The fizzle continues
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center today posted its monthly update of the ongoing sunspot cycle of the Sun. As I do every month, I am posting this graph, which you can see below the fold.
» Read more
Tag: science
New research suggests that — despite its known bad effects — weightlessness might actually slow the aging process.
New research suggests that — despite its known bad effects — weightlessness might actually slow the aging process.
Don’t jump into that spaceship yet! The research was done on worms, and is to put it mildly very preliminary. Moreover, none of the results change anything regarding the serious loss of bone density and the weakening of the muscles and cardiovascular system caused by weightlessness.
New research suggests that — despite its known bad effects — weightlessness might actually slow the aging process.
Don’t jump into that spaceship yet! The research was done on worms, and is to put it mildly very preliminary. Moreover, none of the results change anything regarding the serious loss of bone density and the weakening of the muscles and cardiovascular system caused by weightlessness.
New research has apparently disproven the Mono Lake research that suggested that arsenic might replace phosphorus as one of the basic building blocks of life.
The uncertainty of science: New research has apparently disproven the Mono Lake research that suggested that arsenic might replace phosphorus as one of the basic building blocks of life.
The uncertainty of science: New research has apparently disproven the Mono Lake research that suggested that arsenic might replace phosphorus as one of the basic building blocks of life.
A study has found that Americans and Europeans give directions differently.
And now for some important results! A study has found that Americans and Europeans give directions differently.
Americans were far more likely, across all tests, to give navigators a street name or a cardinal direction (i.e. north, east, south, or west). Dutch wayfinders, on the other hand, provided far more landmarks and left-right turn-descriptors.
And now for some important results! A study has found that Americans and Europeans give directions differently.
Americans were far more likely, across all tests, to give navigators a street name or a cardinal direction (i.e. north, east, south, or west). Dutch wayfinders, on the other hand, provided far more landmarks and left-right turn-descriptors.
Scientists can now use neutron detectors at the south pole to warn astronauts on ISS of incoming dangerous radiation.
Scientists can now use neutron detectors at the south pole to warn astronauts on ISS of incoming dangerous radiation.
Scientists can now use neutron detectors at the south pole to warn astronauts on ISS of incoming dangerous radiation.
An Israeli company has developed a medical marijuana strain that doesn’t make you high.
No one’s gotta get stoned: An Israeli company has developed a medical marijuana strain that doesn’t make you high.
I like this factoid, that the company’s research facility is at “an undisclosed location” in northern Israel.
No one’s gotta get stoned: An Israeli company has developed a medical marijuana strain that doesn’t make you high.
I like this factoid, that the company’s research facility is at “an undisclosed location” in northern Israel.
The only program surveying the southern sky for dangerous asteroids has lost its funding and will end this month.
The only program surveying the southern sky for dangerous asteroids has lost its NASA funding and will end this month.
The only program surveying the southern sky for dangerous asteroids has lost its NASA funding and will end this month.
Six patients are suing one of the world’s largest stem cell companies, accusing it of fraud.
Six patients are suing one of the world’s largest stem cell companies, accusing it of fraud.
The patients claim that at RNL workshops they were misled into believing that treatments, still in the experimental stage, had already been proven effective. They allege that Hong told them stem cells would cure all ailments from which they suffered, including diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, back pain and insomnia, and “reverse aging, restore health and virility including sex drive, and rejuvenate their body functions to that of their twenties and thirties.” They all say they have received no benefit from the treatments.
Altogether these patients spent $75,000 for these treatments.
It is very suspicious for any respectable medical institution to charge patients for experimental work. That should have been a red flag from the beginning.
Six patients are suing one of the world’s largest stem cell companies, accusing it of fraud.
The patients claim that at RNL workshops they were misled into believing that treatments, still in the experimental stage, had already been proven effective. They allege that Hong told them stem cells would cure all ailments from which they suffered, including diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, back pain and insomnia, and “reverse aging, restore health and virility including sex drive, and rejuvenate their body functions to that of their twenties and thirties.” They all say they have received no benefit from the treatments.
Altogether these patients spent $75,000 for these treatments.
