Eye-candy du jour, for the inner science geek. This is the extraordinary place where we all live – the Universe. The picture is the first full-sky image from Europe’s Planck telescope which was sent into space last year to survey the “oldest light” in the cosmos. It took the 600m-euro observatory just over six months [...]
From the BBC: The British Chiropractic Association has dropped its libel action against the science writer Simon Singh. Dr Singh was being sued by the organisation because of comments he had made about the effectiveness of chiropractic in the Guardian in 2008. The case itself had sparked an intense debate about the role of libel [...]
… Or, should I say, Richard Dawkins. Apparently, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are consulting their lawyers to see whether the Pope can be charged when he visits Britain in September. Mr Dawkins and Mr Hitchens believe the Pope should face charges for the alleged cover-up of sex abuse in the Catholic Church, The Guardian reports. [...]
By skepticlawyer
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Also posted in England, Law, Religion, Skeptics
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Tagged atheism, Catholic Church, Charles Darwin, Christopher Hitchens, epistemology, homosexuality, is-ought problem, moral claims, morality, paedophilia, richard dawkins, sexual abuse, the Low Anthem, The Pope
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Elsewhere, I’ve pointed out that good lawyers are perfectly capable of ‘doing’ science, or history, or [insert non-legal academic discipline here]. That we can do it, however, doesn’t mean we ought to do it (see what I did there?). That this may be the developing common sense of the profession is evidenced in part by yesterday’s [...]
February 27, 2010 – 2:37 pm
I think I’ve said before that I was raised by scientists. When possible, I try to explain things scientifically to my children. Obviously there’s a limit to their understanding at this point, but when they were scared of thunder and lightning recently, I told my daughter it wasn’t monsters (as she feared) but electricity in [...]
By Legal Eagle
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Also posted in Children, Education, Religion, Skeptics, Society
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Tagged Australian education, creationism, faith, indigenous issues, Karl Popper, Religion, Science, science education
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February 14, 2010 – 3:14 am
Sir John Houghton, who played a critical role in establishing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), was roundly condemned after it emerged that he was an apparent advocate of scary propaganda to frighten the public into believing the dangers of global warming. “Unless we announce disasters, no one will listen,” Sir John was supposed [...]
By DeusExMacintosh
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Also posted in Environment, Funnies, Media, Politics, Skeptics, Technology
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Tagged bennie peiser, christopher booker, christopher monckton, climate change, global warming, john houghton, piers ackerman, roger helmer
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January 8, 2010 – 4:48 am
Photo: NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response From the BBC News website.
January 5, 2010 – 6:16 am
Well, finally managed to drag myself off to see James Cameron’s Avatar, which — it’s fair to say — divides people. In the red corner (US political colour configuration), we have Miranda Devine irritated at untoward greeniness, while in the blue corner we have this selection of links over at Hoyden About Town. Other (slightly) [...]
December 17, 2009 – 2:31 am
An octopus and its coconut-carrying antics have surprised scientists. Underwater footage reveals that the creatures scoop up halved coconut shells before scampering away with them so they can later use them as shelters. Writing in the journal Current Biology, the team says it is the first example of tool use in octopuses. One of the [...]
December 11, 2009 – 11:19 pm
Via Dave Bath comes this u-beaut collection of science stunts, all of which look magical but aren’t really. Some of them, I suspect, require rather more practice than the presenter admits, but even allowing for that, a great deal of fun can no doubt be had.
