http://blogs.scientificamerican.com Scientific American Blog Network combines a community of science bloggers and staff-authored blogs to provide authoritative information and insights about science and technology, and their roles in global affairs. With a great diversity in tone and topics, contributing bloggers range from graduate students, who are launching their careers, to veteran science writers. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:57:47 en http://www.scientificamerican.com/favicon.ico http://blogs.scientificamerican.com Illusion Chasers Susana Martinez-Conde http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/19/u-cant-parse-this/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/19/u-cant-parse-this/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:57:47 Susana Martinez-Conde Our visual system insists in grouping adjacent body parts by color (and congruent motion)]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/19/u-cant-parse-this/feed/ 0 The Network Central Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/19/sciamblogs-wednesday-geography-of-language-to-choke-a-whale-white-dik-dik-resilience-recycling-and-more/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/19/sciamblogs-wednesday-geography-of-language-to-choke-a-whale-white-dik-dik-resilience-recycling-and-more/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:38:13 Bora Zivkovic Watch the new Video of the Week! - Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters – What’s So Hard About Research?   - Krystal D’Costa – Can Geography Shape the Way We Speak?   - Kyle Hill – Costanza and the Whale: Could You Make a Blowhole in One?   - Ingrid Wickelgren – How to Become [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/19/sciamblogs-wednesday-geography-of-language-to-choke-a-whale-white-dik-dik-resilience-recycling-and-more/feed/ 0 Observations John Matson http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/19/explore-mars-for-yourself-with-this-billion-pixel-image-from-the-curiosity-rover/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/19/explore-mars-for-yourself-with-this-billion-pixel-image-from-the-curiosity-rover/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:34:14 John Matson During Barack Obama’s first inauguration as president in 2009, photographer David Bergman snapped hundreds of photos to build a stunning mosaic of the event, comprising more than one billion pixels in total. Users of the clickable, zoomable Gigapan platform (where the inauguration mosaic has attracted more than 15 million views) dove into the image to [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/19/explore-mars-for-yourself-with-this-billion-pixel-image-from-the-curiosity-rover/feed/ 1 Context and Variation Kate Clancy http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/context-and-variation/2013/06/19/canopy-meg-fancy-title-but-does-she-still-have-authority/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/context-and-variation/2013/06/19/canopy-meg-fancy-title-but-does-she-still-have-authority/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:05:33 Kate Clancy http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/context-and-variation/2013/06/19/canopy-meg-fancy-title-but-does-she-still-have-authority/feed/ 8 Extinction Countdown John R. Platt http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/19/weird-frog-darwin-extinct/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/19/weird-frog-darwin-extinct/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:38:22 John R. Platt It looks like we’ve lost another one. The weird and unusual Chile Darwin’s frog (Rhinoderma rufum), whose tadpoles grew inside the vocal sacs of adult males, appears to be extinct: a four-year quest failed to turn up any evidence that the species still exists. The frogs were last seen in 1980. As you might guess [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/19/weird-frog-darwin-extinct/feed/ 0 Plugged In David Wogan http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/19/a-look-at-the-rube-goldberg-contraptions-that-sort-our-recyclables/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/19/a-look-at-the-rube-goldberg-contraptions-that-sort-our-recyclables/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:24:14 David Wogan Chances are, what happens to your recycling once you set it out by the curb is a mystery. Maybe once a week, or like in Austin, every two weeks, the good people from the City swing by in large trucks and take away 96 gallons worth of cardboard, glass, and plastic. I feel good about [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/19/a-look-at-the-rube-goldberg-contraptions-that-sort-our-recyclables/feed/ 0 The White Noise Cassie Rodenberg http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/white-noise/2013/06/19/addicts-as-parents-part-i-pregnant-now-what/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/white-noise/2013/06/19/addicts-as-parents-part-i-pregnant-now-what/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:01:22 Cassie Rodenberg This post is part of a collaborative narrative series composed of my writing and Chris Arnade’s photos exploring issues of addiction, poverty, prostitution and urban anthropology in Hunts Point, Bronx. For more on the series, look here. ————————- One of the many complexities woven into addiction is that of children. Because of the issue’s many [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/white-noise/2013/06/19/addicts-as-parents-part-i-pregnant-now-what/feed/ 1 The Urban Scientist DNLee http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/06/19/wordless-wednesday-long-last-look/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/06/19/wordless-wednesday-long-last-look/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:53:34 DNLee I’m departing for home today. (At the very moment I write this post I am in the airport awaiting boarding.  I spent mt last few days in Tanzania relaxing by the beach in Bagamoyo. I was up at dawn to drink in my last moments with Tanzania and the Indian Ocean. Ahh until miaka kesho!]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/06/19/wordless-wednesday-long-last-look/feed/ 0 @ScientificAmerican Rachel Scheer http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/2013/06/19/banana-peel-plastic-wastewater-fuel-cell-body-heat-flashlight-meet-the-science-in-action-finalists-part-i/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/2013/06/19/banana-peel-plastic-wastewater-fuel-cell-body-heat-flashlight-meet-the-science-in-action-finalists-part-i/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:30:08 Rachel Scheer http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/2013/06/19/banana-peel-plastic-wastewater-fuel-cell-body-heat-flashlight-meet-the-science-in-action-finalists-part-i/feed/ 0 Talking back Gary Stix http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/2013/06/19/motorolagoogles-tech-development-strategy-starts-to-emerge/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/2013/06/19/motorolagoogles-tech-development-strategy-starts-to-emerge/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:12:15 Gary Stix http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/2013/06/19/motorolagoogles-tech-development-strategy-starts-to-emerge/feed/ 0 The Scicurious Brain Scicurious http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/19/what-makes-naked-mole-rats-cancer-resistant/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/19/what-makes-naked-mole-rats-cancer-resistant/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:27:23 Scicurious http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/19/what-makes-naked-mole-rats-cancer-resistant/feed/ 0 Compound Eye Alex Wild http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/19/buzzfeeds-viral-sharing-prompts-a-necessary-stunt/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/19/buzzfeeds-viral-sharing-prompts-a-necessary-stunt/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:25:36 Alex Wild A photographer is suing Buzzfeed for $3.6 million. The infringement itself is so standard for Buzzfeed as to barely be worth reporting. Kai Eiselein’s photo of a soccer player was included, without his permission, in a Buzzfeed list. From there the image spread to several dozen other sites, as Buzzfeed’s business model is designed to [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/19/buzzfeeds-viral-sharing-prompts-a-necessary-stunt/feed/ 1 Expeditions Jim Haw http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/19/okinawa-and-the-u-s-military-post-1945/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/19/okinawa-and-the-u-s-military-post-1945/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:25:20 Jim Haw By Lane Johnston Okinawa has had a tumultuous history and a scattered identity throughout the twentieth century. As a Japanese territory before World War II, Okinawans did not ever fully adopted