It is very suspicious for any respectable medical institution to charge patients for experimental work. That should have been a red flag from the beginning.
Opportunity’s view from Mars, a panorama taken during the rover’s most recent winter stopover.
Opportunity’s view from Mars, a panorama taken during the rover’s recent winter stopover.
Opportunity’s view from Mars, a panorama taken during the rover’s recent winter stopover.
How the Higgs boson explains the universe.
How the Higgs boson explains the universe.
And what it can’t explain:
The discovery [by the existence of the Higgs boson] that nature is beautifully symmetric means we have very little choice in how the elementary particles do their dance – the rules simply “come for free”. Why the universe should be built in such an elegant fashion is not understood yet, but it leaves us with a sense of awe and wonder that we should be privileged to live in such a place.
Science discovers how the universe operates. Philosophy and religion try to explain why. Thus, it is perfectly reasonable in a rational world to consider the existence of God, and why musings about the possibility of intelligent design do not contradict pure science.
And I speak not as a religious person, but as a secular humanist.
How the Higgs boson explains the universe.
And what it can’t explain:
The discovery [by the existence of the Higgs boson] that nature is beautifully symmetric means we have very little choice in how the elementary particles do their dance – the rules simply “come for free”. Why the universe should be built in such an elegant fashion is not understood yet, but it leaves us with a sense of awe and wonder that we should be privileged to live in such a place.
Science discovers how the universe operates. Philosophy and religion try to explain why. Thus, it is perfectly reasonable in a rational world to consider the existence of God, and why musings about the possibility of intelligent design do not contradict pure science.
And I speak not as a religious person, but as a secular humanist.
Astronomers have found four different binary star systems with the stars orbiting so close to each other that they complete their orbits in less than four hours, orbits that astronomers had previously believed “impossible.”
The uncertainty of science: Astronomers have found four different binary star systems with the stars orbiting so close to each other that they complete their orbits in less than four hours, orbits that astronomers had previously believed “impossible.”
The uncertainty of science: Astronomers have found four different binary star systems with the stars orbiting so close to each other that they complete their orbits in less than four hours, orbits that astronomers had previously believed “impossible.”
Inexplicably, a dust disk detected around a star about 460 light years away has vanished in the last two years.
The uncertainty of science: Inexplicably, a dust disk detected around a star about 460 light years away has vanished in just two years.
The uncertainty of science: Inexplicably, a dust disk detected around a star about 460 light years away has vanished in just two years.
From CERN: The experiments have observed a “particle consistent with long-sought Higgs boson.”
From CERN: The experiments there have now observed a “particle consistent with long-sought Higgs boson.”
The press release also emphasizes repeatedly the preliminary nature of this result. More details in this article, including this not unexpected punchline if you know science:
Already, the new boson seems to be decaying slightly more often into pairs of gamma rays than was predicted by theories, says Bill Murray, a physicist on ATLAS, the other experiment involved in making the discovery.
From CERN: The experiments there have now observed a “particle consistent with long-sought Higgs boson.”
The press release also emphasizes repeatedly the preliminary nature of this result. More details in this article, including this not unexpected punchline if you know science:
Already, the new boson seems to be decaying slightly more often into pairs of gamma rays than was predicted by theories, says Bill Murray, a physicist on ATLAS, the other experiment involved in making the discovery.
The map that named the New World
Librarians in Germany announced today the discovery of a lost copy of the map that named the New World, hidden between the pages of a book for 200 years.
Librarians in Germany announced today the discovery of a lost copy of the map that named the New World, hidden between the pages of a book for 200 years.
Since 2006 carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. has plunged, almost reaching 1991 levels.
Since 2006 carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. have plunged, almost reaching 1991 levels.
The key driver for the “shockingly good news” that CO2 emissions will probably fall this year to a two-decade low … is “the shale gas revolution, and the low-priced gas that it has made a reality, especially in the last 12 months. As of April, gas tied coal at 32% of the electric power generation market, nearly ending coal’s 100 year reign on top of electricity markets (see related CD post on this energy milestone). Let’s remember the speed and extent of gas’s rise and coal’s drop: coal had 52% of the market in 2000 and 48% in 2008.”
