can be found on the Science Showoff website.
Beautiful Mars in HD
Also, the blog is now 2 years old. Huzzah. I’ve been taking an enforced break from blogging, but this place will be active again from February onwards.
Spirit’s Photo Diary
As part of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, NASA sent two rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) to Mars. They landed in January 2004. The following video shows some of the most memorable snapshots taken by Spirit. The mission was designed to last 92 days. Spirit continued to function for 2269 days. A ridiculously successful mission, and a fantastic short video. I am shocked it still has less than 14000 views.
Video by JPL, California Institute of Technology.
Scientific classification: What’s in a name?
Throughout modern history, scientists have had to create countless names for the litany of natural phenomena discovered. Naming systems have been required for galaxies, planets, rocks, molecules, plants, diseases, and some scientists have built careers around classifications and naming what we observe around us. Classification plays an important role in science, allowing us to keep track of what is known, and organize this knowledge in such a way that makes sense. As vital as classification and naming systems are for scientific knowledge, they are also hated by school children throughout the world. When asking people (especially children) what they dislike about science, the response I often receive is; “having to remember all the boring names”. But are they all boring?
Can brain-parasites influence human culture on a global level?
From now on I’ll be keeping a track of guest blog entries and podcast appearances here on this blog. So here’s a link to my most recent article, hosted over at the brilliant Birmingham Skeptics blog.
Can brain-parasites influence human culture on a global level?
Is Nessie warm-blooded?
Research into ancient marine reptiles always interests me, so I thought I’d write a quick entry on something I read a couple of days ago. A new paper in Science suggests that prehistoric marine reptiles may be have been warm-blooded homeotherms. It should be easier to find Nessie then… Switch on those thermal cameras! The question of whether or not ancient marine reptiles were homeothermic isn’t new, but more and more recent studies and reports are adding to our knowledge of these magnificent animals and their evolution.
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Preach The Controversy
Not a lot happens in my little hometown with a population of approximately 7000. It has all you would expect from a little holiday town, including tourists, broken bottles of Buckfast everywhere, and more pubs than shops. It also has a few churches, endlessly advertising the preachers visiting and the talks they will be hosting. Usually these are ordinary run-of-the-mill preachers promising salvation and lessons in cherry-picking. I’m not sure why, but over the last 6 months the churches here have gone creationism crazy. Every week, the local newspaper is advertising the latest lecture, usually accompanied by an image of a dinosaur and a phrase in bold such as “Darwin’s Illusion” or “What the scientists don’t want you to know”. For the first time in… ever… I felt it was my duty to go to church.
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Game: Name that awesome scientist!
Last month I challenged my readers to identify an awesome scientist from just a photograph. The scientist was a hero of mine, Sir Cyril Astley Clarke. Nobody was able to guess who it was though, despite some brilliantly imaginative attempts at answering. Maybe it will be easier this time. Without further ado, here is the next awesome scientist!
Jogged your memory? If you've never seen him before, you better get searching!
Bobby McFerrin hacks your brain with the pentatonic scale
Months later and I still love this video just as much.
Name That Awesome Scientist: Sir Cyril Astley Clarke!
Last week I challenged people to identify the individual in this image:
Obviously not a memorable face then!
I got various answers on Twitter and Facebook, and even caught someone fishing for answers on a forum (very naughty, I’m watching you). I got some fantastic answers sent in. Some were very intelligent guesses, others were just hilarious. Some people suggested respected scientists such as Ernst Mary and Karl Landsteiner, while others went with musicians and film stars. Personally, my favourite answer was “the dad from chitty chitty bang bang”. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the correct answer. Read the rest of this entry
Peter Harrison