Japanese culture as their own. During WWII, Okinawa was a major location used in the U.S. military’s island-hopping towards mainland Japan. After the Battle [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/19/okinawa-and-the-u-s-military-post-1945/feed/ 5 Life, Unbounded Caleb A. Scharf http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2013/06/19/return-to-the-pale-blue-dot/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2013/06/19/return-to-the-pale-blue-dot/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:53:37 Caleb A. Scharf One of the most enduring and captivating images from our exploration of space in the late 20th century was Voyager 1′s mosaic of our own solar system – a family portrait from 3.7 billion miles away. Captured in these shots was a faint speck of bluish light, in one single pixel of Voyager’s digital camera, [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2013/06/19/return-to-the-pale-blue-dot/feed/ 0 Overthinking It Kyle Hill http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/19/costanza-and-the-whale-could-you-make-a-blowhole-in-one/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/19/costanza-and-the-whale-could-you-make-a-blowhole-in-one/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:22:20 Kyle Hill In between moonlighting as a fake architect and latex salesman, George Costanza was once a fake marine biologist. His story defines sitcom lore. Caught in another lie while walking the beach with a potential girlfriend, Costanza’s supposed expertise was tested by a crowd gathered around a beached whale. He reluctantly waded out to assist. Fifty feet [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/19/costanza-and-the-whale-could-you-make-a-blowhole-in-one/feed/ 0 Streams of Consciousness Ingrid Wickelgren http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/streams-of-consciousness/2013/06/19/how-to-become-more-resilient/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/streams-of-consciousness/2013/06/19/how-to-become-more-resilient/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:39:32 Ingrid Wickelgren I clearly remember the day in the ninth grade that a classmate accosted me in the hallway of my junior high to recruit me for the high school debate team. I thought he was crazy. My heart would beat frantically at the prospect of answering a question in class. I could not talk in front [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/streams-of-consciousness/2013/06/19/how-to-become-more-resilient/feed/ 2 Guest Blog Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/19/whats-so-hard-about-research/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/19/whats-so-hard-about-research/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:38:55 Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters We are told that the students that we teach are “digital natives.” This term implies that from the time they were born, technology has played such a large part in students’ lives that they know no other way. Also, it has been noted that digital natives have an aptitude for technology that is significantly different from the [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/19/whats-so-hard-about-research/feed/ 1 Brainwaves Ferris Jabr http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/2013/06/19/more-than-honey-a-new-documentary-offers-spectacular-close-ups-of-bees-mid-flight-and-perspective-on-the-worldwide-honey-bee-crisis/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/2013/06/19/more-than-honey-a-new-documentary-offers-spectacular-close-ups-of-bees-mid-flight-and-perspective-on-the-worldwide-honey-bee-crisis/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:30:29 Ferris Jabr http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/2013/06/19/more-than-honey-a-new-documentary-offers-spectacular-close-ups-of-bees-mid-flight-and-perspective-on-the-worldwide-honey-bee-crisis/feed/ 0 Video of the Week Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/video-of-the-week/2013/06/19/cosmography-of-the-local-universe/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/video-of-the-week/2013/06/19/cosmography-of-the-local-universe/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:00:51 Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/video-of-the-week/2013/06/19/cosmography-of-the-local-universe/feed/ 1 Expeditions Samuel Jones http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/19/bush-crow-diaries-the-african-night/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/19/bush-crow-diaries-the-african-night/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:30:42 Samuel Jones Finding colour-marked bush-crows and then racking up hours of observations is gruelling work under a full day of the African sun, particularly now that the ‘rainy’ season has subsided. The grasslands are drying quickly and the movements of natural life are evident in response to this seasonal change. The number of Burchells Zebra Equus quagga [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/19/bush-crow-diaries-the-african-night/feed/ 0 The SA Incubator Khalil A. Cassimally http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/19/introducing-sedeer-el-showk/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/19/introducing-sedeer-el-showk/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:17:16 Khalil A. Cassimally This is a series of Q&As with young and up-and-coming science, health and environmental writers and reporters. They have recently hatched in the Incubators (science writing programs at schools of journalism), have even more recently fledged (graduated), and are now making their mark as wonderful new voices explaining science to the public. Today we introduce [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/19/introducing-sedeer-el-showk/feed/ 0 Anthropology in Practice Krystal D'Costa http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/2013/06/19/can-geography-shape-the-way-we-speak/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/2013/06/19/can-geography-shape-the-way-we-speak/#respond Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:28:56 Krystal D'Costa There’s a pretty neat series of maps featured in Business Insider making the rounds on various social channels. They tell us about ourselves, showing how Americans speak differently from each other. My favorite is slide 17 because I have only ever owned sneakers and was absolutely confused when someone recently suggested that my concept of [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/2013/06/19/can-geography-shape-the-way-we-speak/feed/ 1 The Network Central Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/18/sciamblogs-tuesday-new-astronauts-glass-fossils-marine-protected-areas-emotional-intelligence-and-more/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/18/sciamblogs-tuesday-new-astronauts-glass-fossils-marine-protected-areas-emotional-intelligence-and-more/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:32:02 Bora Zivkovic - Jag Bhalla – Game Theory And The Golden Punishment Rule   - Scott Barry Kaufman – How Renaissance People Think   - John R. Platt – Philippines Cancels Planned Burn of Confiscated Elephant Tusks after Clean-Air Groups Object   - Alanna Waldman – Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Mexico – the Actam Chuleb [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/18/sciamblogs-tuesday-new-astronauts-glass-fossils-marine-protected-areas-emotional-intelligence-and-more/feed/ 0 The Thoughtful Animal Jason G. Goldman http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/2013/06/18/gathering-emotional-intelligence-my-review-of-animal-wise/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/2013/06/18/gathering-emotional-intelligence-my-review-of-animal-wise/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:32:17 Jason G. Goldman My review of Virginia Morell’s latest book Animal Wise is in this summer’s issue of Conservation Magazine, and is also now online. It was just after six o’clock in the evening on an autumn day in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve. A researcher watched a female elephant known as Eleanor collapse. She was a matriarch, an [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/2013/06/18/gathering-emotional-intelligence-my-review-of-animal-wise/feed/ 0 Guest Blog Jag Bhalla http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/18/game-theory-and-the-golden-punishment-rule/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/18/game-theory-and-the-golden-punishment-rule/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:58:44 Jag Bhalla Moral sciences are back. Natural laws of ethics, envisioned early in the Enlightenment, can now be studied. Scientists are relearning the wisdom of old traditions by objectively rating their performance. And they’re suggesting improvements: any rule system is weaker without “The Golden Punishment Rule.” Humans, being social, can’t