http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/ en Copyright 2008 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:52:33 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.35 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 282614http://www.feedburner.com <p>My new pal <a href="http://facstaff.elon.edu/acrider/Main%20Page.html">Dr. Anthony Crider</a> gave a fantastic talk at last month's <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/science_and_the_new_media_at_a.php">AAAS Forum</a> on <a href="http://secondlife.com/"><em>Second Life</em></a> and virtual worlds. Full disclosure: I was skeptical and even mildly anxious at the thought of wandering into a simulation I'd heard might rival scenes from Kubrick's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/"><em>Eyes Wide Shut</em></a>--only with vampires and uh, <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiFur">furries</a></em>. Then I met Tony who convinced me it opens the door, errr... '<em>laptop</em>', to seemingly infinite possibilities in science education! But you don't have to take my word for it--I'll let the brilliant and funny <em><a href="http://www.scilands.org/">SciLands</a></em> creator explain virtual worlds himself and skeptics can decide whether to give <em>Second Life</em> a second chance...</p> <p><embed src="http://physics.elon.edu/~acrider/presentations/games/AAAS2008/AAAS-Crider-Web.mov" width="320" height="256" autoplay="false" controller="true"></embed></p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/second_life.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/304571574" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/304571574/second_life.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/second_life.php Media and Science Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:52:33 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/second_life.php <p>Following a Natalie Angier <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/science/27angi.html">story</a> about a science and humanities blending curriculum at Binghamton University, Sheril wrote in to the paper--and actually got <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/science/03lett-CONVERGINGCU_LETTERS.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin">published</a>. Here's what she had to say:</p> <blockquote>As the product of an interdisciplinary graduate program, I cannot overemphasize the value of opportunities like Binghamton University's New Humanities Initiative. <p>Years after receiving my degree, I continue to inhabit the space between the sciences and humanities as a scientist at Duke working on environmental policy and as a science writer.</p> <p>Experience has taught me neither field can be addressed comprehensively through a single lens, and we make the greatest strides and forge new directions through the convergence of people and philosophies.</p> <p>Sheril R. Kirshenbaum<br /> Durham, N.C.</blockquote></p> <p>Amen to that....here's to more combinatorial, interdisciplinary personalities like Sheril--we sorely need them.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/sheril_in_the_new_york_times.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/303900782" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/303900782/sheril_in_the_new_york_times.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/sheril_in_the_new_york_times.php Education Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:59:00 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/sheril_in_the_new_york_times.php <p>..back in the District for <a href="http://nmsfocean.org/chow2008/">Capitol Hill Oceans Week (CHOW) 2008</a>.</p> <p><img class="inset"alt="ca%20coast.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/ca%20coast.png" width="307" height="230" />It hardly seems that <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2007/06/well_im_back_she_said.php">a year has passed</a> since last the marine policy crowd converged upon the nation's capitol. CHOW an annual event where we share stories of success, lessons learned, discuss impending trouble, and figure out what legislation may move. It's a week I've come to look forward to. Not only do I get the opportunity to catch up with old friends on both coasts, but we figure out how we're best able to work <em>together</em>. </p> <p>Topics this time around include everything from the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/whats_not_in_the_news.php">impacts of climate change</a> to marine debris and aquaculture. And as I <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/president_bush_environmental_h.php">mentioned a couple weeks back</a>, rumor has it that our President is real interested in leaving a '<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90766237"><em>blue legacy</em></a>'... Needless to say, I'm particularly looking forward to this year's discussion.</p> <p>But first, I now leave the Starbucks on 14th St to head to the National Press Club for a morning panel discussion on the new <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20080523/pl_usnw/national_press_club_to_host__newsmaker__media_briefing_on_advancing_research_in_science_and_engineering">ARISE (Advancing Research in Science and Engineering)</a> report. <a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/blogs/2008/05/with-honors-and-jobless.html">Great topic</a>! </p> <p>With so much going on in Cap City (<em>as always</em>), check back later this week for details...</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/well_im_back_she_said_again.