Interesting scientific stuff

Yes, I saw that, too. I hope the solution to this problem is developed quickly. Last summer, I had a colony of bees using one of my raised vegetable beds and didn't want to disturb them, but wanted advice. They weren't honey bees. I contacted the local beekeepers asociation, who were helpful. During this time, I discovered that there is a vast network of local beekeepers who, like the bees, are busily doing their bit to help the honey bee population without making any sort of a fuss. They sent me a list of local beekeepers in case I was interested in joining their group, and I was astonished to see how many people keep bees in urban areas, using any spare land they can find. One woman lives in a high rise block of flats and keeps her bees in the compound that the caretaker has. She says they gather nectar from miles away so it doesn't matter that they have an inner city beehive. Fascinating!

When I read a journalist's version of some interesting research, I like to take a look at the actual research. Not that I can always understand the detail, but there is usually more meat and less fantasy, and you can see how the research was carried out.

So an article in the science pages of the DT on a report by the Encyclopedia Britannica on common scientific misconceptions (From a list of options, 16% of 1,000 people believed radioactivity was discovered by Dr Emmett Brown, a character from the Back to the Future films - about 1 in 6) sent me looking for the report.

I wanted to see whether they quoted a significance rating for this finding, compared with what could have been achieved quite randomly. How many options were there, and what were they? After all, the EB is a respected institution, isn't it? They would not publish a misleading result.

It does not appear to be accessible. Apparently EB is launching "Britannica Pathways" to help science teachers correct these misconceptions - for a cost I assume? (Are science teachers not supposed to teach proper science anyway?)

Surely one of the ways to improve everyone's scientific knowledge is to make facts available to all, and for journalists to make sure they find out and pass on the quality of the research as well as the astounding conclusions?

Forgot the link, sorry. www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8997529/Britains-biggest-science-misconceptions-revealed.html

For patterns try Fibanacci numbers.think I spelt that right.

New species found around sea vents near Antarctica:

www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/plos-wd122811.php

Listened to Stephen Hawking on the car radio on Friday and was struck by the 'sameness' of what he said, come to think of it how does he speak? I know it's some sort of voice synthesiser(?) but how are his thoughts translated into speech?
Professor Brian Cox gets my vote for making astronomy/astro-physics interesting AND understandable!
Bagitha saw the item, amazing how life can exist in such inhospitable circumstances.

He has a device implanted in his mouth that works by using a muscle, but apparently his muscle strength is fading and he may not be able to use his synthesised voice for much longer.

OGM - I think Brian Cox makes it all very accessible too - but the invisible "report" by the encycloppedia Britannica that I was quoting below "found" that 7% of people in their survey thought Brian Cox was the author of Isaac Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, also known as the Principia.

He looks pretty good to be that old.

Here is a fun thing. The comment by Tony Marshallsay will make sense to other sailors and perhaps to a few more. It made me smile, and it has the Ockham's razor appeal.

www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328475.200-mystery-of-the-moving-antarctic-lakes.html

"Look Elsewhere For The Answer
Fri Jan 20 10:38:09 GMT 2012 by Tony Marshallsay

I think the fact that the lakes are moving faster than the ice sheet would come as no surprise to a sailor used to tacking across the wind"

Interesting comments from the readers about convection and the way that water moves around in the lakes because of differing temperatures - I've learned something new there bags. Thanks - I really enjoy reading these scientific features you post x

I've started listening to a series of Open Yale lectures given by Stephen Stearns. They are on the subject of evolutionary biology and I think this link will take you to them. Lecture 1 is down the page a bit:

videolectures.net/site/search/?q=stearns

If you're interested in some other part of science (or parts of the humanities or 'woteva'), there are plenty of other open resources. What a great idea the idea of an open university was. Thanks, Harold Wilson.

Sand dunes on Titan:

www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-021

bagitha Love your science forum.I've always been fascinated by patterns in nature.Somewhere I've got a folder of cuttings from my pharmacy journals of electron microscope photos of molecules,bacteria.so varied and colourful.I must dig it out.
Your photos are superb!.I only have a pocket digital camera but love taking photos of wee creatures,spiders,caterpillars,moths,etc as well as flower buds,ferns,fungi - and amazing skies!

I love occam's razor, I keep quoting it and get funny looks!

I thought Prof Hawking had to type what he wanted to say, and it was then "spoken"? That's the impression I got a few weeks ago on the "Today" programme on Radio 4.

It used to be operated by his finger phoenix but was adapted to utilise his working facial muscles and he now has a device in his cheek that signals for the text being typed, which is then spoken.

Not sure its ability to distil booze is its most important quality, but this looks interesting notwithstanding the fact that I am always wary of anything that claims to be a miracle! Mind you, that's just journo-speak, isn't it, so I guess we don't need to worry:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16747208

well the headline has very little to do with the content!

Quite. Why do they do that?

Arachnophobes, steer clear of this beautiful and fascinating spider:

epod.usra.edu/blog/2012/01/spider-tension-turns-caustic.html

Ice and salt triangles on Utah Lake:

epod.usra.edu/blog/2012/02/ice-on-utah-lake.html

Fascinating!

Absolutely stunning pictures:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16852264

Yes ...especially that cancer cell being attacked!!

News about the remotest research station on earth (in (on?) Antarctica). It takes longer to get there than it does to get to the International Space Station:

www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMVGAI8RXG_index_0.html