live without rules. Certain rules work better. [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/18/game-theory-and-the-golden-punishment-rule/feed/ 3 Plugged In Melissa C. Lott http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/18/sinode-systems-wins-national-clean-energy-business-plan-competition/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/18/sinode-systems-wins-national-clean-energy-business-plan-competition/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:53:28 Melissa C. Lott This month, the U.S. Department of Energy crowned the 2013 winner of its Clean Energy Business Plan Competition. The top spot went to SiNode Systems from Northwestern University, with its advanced anode technology. Their business plan centers on their innovative in lithium battery Si-graphene composite anode technology, which uses a composite of silicon nano-particles and [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/18/sinode-systems-wins-national-clean-energy-business-plan-competition/feed/ 0 Observations Bryan Bumgardner http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/18/new-astronauts-face-limited-opportunities-for-spaceflight/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/18/new-astronauts-face-limited-opportunities-for-spaceflight/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:04:15 Bryan Bumgardner http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/18/new-astronauts-face-limited-opportunities-for-spaceflight/feed/ 2 PsiVid Joanne Manaster http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2013/06/18/decoding-annie-parker-a-movie-about-the-discovery-of-the-brca1-gene/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2013/06/18/decoding-annie-parker-a-movie-about-the-discovery-of-the-brca1-gene/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:17:55 Joanne Manaster I currently teach two online versions of a genomics course as a faculty lecturer at UIUC (one for undergraduates and one for certified teachers working on their Masters of Science Teaching Biology), and I love it when a topic I am teaching hits the news in a big way while the courses are in session. [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2013/06/18/decoding-annie-parker-a-movie-about-the-discovery-of-the-brca1-gene/feed/ 0 Beautiful Minds Scott Barry Kaufman http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2013/06/18/how-renaissance-people-think/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2013/06/18/how-renaissance-people-think/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:12:53 Scott Barry Kaufman Do you think like a polymath? Here’s a quick test: Are you more of a rational or intuitive thinker? If you cringed as you read the question and thought to yourself “I love constantly shifting between both modes of thought,” then you’re on the polymath path. According to psychologist Seymour Epstein’s cognitive-experiential self-theory, humans have [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2013/06/18/how-renaissance-people-think/feed/ 1 Symbiartic Glendon Mellow http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/06/18/amanda-heath-icthyosaur/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/06/18/amanda-heath-icthyosaur/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:00:42 Glendon Mellow When Mary Anning discovered the first fossil ichthyosaur skeleton along the Blue Lias cliffs of Dorset, could she have dreamed something like this? Amanda Heath is an art teacher and sculptor working in the mixed media of copper, glass and wood, and inspired by the Jurassic coast of Dorset.  Here are a few more pictures [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/06/18/amanda-heath-icthyosaur/feed/ 0 Extinction Countdown John R. Platt http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/18/philippines-elephant-tusks/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/18/philippines-elephant-tusks/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:30:11 John R. Platt This Philippine government this weekend cancelled plans to burn $10 million worth of seized elephant tusks after several clean-air groups cried foul. The Philippines isn’t the only country trying to destroy its ivory stockpiles. Gabon conducted a massive ivory burn last year—an act that  their government said sent a message to poachers in that country [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/18/philippines-elephant-tusks/feed/ 6 Expeditions David Ginsburg http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/18/investigating-the-effectiveness-of-marine-protected-areas-in-mexico-using-actam-chuleb-as-a-primary-example/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/18/investigating-the-effectiveness-of-marine-protected-areas-in-mexico-using-actam-chuleb-as-a-primary-example/#respond Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:40:53 David Ginsburg By Alanna Waldman As our world population continues to grow, it implies a higher demand for resources. Whether these resources are food, water, or land, the effect of this growth on our environment is often detrimental to biodiversity and the health of our natural ecosystems, especially our marine ecosystems. The ocean covers 71% of the [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/18/investigating-the-effectiveness-of-marine-protected-areas-in-mexico-using-actam-chuleb-as-a-primary-example/feed/ 0 Context and Variation Kate Clancy http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/context-and-variation/2013/06/17/why-has-canopy-meg-been-ousted/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/context-and-variation/2013/06/17/why-has-canopy-meg-been-ousted/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:48:22 Kate Clancy http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/context-and-variation/2013/06/17/why-has-canopy-meg-been-ousted/feed/ 3 The Network Central Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/17/sciamblogs-monday-health-insurance-elephant-shrews-bloomsday-night-noise-optogenetics-fathers-and-more/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/17/sciamblogs-monday-health-insurance-elephant-shrews-bloomsday-night-noise-optogenetics-fathers-and-more/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:56:28 Bora Zivkovic See our new Image of the Week! - Nortin M. Hadler and Janet Schwartz – The health insurance Shell Game   - Dorian Rolston – Night Noise: What a Sleeping Brain Hears   - Gary Stix – Dragonflies with Backpacks May Advance the Science of Prey Capture   - Scicurious – OCD and Optogenetics: Lighting [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/17/sciamblogs-monday-health-insurance-elephant-shrews-bloomsday-night-noise-optogenetics-fathers-and-more/feed/ 0 Compound Eye Alex Wild http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/17/si-tips-for-better-pollinator-photographs/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/17/si-tips-for-better-pollinator-photographs/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:31:55 Alex Wild June 17-22 is National Pollinator Week! Below are six tips for better photographs of flower-loving insects. But first, a digression on why Pollinator Week matters. Pollination- the transfer of genetic material from one plant to another- is important. Pollination is how plants have sex. Without it, many species simply can’t make the fruits, nuts, seeds and [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/17/si-tips-for-better-pollinator-photographs/feed/ 3 Plugged In David Wogan http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/17/my-judgment-is-based-on-numbers-on-data-and-not-on-consensus/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/17/my-judgment-is-based-on-numbers-on-data-and-not-on-consensus/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:05:40 David Wogan Watch Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz – part scientist, part politician – as he deftly answers a question about mankind’s role in climate change without stepping on political landmines. The question came from Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) in a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee meeting about the Energy Department’s budget. I find his answer more educational [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/17/my-judgment-is-based-on-numbers-on-data-and-not-on-consensus/feed/ 3 Overthinking It Kyle Hill http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/17/the-transit-of-the-iss-enterprise/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/17/the-transit-of-the-iss-enterprise/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:51:59 Kyle Hill It’s no secret: Overthinking It loves Star Trek. We have already thought way too hard about how Benedict Cumberbatch could crush your skull, and how the most resilient little animal on the planet could fix a warp core. We love Star Trek because it uses fiction to advance a humanistic vision of the future. It [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/17/the-transit-of-the-iss-enterprise/feed/ 1 PsiVid Carin Bondar http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2013/06/17/more-than-honey-a-stunning-documentary-on-the-worldwide-demise-of-bees/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2013/06/17/more-than-honey-a-stunning-documentary-on-the-worldwide-demise-of-bees/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:15:59 Carin Bondar Now showing in New York City: among the most dazzling feats of cinematography I have had the pleasure of viewing. However, despite the epic footage you will see in ‘More Than Honey‘ – the story is not a happy one. The documentary, directed and written by Markus Imhoof, takes viewers on a journey around the [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2013/06/17/more-than-honey-a-stunning-documentary-on-the-worldwide-demise-of-bees/feed/ 1 Culturing Science Hannah Waters http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/culturing-science/2013/06/17/what-the-ruling-on-gene-patenting-means/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/culturing-science/2013/06/17/what-the-ruling-on-gene-patenting-means/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:52:12 Hannah Waters Although I mostly think about conservation, ecology and nature, I have a soft spot for medicine and, in particular, genetics. It’s partly due to my own family history and experience, partly my interest in how people think about medicine and death, and partly my 6-month internship at Nature Medicine, which began more than two years [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/culturing-science/2013/06/17/what-the-ruling-on-gene-patenting-means/feed/ 1 Talking back Gary Stix http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/2013/06/17/dragonflies-with-backpacks-may-advance-the-science-of-prey-capture/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/2013/06/17/dragonflies-with-backpacks-may-advance-the-science-of-prey-capture/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:23:10 Gary Stix http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/talking-back/2013/06/17/dragonflies-with-backpacks-may-advance-the-science-of-prey-capture/feed/ 1 Dog Spies Julie Hecht http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/dog-spies/2013/06/17/make-sense-of-scents-how-to-make-your-dog-happy/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/dog-spies/2013/06/17/make-sense-of-scents-how-to-make-your-dog-happy/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:43:25 Julie Hecht I have good news for all of us who don’t look like Ryan Gosling or Gisele Bundchen: your dog doesn’t care. Dogs are much more interested in our smells than our looks. Just watch a dog with his head out a car window — nose forging ahead. Wind brings innumerable scent molecules directly to the [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/dog-spies/2013/06/17/make-sense-of-scents-how-to-make-your-dog-happy/feed/ 4 Life, Unbounded Caleb A. Scharf http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2013/06/17/cosmic-cartography-here-is-your-local-universe/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2013/06/17/cosmic-cartography-here-is-your-local-universe/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:48:26 Caleb A. Scharf A new video tours the nearby universe and makes it charmingly familiar. When I was a graduate student I spent a lot of time studying maps of our universe. These were being constructed using great surveys of galaxies. Each of these fuzzy specks was triangulated on the sky and located in depth by its apparent [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2013/06/17/cosmic-cartography-here-is-your-local-universe/feed/ 3 Image of the Week Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/image-of-the-week/2013/06/17/throes-of-creation/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/image-of-the-week/2013/06/17/throes-of-creation/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:34:13 Bora Zivkovic Image of the Week #96, June 17th, 2013: From: 3 Essential Qualities Up-and-coming Science Writers Should Develop by Khalil A. Cassimally at The SA Incubator. Source: Leonid Pasternak, archived at Wikimedia Commons. At first, we thought this was an artist’s depiction of Scientific American bloggers sitting down to pen the latest in cutting-edge science commentary. [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/image-of-the-week/2013/06/17/throes-of-creation/feed/ 0 MIND Guest Blog Dorian Rolston http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/17/night-noise-what-a-sleeping-brain-hears/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/17/night-noise-what-a-sleeping-brain-hears/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:49:18 Dorian Rolston Earlier this year, a Kickstarter campaign for a documentary film called “In Pursuit of Silence” raised $35,371, exceeding its goal in just a few weeks. On a crowdfunding platform where a new film proposal can pull in nearly 100 times that amount—for Zach Braff’s follow-up to “Garden State,” precisely $3,105,473—the financing feat was modest. Still, [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/17/night-noise-what-a-sleeping-brain-hears/feed/ 0 Basic Space Kelly Oakes http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/basic-space/2013/06/17/good-morning-gliese-526-the-earth-says-hello/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/basic-space/2013/06/17/good-morning-gliese-526-the-earth-says-hello/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:22:41 Kelly Oakes Over the years we’ve sent a lot of stuff into space. Most of that has been spacecraft sent out to explore the solar system — the moon and sun, planets and asteroids. With Voyager poised on the edge of the sun’s influence, we’ll eventually be able to add a tiny pocket of interstellar space to [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/basic-space/2013/06/17/good-morning-gliese-526-the-earth-says-hello/feed/ 0 Guest Blog Nortin M. Hadler and Janet Schwartz http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/17/the-health-insurance-shell-game/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/17/the-health-insurance-shell-game/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:04:44 Nortin M. Hadler and Janet Schwartz The insurance industry had a rocky start a century ago. It was clear that there were untoward events that could befall any of us with catastrophic results, from the incineration of a home to the loss of the ability to maintain gainful employment from injury or death. Insurance offers a mechanism to share this risk. [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/17/the-health-insurance-shell-game/feed/ 10 Plugged In Melissa C. Lott http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/17/technically-speaking-10-of-world-crude-32-of-natural-gas-are-sitting-in-shale/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/17/technically-speaking-10-of-world-crude-32-of-natural-gas-are-sitting-in-shale/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:00:24 Melissa C. Lott “Technically recoverable resources” – three words that refer to the amount of crude oil and natural gas that can be extracted from the ground using today’s technologies. No future innovations needed. The magnitude of this value with respect to shale gas formations was the focus of a major report released last week by the U.S. [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/17/technically-speaking-10-of-world-crude-32-of-natural-gas-are-sitting-in-shale/feed/ 1 The Scicurious Brain Scicurious http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/17/ocd-and-optogenetics-lighting-the-brain-up-to-shut-a-behavior-down/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/17/ocd-and-optogenetics-lighting-the-brain-up-to-shut-a-behavior-down/#respond Mon, 17 Jun 2013 01:10:36 Scicurious People who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can’t help some of their actions. They suffer from severely intrusive thoughts and anxiety, which they know are not right. And they feel a compulsion to do rituals to get rid of them. Maybe it’s repetitive hand washing. Maybe it’s checking that the stove is off exactly [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/17/ocd-and-optogenetics-lighting-the-brain-up-to-shut-a-behavior-down/feed/ 3 PsySociety Melanie Tannenbaum http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/06/16/happy-fathers-day/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/06/16/happy-fathers-day/#respond Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:57:10 Melanie Tannenbaum When thinking about parents and children, most people — including psychological researchers — tend to focus on the characteristics and importance of the mother-child bond. However, in honor of Father’s Day, I think it’s about time to focus a little attention on the importance of Dads.]