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/303746177" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/303746177/well_im_back_she_said_again.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/well_im_back_she_said_again.php Marine Science Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:40:34 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/well_im_back_she_said_again.php <p>It seems <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/back.php">the previous post</a> has inspired the call for a special dedication to our distinguished <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2007/10/my_favorite_boy_band.php"><em>boy band-loving</em></a> scibling over at <em>Gene Expression</em>. So it's time to sport your fanny pack and get those fluorescent Reebok pumps out of the closet! Yes Razib, just for you... the premiere of <a href="http://www.nkotb.com/">New Kids On The Block</a> in 2008:</p> <p><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZV1TPRDbMbs&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZV1TPRDbMbs&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/for_razib_the_return_of_new_ki.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/303124377" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/303124377/for_razib_the_return_of_new_ki.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/for_razib_the_return_of_new_ki.php Culture Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:35:20 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/for_razib_the_return_of_new_ki.php <p><a href="http://www.bttfmovie.com/"><img class="inset" alt="BTTF.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/BTTF.png" width="200" height="291" /></a>As tickets are going fast for the <a href="http://www.nkotb.com/">New Kids On The Block</a> tour, Harrison Ford is starring as <a href="http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html"><em>Indiana Jones</em></a> in the summer's first blockbuster and a movie about <a href="http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/">Batman</a> and the Joker nears premiere. <a href="http://www.elle.com/beautyreport/12976/big-hair-trend-fall-2008.html">Big hair</a> is in and we await a President named George Bush <a href="http://www.backwardsbush.com/">out</a>. There's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East_conflict#Modern_conflicts">conflict</a> in the Middle East and a <a href="http://www.amnh.org/rose/mars/od1.html">Mars Lander</a> set to explore the red planet. <a href="http://www.paulaabdul.com/">Paula Abdul</a> is driving the music industry, <a href="http://www.madonna.com/">Madonna</a> is topping <a href="http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Singles&f=The+Billboard+Hot+100#">billboard charts</a>, and <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod91531181&srcCode=FRGL010533">J. Crew's</a> promoting jelly shoes as the summer's hottest accessory. </p> <p>Oh. And it's 2008 this time around.</p> <p>Now that I'm in my late 20's looking back at the sunset of the 1980's, I can't help but recognize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. And despite all the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/science/earth/02arct.html">dismal news</a> about our environment everyday, I suspect that the planet will be alright if we make smart, informed decisions in <a href="http://www.sciencedebate2008.com">policy</a> and <a href="http://www.savingspecies.org/">practice</a> right <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCkQZOnCN3k">now</a>. </p> <p>Yes, over time the world will evolve into a very different earth than we've known, but like Doc once told Marty, <strong><em>our future hasn't been written yet. No one's has. Our future is whatever we make it. So let's make it a good one.</em></strong></p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/back.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/303001325" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/303001325/back.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/back.php Culture Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:25:06 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/06/back.php <p>It doesn't look like much, and probably won't amount to much either. Nevertheless, the National Hurricane Center just renamed the remains of East Pacific Tropical Storm Alma--after crossing over Central America, this storm is in the Atlantic and should be <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at1.shtml?5day#contents">called Arthur</a>. I'm not even going to post a picture, because the cloud blob is now back over land again. But still, so it begins.... </p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/atlantic_hurricane_season_star.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/301974912" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/301974912/atlantic_hurricane_season_star.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/atlantic_hurricane_season_star.php Hurricanes Sat, 31 May 2008 14:27:11 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/atlantic_hurricane_season_star.php <p>From up in Juneau, Alaska, my pal Nick Bonzey at the US Forest Service thought I'd appreciate a good dose of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudibranch">nudibranchs</a>, claiming '<em>these guys are MUCH cuter than your average sea cucumber</em>.'<br /> <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/doubilet-photography"><br /> <img alt="nudibrach.