ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 552
February 26, 2016
Talking Serious Science Using Scissors And Glue
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A partial of a hand-drawn poster showing the relationship between tumour suppressor and oncogenes in cancer. Kate Patterson. Author provided
A student once told me that she would prefer to learn from pages of writing rather than from a single, concise image. When she told me, I think I may have actually frowned and I definitely paused, just long enough to feel slightly uncomfortable and to see that she was not just being reactionary; frustrated at the challenging task we had set.
As a strong visual thinker, learning from well-constructed diagrams is my preference so, to me, the idea that someone would knowingly choose text over a visual option seems utterly preposterous.
Identification Of Animals And Plants Is An Essential Skill Set
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La Trobe University students learning how to identify plants near Falls Creek. Susan Lawler
I have recently been made abundantly aware of the lack of field skills among biology students, even those who major in ecology. By field skills we mean the ability to identify plants and animals, to recognise invasive species and to observe the impact of processes such as fire on the landscape.
What We’re Reading
1,000 more suggestions
Marley Dias asked a question: "Can I find 1,000 books with black girls like me as central characters?" So far she's collected 4,000! And Marley's only 11 years old. Pretty inspiring. Hope you'll be inspired by this hand-picked collection of articles about climate change and evolution.
Seas Are Rising at Fastest Rate in Last 28 Centuries, The New York Times, February 22, 2016 — Scientists are estimating a sea level rise of 3-4 feet by the year 2100. Gulp!
Mo' Parsimony, Mo' Problems, February 22, 2016 — At Extinct, the Philosophy of Paleontology blog, Leonard Finkelman discusses ParsimonyGate—the dispute over a recent editorial in Cladistics announcing the journal's insistence on analyzing phylogenetic data using parsimony—from the point of view of the paleontologist. He provocatively concludes: "paleontologists always have an a priori reason for favoring methods other than cladistic parsimony whereas other life scientists do not."
When Biology Meets Ideology, MIT Technology Review, February 23, 2016 — Discussing Loren Graham's new book Lysenko's Ghost (2016), Maggie Koerth-Baker compares the political uses of creationism in the United States and of Lysenkoism in the Soviet Union. "The ways that politics, religion, cultural norms, and ideologies of all kinds distort science is at the heart of Lysenko’s Ghost."
Similar Data, Different Conclusions, The Scientist, February 23, 2016 — Richard E. Lenski and Zachary Blount—known for their work on the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with E. coli—criticize a scientific paper coauthored by a Fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture for claiming that "no new genetic information evolved" when E. coli gains the new ability to grow on citrate in the presence of oxygen.
One NCSE blogger recommends: Three Days to Mars: How laser propulsion could revolutionize space travel, Christian Science Monitor, Feb 23 2016 — This article describes a new, theoretically possible mechanism by which manned spacecraft might be able to explore our solar system "ideally without crushing any passengers". However, another blogger points out that Ethan Siegel thinks this is oversold in Sorry, But Lasers Aren’t Taking You to Mars Anytime Soon.
The Origin of Left and Right, The Atlantic, February 25, 2016 — The inimitable Ed Young reports on a new study on the deep evolutionary roots of asymmetry. "[T]he team exposed embryonic frogs to the same formin-blocking chemicals, and found that many grew up with mirror-imaged internal organs. Snails and frogs have been separated by almost 900 million years of evolution."
Will Evolution Doom the Cheetah? Understanding Evolution, February 2016 — Guest author Christopher Emerling explains how two genetic bottlenecks, 100,000 then 12,000 years ago, conspired to dramatically reduce the genetic variability of cheetah populations. For once, it seems a species landed in extinction-adjacent hot water without the help of humans…hooray?
photo credit: Andrea Cipriani Mecchi
Clinical Trials For Childhood Cancer Drugs Are Critical, But Parents Don’t Always Understand What They Are Signing Up For
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Do parents know enough about clinical trials to give informed consent? Sick child image via www.shutterstock.com.
Each week in the United States, about 300 children are diagnosed with cancer. Many of them will be offered treatment as part of a clinical trial that tests different drugs or different ways to give standard drugs.
The dramatic improvements in survival for children with cancer depend on these clinical trials, and these trials depend on parents understanding the possible risks and benefits involved.
February 25, 2016
Fatal French Drug Trial Had Already Killed Dogs in Preclinical Tests
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Biotrial director Francois Peaucelle said the company did not have any doubts about proceeding to human trials. Loic Venance/Getty Images
A painkiller that left one person dead and four others with brain damage during a disastrous clinical trial in France last month had already proved fatal to dogs during previous tests, according to French newspaper Le Figaro. It's unknown how many dogs there were, although the information appears to suggest they suffered neurological damage.
Bill Gates Predicts Clean Energy Breakthrough “Within 15 Years”
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Gates states that we need a "miracle" in order to solve the climate change problem. JStore/Shutterstock
In their annual open letter, Bill and Melinda Gates outline what they plan to focus their philanthropic efforts on, and have this year highlighted three major issues: climate change, energy poverty, and gender inequality. The only way to avoid the dramatic and devastating effects that climate change will bring, writes Bill Gates, is to develop a clean and cheap form of energy.
Zika Virus Linked To Stillbirth In Brazil
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Over 4,000 children have been born with Zika-linked microcephaly. This new case would be the first stillbirth linked to the virus. Mario Tama/Getty
The Zika virus is currently spreading around the world, and health officials are understandably concerned. Pregnant mothers infected with the mosquito-borne virus are giving birth to babies with abnormally shrunken heads – a condition known as microcephaly – and the virus is thought to be to blame.
Gorillas Hum Little Songs While They Eat
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Png Studio Photography/Shutterstock
Whistling and humming while you go about your daily business might seem like typical human behavior, but according to a new study, gorillas also enjoy “singing” and “humming” when enjoying a tasty meal.
Making vocal calls when eating food is a trait commonly seen in birds and mammals, but it's also seen in other great apes such as chimpanzees and bonobos. However, there’s only passing anecdotal evidence of the behavior in gorillas.
Antibodies Of Ebola Survivor Found To Cure Infected Monkeys
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A new outbreak could occur anytime, so a vaccine is desperately needed. Lemon Tree Images/Shutterstock
The potential for another Ebola epidemic is high, so work on developing a treatment or vaccine for the disease is of paramount importance.
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