Category: Science
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The Eerie Silence
Given where I work, there really is no excuse for me not to go to more of the Royal Society’s public lectures. So back in January I attended an interesting sounding lecture entitled “The eerie silence: are we alone in the universe?” The room where they hold the lectures was absolutely packed, and I was…
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Science on Trial
If you’re quick, there’s still a chance to hear last week’s Radio 4 programme Science on Trial. With enormous topicality, it examined some of the very concerning legal cases that have been brought in British courts surrounding use of libel laws to restrict scientific debate, and effectively silence some of those who otherwise promote remedies…
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Naked = Ratings
When Horizon is good, it’s very good. But when it’s bad, it’s terrible. And tonight we had possibly the worst Horizon I’ve seen in quite a while. What’s The Problem With Nudity was as blatant an example of ratings grabbing as I’ve seen in a long time. Did nobody see that excellent recent Screen Wipe…
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Are You Detoxing?
Well don’t bother. Instead, just lead a healthy lifestyle (I know, I know: pot, kettle, black, etc.). The word “detox” really annoys me. It’s pretty meaningless in the sense that it’s most used. This morning, free newspaper Metro had a wraparound sponsored by Evian. They’re once again asking us to “Detox with Evian” which makes…
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Science on TV
Another old favourite. There’s good news that the BBC is going to produce a new popular science show for BBC1 provisionally titled “What? Where? Why?” to replace the late, and sometimes lamented, Tomorrow’s World. Science has been critically missing from our screens for too long now. We certainly get plenty of natural history, but that’s…
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It’s A Kind of Magic
There was an excellent long piece by Bad Science’s Ben Goldacre in yesterday’s Guardian about the perils of homeopathy. Not only is there no evidence that it works (mainly because it’s founded on nonsensical designs), but homeopathic practitioners have actually suggested using their remedies for such killer diseases as malaria and even AIDS. Don’t forget,…
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Tomorrow’s World/Science on TV
Vivienne Parry, one time Tomorrow’s World presenter, bemoans the state of science on television. And has anyone seen one of these Maggie Philbin pieces? See also here. And yes, I know that BBC Four is partway through an excellent Science You Can’t See season. [Update] The BBC – just to be clear – has insisted…
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Neon Saturn
In this false-color image, the Cassini spacecraft captures Saturn’s glow, represented in brilliant shades of electric blue, sapphire and mint green, while the planet’s shadow casts a wide net on the rings. The colors represent different wavelengths: red is thermal heat originating within the planet; in blue, icy ring particles shimmer in sunlight scattered through…
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No Idea
Read this. This is quite easily the single worst “scientific” article I can remember ever reading. I really simply don’t know where to begin. Why is it acceptable for journalists on a national newspaper to write about science when they clearly have no qualifications, background or plain and simple knowledge of the subject? In any…
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Lunar Eclipse
There was a lunar eclipse this evening. Indeed it’s still going on as I type this. I took a bit of a sequence of photos of it which you can see over on my Flickr stream, but here are one or two of the best. A lunar eclipse is caused when the Earth completely blocks…
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Weekend Trips with The Independent
Everyday The Independent shouts its environmental credentials, taking a sometimes very contrary view over what should be that day’s headlines. I think their shouty issue-led headlines actually wear the reader out over time and they should be used a bit more sparingly, but it’s fair enough that they bang their drum about what we’re doing…
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The Sky At Night
There’s much coverage about The Sky At Night celebrating it’s 650th edition yesterday (well, very early this morning actually) in the fiftieth year of its broadcast, and the fact that Sir Patrick Moore is annoyed that the programme went out at 1.55am without any fanfare. Well of course, even by Sky At Night standards, that’s…