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/nudibrach.png" width="500" height="444" /></a></p> <p>Admittedly, with <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/nudibranchs/doubilet-photography">photos like these</a> from <em>National Geographic's</em> <a href="http://www.daviddoubilet.com/">David Doubilet</a>, Nick <em>might</em> just be onto something...</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/friday_nudibranchs.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/301356665" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/301356665/friday_nudibranchs.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/friday_nudibranchs.php Marine Science Fri, 30 May 2008 12:22:15 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/friday_nudibranchs.php <p>Yes, there are jobs that offer women <a href="http://education.yahoo.net/degrees/articles/featured_great_jobs_that_profit_women.html">'<em>man sized paychecks</em>'</a>, but I'm not encouraged looking at mean salaries in the sciences. While we ladies recently experienced a sightly higher percentage increase than the fellas, it seems to me something still doesn't add up:</p> <p><a href="http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2006_11_03/life_scientists_report_rising_salaries_and_high_job_satisfaction/(parent)/68"><img alt="gender%20salary.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/gender%20salary.png" width="500" height="164" /></a></p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/ladies_stand_up_for_what_your.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/301271554" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/301271554/ladies_stand_up_for_what_your.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/ladies_stand_up_for_what_your.php Women in Science Fri, 30 May 2008 09:32:48 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/ladies_stand_up_for_what_your.php <p>From the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/28/AR2008052802947.html"><em>Washington Post</em></a>:</p> <blockquote>NEW YORK, May 28 -- Some of the nation's leading scientists, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's top science adviser, today sharply criticized the diminished role of science in the United States and the shortage of federal funding for research, even as science becomes increasingly important to combating problems such as climate change and the global food shortage.</blockquote><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/28/AR2008052802947.html"><img class="inset" alt="movie_2353_poster.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/movie_2353_poster.jpg" width="213" height="315" /></a></a> <p>Sounds familiar...<a href="http://www.ScienceDebate2008.com">ScienceDebate2008</a> anyone?</p> <p><a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2007/09/love_letter_to_new_york_youre.php">New York</a> Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened the city's science summit yesterday, calling science "just as exciting, just as cool, just as cutting-edge" as the new film "<a href="http://www.hbo.com/city/">Sex and the City</a>."</p> <p>Totally.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/science_and_the_city.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/300750608" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/300750608/science_and_the_city.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/science_and_the_city.php Politics and Science Thu, 29 May 2008 15:44:56 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/science_and_the_city.php <p><a href="http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/0527new_media.shtml"><img class="inset" alt="aaas%20new.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/aaas%20new.png" width="211" height="74" /></a><br /> Go <a href="http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/0527new_media.shtml">visit AAAS</a> for their news release on my recent panel at the <em><a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/science_and_the_new_media_at_a.php">33rd Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy</a></em>. </p> <p><br /> <blockquote><a href="http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/0527new_media.shtml">New Media Pioneers Convey the 'Cool' of Science</a><br /> [27 May 2008]<br /> Speaking at the 2008 AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy in Washington, D.C., the speakers showed off online islands with virtual telescopes, blogs that network millions of science aficionados around the world, and media empires that include dozens of blogs and glossy publications that reveal the beauty and sexiness of science and technology.</blockquote></p> <p>My entire talk is now <a href="http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/54SRKirshenbaum_ScienceNewMedia.mp3"><strong>now available here</strong></a> and you can also follow along with the accompanying slides and listen to other presentations <a href="http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/forum.htm">at the forum website</a>.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/my_talk_at_the_aaas_science_po.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/300557087" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/300557087/my_talk_at_the_aaas_science_po.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/my_talk_at_the_aaas_science_po.php Media and Science Thu, 29 May 2008 09:16:02 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/my_talk_at_the_aaas_science_po.php <p>Next week, our leaders will begin to debate legislation that would significantly curb U.S. greenhouse gas emissions--the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02191">Lieberman-Warner bill</a>. This legislation is nothing if not moderate--not strong enough for many environmentalists, but way <i>too</i> strong for the likes of George W. Bush.