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/06/16/happy-fathers-day/feed/ 0 Overthinking It Kyle Hill http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/16/nerds-and-words-week-24/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/16/nerds-and-words-week-24/#respond Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:26:59 Kyle Hill I have dug through the Internet this week and uncovered all this geeky goodness. You can find the thousands of links from previous weeks here. I have marked my favorite links with a ∞. Enjoy. Human psychology is a funny thing: Elevator conformity The first Star Trek as a 90-sec 8-bit video game ∞ I [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/16/nerds-and-words-week-24/feed/ 0 A Blog Around The Clock Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/2013/06/16/scienceonline-events-update/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/2013/06/16/scienceonline-events-update/#respond Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:36:03 Bora Zivkovic As we reminded you a couple of weeks ago, ScienceOnline community and the organization are busy preparing a number of upcoming events. Today, we need to give you some important updates on the planning, program and registration for the three major events coming up soon, so you can start planning today: ScienceOnlineClimate, ScienceOnlineOceans and ScienceOnlineTogether [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/2013/06/16/scienceonline-events-update/feed/ 0 A Blog Around The Clock Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/2013/06/15/quick-programming-note-scifoo-and-wcsj2013sci4hels/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/2013/06/15/quick-programming-note-scifoo-and-wcsj2013sci4hels/#respond Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:33:50 Bora Zivkovic Just a quick note. If you will be at Science Foo Camp (a.k.a. SciFoo) on June 21-23, find me and say Hello. I last went to this meeting in 2007 and I am happy to go back after a long break. Not sure what the event rules are, but I expect to livetweet quite a [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/2013/06/15/quick-programming-note-scifoo-and-wcsj2013sci4hels/feed/ 0 Cocktail Party Physics Jennifer Ouellette http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/2013/06/15/physics-week-in-review-june-15-2013/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/2013/06/15/physics-week-in-review-june-15-2013/#respond Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:06:06 Jennifer Ouellette If you missed this week’s Virtually Speaking Science, I chatted with astrophysicist (and fellow SciAm blogger) Caleb Scharf in Second Life about black holes, exoplanets, astrobiology, and more. You can listen to the taped conversation at Blog Talk Radio. Nautilus launched its second issue this week, on the theme of Uncertainty. I contributed a blog [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/2013/06/15/physics-week-in-review-june-15-2013/feed/ 1 Beautiful Minds Scott Barry Kaufman http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2013/06/15/how-do-artists-differ-from-bank-officers/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2013/06/15/how-do-artists-differ-from-bank-officers/#respond Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:19:09 Scott Barry Kaufman What are creative people like? As we saw in my prior post, various creativity researchers tend to converge on the same conclusion: creative people are complex. Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but often need their rest. They tend to be both introverted and extroverted at the same darn time. And perhaps [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/2013/06/15/how-do-artists-differ-from-bank-officers/feed/ 0 Extinction Countdown John R. Platt http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/15/diseased-tigers-wounded-rhinos-and-other-links-from-the-brink/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/15/diseased-tigers-wounded-rhinos-and-other-links-from-the-brink/#respond Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:00:41 John R. Platt Diseases, poachers, smartphones, sewage and animal psychology are in the news this weekend. Temper Tantrum: Evidence of canine distemper has been found in Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) in Indonesia, according to a recent report from BBC News. Distemper has previously been found in Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in Russia, where it proved to [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/15/diseased-tigers-wounded-rhinos-and-other-links-from-the-brink/feed/ 0 Cross-Check John Horgan http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2013/06/15/a-bloomsday-appreciation-of-ulysses-by-james-joyce-greatest-mind-scientist-ever/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2013/06/15/a-bloomsday-appreciation-of-ulysses-by-james-joyce-greatest-mind-scientist-ever/#respond Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:16:02 John Horgan Today is Bloomsday, June 16. On this day in 1904 Leopold Bloom, hero of James Joyce’s great novel Ulysses, wandered through Dublin having all manner of adventures before returning late at night to the bed of his cheating wife Molly. To celebrate Bloomsday, I’m reposting an appreciation of Ulysses that I wrote last summer when [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2013/06/15/a-bloomsday-appreciation-of-ulysses-by-james-joyce-greatest-mind-scientist-ever/feed/ 1 Tetrapod Zoology Darren Naish http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/06/15/a-brief-history-of-sengis-or-elephant-shrews/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/06/15/a-brief-history-of-sengis-or-elephant-shrews/#respond Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:02:24 Darren Naish Macroscelideans – the elephant shrews or sengis – are an exclusively African group of animalivorous placental mammals, famous for their long, mobile snouts [adjacent image of a rhynchocyonine sengi by Joey Makalintal]. They have long tails, proportionally elongate limbs, and range in size from 10 to 30 cm, and from 50g to over 500g. Digital [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/06/15/a-brief-history-of-sengis-or-elephant-shrews/feed/ 63 The Network Central Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/14/sciamblogs-friday-superman-flags-and-taxes-behavioral-economics-lost-cousins-of-homo-sapiens-and-more/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/14/sciamblogs-friday-superman-flags-and-taxes-behavioral-economics-lost-cousins-of-homo-sapiens-and-more/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:29:53 Bora Zivkovic - E. Paul Zehr – The Man of Steel, Myostatin, and Super-Strength   - Jag Bhalla – Better Behaved Behavioral Models   - Kyle Hill – 10 Sciencey Stats on the Man of Steel   - Paige Minteer – The lost cousins of Homo sapiens in Asia and the South Pacific   - Judy Stone [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/14/sciamblogs-friday-superman-flags-and-taxes-behavioral-economics-lost-cousins-of-homo-sapiens-and-more/feed/ 0 Expeditions Jim Haw http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/14/homo-denisova-and-homo-floresiensis-in-asia-and-the-south-pacific/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/14/homo-denisova-and-homo-floresiensis-in-asia-and-the-south-pacific/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:10:27 Jim Haw By Paige Minteer The evolution of humans is the result of a number of speciation events that have built upon one another to create the modern-day human species: Homo sapiens. Humans are believed to have evolved from a line of ancestors dating millions of years ago and originating in Africa.  