It is important to note that it is innovation, technology, and capitalism that is making this happen. Without a free market the shale gas revolution would not have occurred.
Since 2006 carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. have plunged, almost reaching 1991 levels.
The key driver for the “shockingly good news” that CO2 emissions will probably fall this year to a two-decade low … is “the shale gas revolution, and the low-priced gas that it has made a reality, especially in the last 12 months. As of April, gas tied coal at 32% of the electric power generation market, nearly ending coal’s 100 year reign on top of electricity markets (see related CD post on this energy milestone). Let’s remember the speed and extent of gas’s rise and coal’s drop: coal had 52% of the market in 2000 and 48% in 2008.”
It is important to note that it is innovation, technology, and capitalism that is making this happen. Without a free market the shale gas revolution would not have occurred.
Hope and dispair for American bats: New results on the fungus that is killing them.
Hope and dispair for American bats: New results on the fungus that is killing them.
Hope and dispair for American bats: New results on the fungus that is killing them.
A nice summary of the scientific results so far returned by Messenger.
News from Mercury: A nice summary of some of the most important scientific results so far returned by Messenger.
News from Mercury: A nice summary of some of the most important scientific results so far returned by Messenger.
A newly discovered fossil of a very early dinosaur strongly suggests that all dinosaurs had some form of plumage.
A newly discovered fossil of a very early dinosaur strongly suggests that all dinosaurs had some form of plumage.
A newly discovered fossil of a very early dinosaur strongly suggests that all dinosaurs had some form of plumage.
A investigation has found that Japanese anesthesiologist, Yoshitaka Fujii, fabricated a 172 scientific papers over the past 19 years.
A investigation has found that Japanese anesthesiologist, Yoshitaka Fujii, fabricated a 172 scientific papers over the past 19 years.
The panel focused on 212 of 249 known Fujii papers. It tried to review the raw data, laboratory notebooks, and records on the patients or animal subjects involved. Committee members also interviewed relevant people. Among the 172 papers judged bogus, the report claims that 126 studies of randomized, double-blind, controlled trials “were totally fabricated.” The committee identified only three valid papers. For another 37 papers, the panel could not conclusively determine if there had been fabrication. …
The panel said that the responsibility of those co-authors ranges from “serious” to “none at all.” The only one of Fujii’s co-authors specifically named in the summary is University of Tsukuba anesthesiologist Hidenori Toyooka. The report says Toyooka “was not involved in fabrication but bears significant responsibility” since he was Fujii’s supervising professor both at Tsukuba and when they both worked at Tokyo Medical and Dental University. Toyooka is listed as a co-author of many of the papers cited by the 23 journal editors. … At the same time, the investigation found that some scientists were unaware Fujii had included them as co-authors. In one case, two supposed co-authors told the panel their signatures on a submission cover letter were forged. [emphasis mine]
For a scientist to get that many fabricated papers published for that long in peer-reviewed journals strongly suggests that there is widespread corruption in his field, which in this case is anesthesiology.
A investigation has found that Japanese anesthesiologist, Yoshitaka Fujii, fabricated a 172 scientific papers over the past 19 years.
The panel focused on 212 of 249 known Fujii papers. It tried to review the raw data, laboratory notebooks, and records on the patients or animal subjects involved. Committee members also interviewed relevant people. Among the 172 papers judged bogus, the report claims that 126 studies of randomized, double-blind, controlled trials “were totally fabricated.” The committee identified only three valid papers. For another 37 papers, the panel could not conclusively determine if there had been fabrication. …
The panel said that the responsibility of those co-authors ranges from “serious” to “none at all.” The only one of Fujii’s co-authors specifically named in the summary is University of Tsukuba anesthesiologist Hidenori Toyooka. The report says Toyooka “was not involved in fabrication but bears significant responsibility” since he was Fujii’s supervising professor both at Tsukuba and when they both worked at Tokyo Medical and Dental University. Toyooka is listed as a co-author of many of the papers cited by the 23 journal editors. … At the same time, the investigation found that some scientists were unaware Fujii had included them as co-authors. In one case, two supposed co-authors told the panel their signatures on a submission cover letter were forged. [emphasis mine]
For a scientist to get that many fabricated papers published for that long in peer-reviewed journals strongly suggests that there is widespread corruption in his field, which in this case is anesthesiology.