</p> <p>I've done my <a href="http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/05/planetary-gambling/">latest Center for American Progress column</a> predicting how the debate is going to go, and focusing on one point in particular: Detractors of the bill are assured to cite its economic cost. But of course, those who argue in this manner all too frequently downplay the very real--and probably massive--price tag that we will pay if we <i>don't</i> do anything about climate change. To wit:</p> <blockquote>...it's not really possible to put a price tag on, say, a Pacific island state that runs the risk of going under water--or on an ice-covered North Pole. Or on polar bears and the ecosystems that support them. But unchecked global warming will have many costs that can indeed be monetized--and some estimates suggest that even over the short term, they're comparable to the U.S. cost of the Lieberman-Warner bill. Take, for example, a <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/cost/contents.asp">recent study</a> by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which attempted to update the famous 2006 UK <a href="http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_Report.cfm">Stern Report</a>--which found that by 2200 global warming's costs could be simply massive, equaling 5 to 20 percent of the world's GDP--and apply it to the United States in particular. NRDC projects that if we don't deal with global warming at all, costs to the U.S. could be as high as 3.6 percent of GDP by 2100, and that's just from four projected impacts (hurricane loses, sea level rise damage to real estate, rising energy demand, and water supply costs to battle drought). <p>There are problematic aspects to the NRDC study--for instance, the hurricane issue is very murky, and it's hard to tell whether the study authors took its complexity into account--but there can be little doubt it's a step in the right direction. It is simply ridiculous to presume that the economic impacts of global warming won't be anything to fret about, or to leave them out of discussion. On the contrary, depending on how quickly we act to stave off the problem, those impacts could be absolutely massive. And they ought to put to shame any short term whining about the expense of dealing with climate change.</blockquote></p> <p>You can read the full column <a href="http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/05/planetary-gambling/">here</a>.</p> <p>This might also be a good time to give a shout-out to a cool new website, <a href="http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/">Coal is Dirty</a>, started by my buddies at DeSmogBlog and others, which blasts the idea that "clean coal" is our way out of this mess. <a href="http://www.coal-is-dirty.com/who-we-are">Check it out</a>.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/getting_ready_for_the_lieberma.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/300092944" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/300092944/getting_ready_for_the_lieberma.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/getting_ready_for_the_lieberma.php Global Warming Wed, 28 May 2008 16:43:06 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/getting_ready_for_the_lieberma.php <p><a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/blogs/2008/05/fate-of-the-ocean.html#more"><img alt="co2-diver-plankton-350.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/co2-diver-plankton-350.jpg" width="350" height="265" /></a><br /> Ocean acidification illustrated by David Fierstein (c) 2007 <a href="http://www.mbari.org/">MBARI</a></p> <p>Ocean acidification is intimately connected to our changing climate and as important as global warming. We're just not hearing about it in the news enough because <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2007/08/the_skys_not_falling_but_the_s.php">the media</a> has all but ignored the problem. So <u>we</u> must make the case that more scientists ought to be to be exploring the threat, educating the public as to why it matters, and implementing effective policy to mitigate the impact of excess CO2 in our oceans (and everywhere else).</p> <p>My full post reviewing ocean acidification is now up over at <a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/blogs/2008/05/fate-of-the-ocean.html#more"><strong><em>Correlations</em></strong></a>.</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/whats_not_in_the_news.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/299900616" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/299900616/whats_not_in_the_news.