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Posts made in December, 2012

God Particle Guy Versus Guy Who Hates God

It's not biology versus physics but in many ways it is science versus culture: Peter Higgs, he of the Higgs Boson, colloquially called 'the God particle', doesn't think much of Richard Dawkins, the biologist not famous for biology but rather for hating religion.Why does Dawkins, and by extension a number of biologists, hate religion so much and why don't more physicists give a crap?  Don't...

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A Christmas Galen For Science 2.0

In May of last year, I accepted an invitation from Prof. Dave Deamer to visit U.C. Santa Cruz and it game me the chance to meet Dr. Dick Gordon and also to visit the home of Dr. Bruce Damer. read...

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15 Wonderful Words With No English Equivalent

From the books The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World, Bill de Main looks at 15 examples of words from different languages that have no English equivalent. I  particularly like the Italian word slampadato which describes someone addicted to ultraviolet salons, and the Inuit iktsuarpok which means to go out often to check if a guest has arrived. But de...

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We Want To Believe: 86% Of Shoppers Make Buying Decisions Based On Sustainability

Industry Intelligence Inc., formerly ForestWeb, does surveys-for-hire in a number of industries, covering everything from food to paper to packaging.  Their 2012 EcoFocus trend survey addressed what makes the 'eco-friendly shopper' tick and concluded what marketing people who have bankrolled the future of their employers on sustainability want to see; 86% of U.S. adult grocery shoppers are...

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Why Do So Many Dogs Commit Suicide Off This Bridge In Scotland?

Over the past 50 years, about 50 dogs have jumped to their deaths from the exact same spot on the 100-year-old Overtoun Bridge in Milton, near Dumbarton, Scotland.What gives?  Almost all the incidents have taken place on clear, sunny days and the dogs always being long-nosed breeds – collies, retrievers and labs.  The canine suicide spot is located between the last two parapets...

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