The U.S.-based physicists announced today that their data suggests that the Higgs boson exists.
Rumors of Higgs: The U.S.-based physicists announced today that their data suggests that the Higgs boson exists.
Meanwhile, there are hints that a major announcement from the Large Hadron Collider concerning the discovery of a major new particle will be announced on Wednesday.
Rumors of Higgs: The U.S.-based physicists announced today that their data suggests that the Higgs boson exists.
Meanwhile, there are hints that a major announcement from the Large Hadron Collider concerning the discovery of a major new particle will be announced on Wednesday.
The sex life of a living rock.
The sex life of a living rock. With video.
The sex life of a living rock. With video.
The journal Science once again excuses scientific fraud
Science has once again decided to make excuses for scientific fraud.
The first link is describes Science’s willingness in 2011 to excuse the illegal effort of Phil Jones and Michael Mann to delete emails in the climategate scandal. The second link is Science’s effort today to protect another scientist, social scientist Dirk Smeesters, who — as described in the third link — was forced to resign from his university and retract two papers after being caught fudging data to produce the results he wanted.
This quote below however — from the Science article itself — should have been all a scientific peer-reviewed journal like Science should have needed to know:
Smeesters repeated in the interview what he told the university: That he only engaged in so-called data massaging, a “large grey area” in his field, and that the raw data for some of his experiments were lost when his home computer crashed. Paper records for the studies, he added, also disappeared when he moved his office. [emphasis mine]
A scientist who admits that he fiddled with his raw data to get the results he wants, and then admits losing that raw data so that no one can check him deserves no defense ever from the scientific community. That Science is willing to make such a defense is further evidence that something is really rotten in the established upper echelons of American science.
Science has once again decided to make excuses for scientific fraud.
The first link is describes Science’s willingness in 2011 to excuse the illegal effort of Phil Jones and Michael Mann to delete emails in the climategate scandal. The second link is Science’s effort today to protect another scientist, social scientist Dirk Smeesters, who — as described in the third link — was forced to resign from his university and retract two papers after being caught fudging data to produce the results he wanted.
This quote below however — from the Science article itself — should have been all a scientific peer-reviewed journal like Science should have needed to know:
Smeesters repeated in the interview what he told the university: That he only engaged in so-called data massaging, a “large grey area” in his field, and that the raw data for some of his experiments were lost when his home computer crashed. Paper records for the studies, he added, also disappeared when he moved his office. [emphasis mine]
A scientist who admits that he fiddled with his raw data to get the results he wants, and then admits losing that raw data so that no one can check him deserves no defense ever from the scientific community. That Science is willing to make such a defense is further evidence that something is really rotten in the established upper echelons of American science.
Scientists have identified the oldest known impact crater on Earth, three billion years old.
Scientists have identified the oldest known impact crater on Earth, three billion years old.
Scientists have identified the oldest known impact crater on Earth, three billion years old.
Astronomers think they have found the fastest moving pulsar yet found, flying through space at between 5 to 6 million miles per hour.
Running away: Astronomers think they have found the fastest moving pulsar yet found, flying through space at between 5 to 6 million miles per hour.
Running away: Astronomers think they have found the fastest moving pulsar yet found, flying through space at between 5 to 6 million miles per hour.
The new X-ray telescope NuSTAR has opened its eye and taken its first images.
The new X-ray telescope NuSTAR has opened its eye and taken its first images.
The new X-ray telescope NuSTAR has opened its eye and taken its first images.
Data of the tidal fluxes on Titan by the Cassini spacecraft now suggest that there is a liquid ocean below Titan’s icy crust.
Data of the tidal fluxes on Titan by the Cassini spacecraft now suggest that there is a liquid ocean below Titan’s icy crust.