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/whats_not_in_the_news.php Marine Science Wed, 28 May 2008 10:50:27 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/whats_not_in_the_news.php <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019530067X?ie=UTF8&tag=chriscmooneyc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019530067X"><img class="inset" alt="michaels.jpg" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/michaels.jpg" width="250" height="250" /></a>Perhaps some of you already have heard of this book by David Michaels, entitled <i>Doubt is Our Product</i>--which is basically the most comprehensive documentation yet of the war on science being conducted by private industry. But nevertheless, I want to emphasize again that you need to check it out if you haven't already. See my review <a href="http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_manufacture_of_uncertainty">here</a>, Science Progress's interview with Michaels <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/05/manufacturing_uncertainty.html">here</a>, and, if you're in D.C., a Center for American Progress event where he's speaking <a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/05/manufacturing_uncertainty.html">tomorrow that you should attend</a>. <p>Basically, as the author of <i>The Republican War on Science</i>, even I found outrageous stories in Michaels' book that I had never heard of, and so grew ever more convinced that this problem of science abuse is systematic--going back to the days of the tobacco industry and becoming worse and worse over time. To even begin to grasp the extent of the issue, we need Michaels' book as a starting point. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019530067X?ie=UTF8&tag=chriscmooneyc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019530067X">Get it now</a>, and spread the word....</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/doubt_is_their_product_the_rep.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/299169348" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/299169348/doubt_is_their_product_the_rep.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/doubt_is_their_product_the_rep.php Politics and Science Tue, 27 May 2008 11:41:06 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/doubt_is_their_product_the_rep.php <p>After a 423 million mile journey, <a href="http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/05_25_endofday.php"><em>Phoenix</em></a> touched down on Mars. The first pictures have been beamed back, and so far, it's nothing like my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441790348">my favorite Heinlein novel</a>. </p> <p><img alt="mars.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/mars.png" width="442" height="266" /></p> <blockquote>The immediate goals of the Phoenix mission are to study the geologic history of water, and to search for evidence that Mars may have sustained life. Continued research will be done to determine whether dormant organisms could come back to life.</blockquote> <p>We must now patiently wait for <a href="http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/news.php">news</a> of whether conditions on the red planet could have ever supported life. For complete coverage, visit <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> or <a href="http://www.badastronomy.com/"><em>Bad Astronomy</em></a>. Of course, if <a href="http://www.wegrokit.com/stranger_in_a_strange_land.htm">Valentine Michael Smith</a> is spotted, I'm all over this story...</p> <p>In the mean time, watch this inspiring video by <a href="http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/05/26/phoenix-descending/">Phil Plait</a> as he describes why the lander's arrival image is his '<em>favorite picture of all time</em>':</p> <p><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GuYMOWyawe8&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GuYMOWyawe8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/stranger_in_a_strange_land.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/299089678" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/299089678/stranger_in_a_strange_land.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/stranger_in_a_strange_land.php Media and Science Tue, 27 May 2008 09:04:01 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/stranger_in_a_strange_land.php <p><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90766237"><img class="inset" alt="mapmonument.png" src="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/mapmonument.png" width="382" height="333" /></a>It's a rumor that has been percolating about the Hill for months... and now may be moving toward reality rapidly! Yes folks, it's time to get behind the Bush Administration on something.</p> <p>It seems George W. Bush has plans to leave a '<em><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90766237">blue legacy</a></em>' and to that I say, go for it Mr. President! </p> <p>No matter where you fall politically, we know our oceans are in serious peril due to overfishing, agricultural runoff, increased carbon sequestration, and a myriad of other threats. <a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/blogs/2007/11/are-there-fish-in-our-future-o.html#more">Fisheries are in dramatic decline</a>, the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/blogs/2007/11/ocean-acidification.html#more">pH of the marine environment</a> is changing, and we've got ocean <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2007/07/science_simpson_style.php">dead zones</a> almost the size of New Jersey. </p> <p>So now that our Commander-in-Chief appears ready to take unprecedented strides toward protecting the marine environment, let's do all we can collectively to make sure it happens!</p> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/president_bush_environmental_h.php#commentsArea">Read the comments on this post...</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~4/296879853" height="1" width="1"/> http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/intersection/~3/296879853/president_bush_environmental_h.php http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/president_bush_environmental_h.php Marine Science Fri, 23 May 2008 18:36:33 -0500 http://scienceblogs.com/intersection/2008/05/president_bush_environmental_h.php