The subsequent Homo sapien ancestors [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/14/homo-denisova-and-homo-floresiensis-in-asia-and-the-south-pacific/feed/ 4 MIND Guest Blog Jag Bhalla http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/14/better-behaved-behavioral-models/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/14/better-behaved-behavioral-models/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:50:53 Jag Bhalla We often can’t rely on ourselves to act rationally. We know this, but much social science has a bad habit of ignoring it. A more realistic role for rationality is needed to grasp the unhidden but unmodeled relationship between decisions and actions. We evolved to frequently act without deciding. The widely used Rational Actor Model [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/14/better-behaved-behavioral-models/feed/ 2 Plugged In Scott Huler http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/14/flags-and-taxes/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/14/flags-and-taxes/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:52:56 Scott Huler http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/14/flags-and-taxes/feed/ 4 Molecules to Medicine Judy Stone http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/molecules-to-medicine/2013/06/14/minnesota-attorney-general-confirms-they-did-not-exonerate-umn-in-markingson-death/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/molecules-to-medicine/2013/06/14/minnesota-attorney-general-confirms-they-did-not-exonerate-umn-in-markingson-death/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:17:40 Judy Stone This research ethics series uses the story of Dan Markingson’s participation in a clinical trial of anti-psychotic drugs at the University of Minnesota, his suicide 2004 while participating on the study, and subsequent events as a case study in which to explore various aspects of clinical trial conduct. In previous posts, I’ve looked at issues [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/molecules-to-medicine/2013/06/14/minnesota-attorney-general-confirms-they-did-not-exonerate-umn-in-markingson-death/feed/ 0 Overthinking It Kyle Hill http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/14/10-sciencey-stats-on-the-man-of-steel/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/14/10-sciencey-stats-on-the-man-of-steel/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:00:51 Kyle Hill A new iteration of Superman—the Man of Steel—zooms into theaters today looking to reboot the series for the latest generation (with Kryptonian latex, apparently). Superman is neither human nor bound by the laws of science, but there are still some fascinating facts to read up on before accepting this born-again hero. 1. Superman is basically [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/14/10-sciencey-stats-on-the-man-of-steel/feed/ 4 The SA Incubator Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/14/boras-picks-june-14th-2013/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/14/boras-picks-june-14th-2013/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:34:10 Bora Zivkovic A Sunken Egyptian City is Rediscovered, Stunning Researchers and Enthusiasts Alike by Khalil A. Cassimally: Named Thonis by the Egyptians who built it but known as Heracleion to the Greeks of the time, this great city was once a central part of ancient Egypt. Older than Alexandria, Thonis was probably founded during the eighth century [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/14/boras-picks-june-14th-2013/feed/ 0 Guest Blog E. Paul Zehr http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/14/the-man-of-steel-myostatin-and-super-strength/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/14/the-man-of-steel-myostatin-and-super-strength/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:03:40 E. Paul Zehr As an infant, the Man Of Steel escaped Krypton’s red sun in a rocket lovingly prepared for him by his parents. Kal-L (but more commonly known as Kal-El) arrived under our yellow sun in Smallville to eventually become Clark Kent. Since his debut in Action Comics #1 in June of 1938, Superman has accumulated a [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/14/the-man-of-steel-myostatin-and-super-strength/feed/ 6 Plugged In Melissa C. Lott http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/14/zimbabwe-takes-tollbooths-off-the-grid/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/14/zimbabwe-takes-tollbooths-off-the-grid/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:00:58 Melissa C. Lott In Zimbabwe, a major road upgrade project will use off grid tollbooths to recoup a portion of the project’s costs. Made possible by the combined use of energy efficient design, solar power, and diesel generators, these tollbooths are believed to be the first ever to supply 100% of their power without an electric grid. The [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/14/zimbabwe-takes-tollbooths-off-the-grid/feed/ 0 The Network Central Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/13/sciamblogs-thursday-leprosy-cicadas-oreogeny-dna-patents-chladni-figures-and-more/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/13/sciamblogs-thursday-leprosy-cicadas-oreogeny-dna-patents-chladni-figures-and-more/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 21:13:27 Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/13/sciamblogs-thursday-leprosy-cicadas-oreogeny-dna-patents-chladni-figures-and-more/feed/ 0 The Countdown Eric R. Olson http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-countdown/2013/06/13/hypervelocity-stars-and-more-the-countdown-episode-24/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-countdown/2013/06/13/hypervelocity-stars-and-more-the-countdown-episode-24/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:02:40 Eric R. Olson http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/the-countdown/2013/06/13/hypervelocity-stars-and-more-the-countdown-episode-24/feed/ 0 Expeditions Jim Haw http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/13/a-persistent-case-of-diabetes-mellitus-in-guam/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/13/a-persistent-case-of-diabetes-mellitus-in-guam/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:26:43 Jim Haw By Amanda Ungco Proud of their culture and successes, Americans have soaked up the American dream and have broadened their wings to influence the rest of the world. Many of these influences manifest themselves as good deeds, bringing students, volunteers and various charity organizations to third world countries in an attempt to better the universal [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/13/a-persistent-case-of-diabetes-mellitus-in-guam/feed/ 1 Observations Bryan Bumgardner http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/13/could-drones-make-the-decision-to-kill-on-their-own-video/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/13/could-drones-make-the-decision-to-kill-on-their-own-video/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:41:48 Bryan Bumgardner http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/13/could-drones-make-the-decision-to-kill-on-their-own-video/feed/ 6 Rosetta Stones Dana Hunter http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/rosetta-stones/2013/06/13/oreogeny-the-compleat-sequence/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/rosetta-stones/2013/06/13/oreogeny-the-compleat-sequence/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:36:08 Dana Hunter Did you know you can illustrate geology with food? It’s true! And tasty. Just about every foodstuff can be dragooned in the interests of education – you’re limited only by your imagination and the concept you wish to illustrate. Some foods are more suited for specific geologic processes than others. It turns out that Oreos® [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/rosetta-stones/2013/06/13/oreogeny-the-compleat-sequence/feed/ 1 Observations Dina Fine Maron http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/13/supreme-court-rejects-patents-on-two-naturally-occurring-genes/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/13/supreme-court-rejects-patents-on-two-naturally-occurring-genes/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:05:59 Dina Fine Maron When Angelina Jolie announced last month that she decided to get a prophylactic double mastectomy, she based her decision on the presence of the BRCA1 gene in her body—a gene that was detected via a costly medical test. The Supreme Court today unanimously struck down patents on BRCA1 and BRCA2—two genes linked to hereditary forms [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/13/supreme-court-rejects-patents-on-two-naturally-occurring-genes/feed/ 9 The Scicurious Brain Scicurious http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/13/a-genetic-history-of-leprosy/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/13/a-genetic-history-of-leprosy/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:05:56 Scicurious Leprosy is one of those diseases that, when I first read about it, haunted my imagination. I had sad pictures of haggard, dirty people, wearing sackcloth, covered in sores or maybe with toes, noses, or hands missing, shuffling alone, wearing a bell to make that no one would go near…the leper. To be a leper [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/13/a-genetic-history-of-leprosy/feed/ 6 Compound Eye Alex Wild http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/13/thrifty-thursday-the-honeycomb-the-flashlight-and-the-iphone/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/13/thrifty-thursday-the-honeycomb-the-flashlight-and-the-iphone/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:54:35 Alex Wild Thrifty Thursdays feature photographs taken with equipment costing less than $500. [iPhone 4S - $330] The recipe is simple: 1. Place comb upright so that both sides are exposed. 