The team’s analyses suggest that the surface of the moon can rise and fall by up to 10 metres during each orbit, says Iess. That degree of warpage suggests that Titan’s interior is relatively deformable, the team reports today in Science1. Several models of the moon’s internal structure suggest such flexibility — including a model in which the moon is solid but soft and squishy throughout. But the researchers contend that the most likely model of Titan is one in which an icy shell dozens of kilometres thick floats atop a global ocean. The team’s findings, together with the results of previous studies, hint that Titan’s ocean may lie no more than 100 km below the moon’s surface.
Data of the tidal fluxes on Titan by the Cassini spacecraft now suggest that there is a liquid ocean below Titan’s icy crust.
The team’s analyses suggest that the surface of the moon can rise and fall by up to 10 metres during each orbit, says Iess. That degree of warpage suggests that Titan’s interior is relatively deformable, the team reports today in Science1. Several models of the moon’s internal structure suggest such flexibility — including a model in which the moon is solid but soft and squishy throughout. But the researchers contend that the most likely model of Titan is one in which an icy shell dozens of kilometres thick floats atop a global ocean. The team’s findings, together with the results of previous studies, hint that Titan’s ocean may lie no more than 100 km below the moon’s surface.
Solar scientists think they have found out what heats the Sun’s atmosphere: Giant solar tornadoes thousands of miles high.
Solar scientists think they have found out what heats the Sun’s atmosphere: Giant solar tornadoes thousands of miles high.
Solar scientists think they have found out what heats the Sun’s atmosphere: Giant solar tornadoes thousands of miles high.
Scientists have found a previously unknown mineral embedded in a meteorite that crashed to Earth in 1969.
Scientists have found a previously unknown mineral embedded in a meteorite that crashed to Earth in 1969.
Dubbed panguite, the new titanium oxide is named after Pan Gu, the giant from ancient Chinese mythology who established the world by separating yin from yang to create the earth and the sky. … “Panguite is an especially exciting discovery since it is not only a new mineral, but also a material previously unknown to science,” says Chi Ma, a senior scientist and director of the Geological and Planetary Sciences division’s Analytical Facility at Caltech and corresponding author on the paper.
Scientists have found a previously unknown mineral embedded in a meteorite that crashed to Earth in 1969.
Dubbed panguite, the new titanium oxide is named after Pan Gu, the giant from ancient Chinese mythology who established the world by separating yin from yang to create the earth and the sky. … “Panguite is an especially exciting discovery since it is not only a new mineral, but also a material previously unknown to science,” says Chi Ma, a senior scientist and director of the Geological and Planetary Sciences division’s Analytical Facility at Caltech and corresponding author on the paper.
Brookhaven Labs has achieved the hottest man-made temperature ever, 4 trillion degrees Celsius.
Brookhaven Labs has achieved the hottest man-made temperature ever, 4 trillion degrees Celsius.
In the process, the scientists have found that matter at these temperatures acts more like a liquid than a gas, something they did not expect.
Brookhaven Labs has achieved the hottest man-made temperature ever, 4 trillion degrees Celsius.
In the process, the scientists have found that matter at these temperatures acts more like a liquid than a gas, something they did not expect.
The scientific stupidity of the TSA’s security rules.
The scientific stupidity of the TSA’s security rules.
Here’s one example from the article:
Take the Transportation Security Administration’s rules about carry-on electronics, for example. Laptops have to come out of their bags and lie flat in a plastic tub—but not tablets, phones, Kindles, cameras or portable game consoles. Why the distinction? The TSA says that it’s not just about detecting explosives: removing bigger gadgets also unclutters your bag for better x-ray examination. Even so, on close inspection the rules get arbitrary very quickly. For example, according to the TSA, the 11-inch model of the MacBook Air is fine to leave in your bag, but the 13-inch model must be removed.
The scientific stupidity of the TSA’s security rules.
Here’s one example from the article:
Take the Transportation Security Administration’s rules about carry-on electronics, for example. Laptops have to come out of their bags and lie flat in a plastic tub—but not tablets, phones, Kindles, cameras or portable game consoles. Why the distinction? The TSA says that it’s not just about detecting explosives: removing bigger gadgets also unclutters your bag for better x-ray examination. Even so, on close inspection the rules get arbitrary very quickly. For example, according to the TSA, the 11-inch model of the MacBook Air is fine to leave in your bag, but the 13-inch model must be removed.