2. Point a flashlight to spotlight the comb. 3. Place the phone camera on the other side of the comb and take a picture. The iPhone’s small [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2013/06/13/thrifty-thursday-the-honeycomb-the-flashlight-and-the-iphone/feed/ 0 Video of the Week Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/video-of-the-week/2013/06/13/chladni-figures/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/video-of-the-week/2013/06/13/chladni-figures/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:37:46 Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/video-of-the-week/2013/06/13/chladni-figures/feed/ 4 But Seriously... Brian Malow http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-seriously/2013/06/13/chladni-figures-amazing-resonance-experiment/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-seriously/2013/06/13/chladni-figures-amazing-resonance-experiment/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:26:10 Brian Malow When I first saw this video I thought it was fake. Perhaps an April Fool’s joke. But, not only is it real, it is a phenomenon that’s been known for hundreds of years. Why am I just hearing about it? (there’s also a full version in which you can hear the tones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yaqUI4b974) So, what [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-seriously/2013/06/13/chladni-figures-amazing-resonance-experiment/feed/ 0 Extinction Countdown John R. Platt http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/13/climate-change-versus-groundhogs/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/13/climate-change-versus-groundhogs/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:03:37 John R. Platt A warming world will present Punxsutawney Phil and his cousins with a host of new challenges, possibly enough to put some species at risk of extinction. According to research published last month in the journal Natural Science, climate change will bring temporary benefits to several of the world’s 15 marmot species (including the groundhog), but [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/13/climate-change-versus-groundhogs/feed/ 7 Overthinking It Kyle Hill http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/13/reweaving-the-rainbow-cicadas-science-and-creationism/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/13/reweaving-the-rainbow-cicadas-science-and-creationism/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:00:18 Kyle Hill With a swarm of determined zerglings, a Brood War is currently underway on the East coast. Brood II, a cohort of slumbering cicadas, recently made their way out of the ground in the billions to outnumber the humans in their path 600 to 1 (but don’t be surprised if you don’t see any). Even more [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/overthinking-it/2013/06/13/reweaving-the-rainbow-cicadas-science-and-creationism/feed/ 1 Guest Blog Naveena Sadasivam http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/13/cornell-student-scrapes-indian-exam-results-exposes-the-systems-flaws/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/13/cornell-student-scrapes-indian-exam-results-exposes-the-systems-flaws/#respond Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:27:26 Naveena Sadasivam When Debarghya Das’ friends approached him to obtain their final grades from the education board before the official announcement, he gave it a try and got nowhere. Das, a computer science student at Cornell, had just finished his own exams and was to begin an internship at Google in a few days. Having graduated from [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/13/cornell-student-scrapes-indian-exam-results-exposes-the-systems-flaws/feed/ 7 Illusion Chasers Susana Martinez-Conde http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/12/hitler-teapot/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/12/hitler-teapot/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:17:53 Susana Martinez-Conde I'm a little teapot, here's my spout, sweinhundt!]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/12/hitler-teapot/feed/ 0 The Network Central Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/12/sciamblogs-wednesday-gmo-potato-cooperative-genes-shark-tourism-itsy-bitsy-spiders-magpie-family-and-more/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/12/sciamblogs-wednesday-gmo-potato-cooperative-genes-shark-tourism-itsy-bitsy-spiders-magpie-family-and-more/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:41:00 Bora Zivkovic - Tiffany Stecker – You say potato, I say double stranded RNA   - Jag Bhalla – Selfish Genes Also Must Cooperate   - Psi Wavefunction – Squatters of the microbial world: foram-in-a-foram   - Brenna Schneider – An interconnected environment and economy- Shark tourism in Palau   - Becky Crew – Two new species [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/12/sciamblogs-wednesday-gmo-potato-cooperative-genes-shark-tourism-itsy-bitsy-spiders-magpie-family-and-more/feed/ 0 The Ocelloid Psi Wavefunction http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ocelloid/2013/06/12/squatters-of-the-microbial-world-foram-in-a-foram/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ocelloid/2013/06/12/squatters-of-the-microbial-world-foram-in-a-foram/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:22:49 Psi Wavefunction http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ocelloid/2013/06/12/squatters-of-the-microbial-world-foram-in-a-foram/feed/ 2 Observations Mark Fischetti http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/12/new-york-city-could-look-like-new-orleans-due-to-flood-protection/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/12/new-york-city-could-look-like-new-orleans-due-to-flood-protection/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:30:09 Mark Fischetti http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/12/new-york-city-could-look-like-new-orleans-due-to-flood-protection/feed/ 3 The SA Incubator Khalil A. Cassimally http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/12/3-essential-qualities-up-and-coming-science-writers-should-develop/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/12/3-essential-qualities-up-and-coming-science-writers-should-develop/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:15:35 Khalil A. Cassimally Tips is a series that aims to provide early-career science writers with, well, tips to aid them in their budding careers. The series will attempt to link out to existing resources available online. In a blog post published on 31 December 2012, PLOS BLOGS Network’s community manager Victoria Costello lists ten qualities she deems essential [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/incubator/2013/06/12/3-essential-qualities-up-and-coming-science-writers-should-develop/feed/ 0 Plugged In David Wogan http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/12/in-texas-electrical-grid-natural-gas-and-renewables-complement-each-other/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/12/in-texas-electrical-grid-natural-gas-and-renewables-complement-each-other/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:28:57 David Wogan   There is concern that low natural gas prices will crowd out renewable electricity generation, but in the long run, natural gas and renewables make better partners than adversaries. Whether the goal is reduced pollution, fewer carbon emissions, renewables and natural gas work better together than against each other. This relationship is building in Texas, [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/06/12/in-texas-electrical-grid-natural-gas-and-renewables-complement-each-other/feed/ 22 Guest Blog Jag Bhalla http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/12/selfish-genes-also-must-cooperate/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/12/selfish-genes-also-must-cooperate/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:34:46 Jag Bhalla Many followers of reason think it natural and rational to be selfish. They believe that’s just how evolution works. But Richard Dawkins, the cardinal spokesperson for that oversimplified and unnaturally selective view, is guilty of logical lapses and false prophecy. His pop-science of selfishness is widely misunderstood. “Selfish” genes that don’t cooperate don’t survive. A [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/12/selfish-genes-also-must-cooperate/feed/ 5 Oscillator Christina Agapakis http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/oscillator/2013/06/12/creation-and-synthetic-biology-book-review/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/oscillator/2013/06/12/creation-and-synthetic-biology-book-review/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:30:57 Christina Agapakis What is the origin of life on Earth? What is the future of life in the age of synthetic biology? These are two of the biggest questions of contemporary biology, and the questions that drive Adam Rutherford’s new book, Creation: How Science is Reinventing Life Itself, a compelling and accessible two-part look through the history [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/oscillator/2013/06/12/creation-and-synthetic-biology-book-review/feed/ 0 The Scicurious Brain Scicurious http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/12/obesity-and-ocd-1-1-0/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/12/obesity-and-ocd-1-1-0/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:55:05 Scicurious http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/2013/06/12/obesity-and-ocd-1-1-0/feed/ 0 Running Ponies Becky Crew http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2013/06/12/two-new-species-of-chinese-spider-are-positively-weeny/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2013/06/12/two-new-species-of-chinese-spider-are-positively-weeny/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:50:54 Becky Crew http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2013/06/12/two-new-species-of-chinese-spider-are-positively-weeny/feed/ 0 Expeditions Jim Haw http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/12/an-interconnected-environment-and-economy-shark-tourism-in-palau/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/12/an-interconnected-environment-and-economy-shark-tourism-in-palau/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:49:57 Jim Haw by Brenna Schneider As a small, isolated island, the country of Palau has a limited number of income options. Today the tourism industry is a vital source of income for this nation state, as it makes up about 56% of Palau’s gross domestic product (GDP) (Vianna et al, 2012). There are more than 40,000 divers [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/2013/06/12/an-interconnected-environment-and-economy-shark-tourism-in-palau/feed/ 0 Guest Blog Tiffany Stecker http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/12/you-say-potato-i-say-double-stranded-rna/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/12/you-say-potato-i-say-double-stranded-rna/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:21:24 Tiffany Stecker Amidst the outrage, puzzlement and theories caused by the finding of genetically-modified wheat in an Oregon field, USDA is considering whether to commercialize another dinnertime staple–the potato. Last month, Idaho-based J.M. Simplot asked the Agriculture Department to grant a deregulated status for a new variety of potatoes genetically engineered to reduce bruising and develop lower [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/06/12/you-say-potato-i-say-double-stranded-rna/feed/ 2 Tetrapod Zoology Darren Naish http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/06/12/my-local-magpies-265-photos/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/06/12/my-local-magpies-265-photos/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:10:52 Darren Naish Over the past few months, a pair of European magpies Pica pica have been nesting in one of the short trees I have growing in my front garden, and within the last couple of weeks, their two young fledged and all four birds moved off. I was thrilled: I love watching corvids and I was [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2013/06/12/my-local-magpies-265-photos/feed/ 21 The Urban Scientist DNLee http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/06/12/dispatchesdnlee-mystery-scat-producer-identified-african-civet/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/06/12/dispatchesdnlee-mystery-scat-producer-identified-african-civet/#respond Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:14:30 DNLee I opened up a new field site for this field season. It was a beast! Although I only caught two individual Pouched rats over the 80 x80 m square grid, it was a great effort. And much was learned. In addition to non-target captures in my live traps, I also put out camera traps. I [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/06/12/dispatchesdnlee-mystery-scat-producer-identified-african-civet/feed/ 0 The Network Central Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/11/sciamblogs-tuesday-pig-intelligence-chimp-protection-visual-journalism-malarial-mosquitoes-email-signatures-and-more/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/11/sciamblogs-tuesday-pig-intelligence-chimp-protection-visual-journalism-malarial-mosquitoes-email-signatures-and-more/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:40:28 Bora Zivkovic http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/network-central/2013/06/11/sciamblogs-tuesday-pig-intelligence-chimp-protection-visual-journalism-malarial-mosquitoes-email-signatures-and-more/feed/ 0 Illusion Chasers Stephen L. Macknik http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/11/peerj-bday/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/11/peerj-bday/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:51:49 Stephen L. Macknik Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the paradigm-shifting new journal, PeerJ.]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/illusion-chasers/2013/06/11/peerj-bday/feed/ 0 Extinction Countdown John R. Platt http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/11/chimpanzees-protection-endangered-species/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/11/chimpanzees-protection-endangered-species/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:01:47 John R. Platt A long-in-place loophole that exempted captive-bred chimpanzees from the full protections of the Endangered Species Act may finally be closed, Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announced on June 11. For decades now, wild-born chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have been classified as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Captive-born chimps, [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/06/11/chimpanzees-protection-endangered-species/feed/ 4 Not bad science Felicity Muth http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/2013/06/11/are-pigs-stupid-perhaps-theyre-just-stressed/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/2013/06/11/are-pigs-stupid-perhaps-theyre-just-stressed/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:39:45 Felicity Muth Pigs are one of the top animals consumed across the world. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2010, around one hundred million metric tons of pork were consumed that year, with 10% of this being in the US (although it does seem that overall meat consumption is declining). With so many of us eating [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/2013/06/11/are-pigs-stupid-perhaps-theyre-just-stressed/feed/ 5 Observations David Biello http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/11/who-is-fooling-who-when-it-comes-to-combating-climate-change/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/11/who-is-fooling-who-when-it-comes-to-combating-climate-change/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:59:39 David Biello Here’s the scam. A Chinese company manufactures hydrofluorocarbons, the refrigerant gases partially responsible for the ozone hole and climate change. The gases can efficiently be turned into cash, either by using them in products like refrigerators or air conditioners or, more lucratively, by destroying them. In the early part of the last decade, Chinese manufacturers [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/06/11/who-is-fooling-who-when-it-comes-to-combating-climate-change/feed/ 28 Symbiartic Katie McKissick http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/06/11/gorgeous-microscopy-and-visual-journalism/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/06/11/gorgeous-microscopy-and-visual-journalism/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:41:37 Katie McKissick Over at AudioVision, a project of Southern California Public Radio, Mae Ryan and others bring us the best in visual journalism. Mae contacted me about last month’s feature on David Scharf, electron microscoper extraordinaire. His images are simply stunning, and I had to share. AudioVision is not a science-specific project, so I’m especially thrilled to [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/06/11/gorgeous-microscopy-and-visual-journalism/feed/ 2 @ScientificAmerican Mariette DiChristina http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/2013/06/11/the-2013-science-in-action-finalists/ http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/2013/06/11/the-2013-science-in-action-finalists/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:13:29 Mariette DiChristina Now in its second year, the $50,000 Science in Action award, sponsored by Scientific American as part of the Google Science Fair, an annual global competition for teens ages 13 to 18, honors a project that can make a practical difference by addressing an environmental, health or resources challenge. Submissions should be innovative, easy to [...]]]> http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/2013/06/11/the-2013-science-in-action-finalists/feed/ 0