Monthly Archives: August 2013

This one in Naples, Florida. Fortunately, the video “was sent to “MOUFON”, a UFO organization, in Ohio, where it’s being analyzed. ” Hopefully they’ll be able to determine whether these really were aliens. You can find the story here.

. . . for a while. The warming waters in the Gulf of Maine have led to record catches recently: “For decades, the lobster catches in the Gulf of Maine were very steady at about 20 million pounds per year. … Continue reading →

National Geographic investigates claims of paranormal abilities. Is the Sufi ability to withstand piercings in the body due to some supernatural force? Can martial arts practitioners use chi to knock over an opponent? Warning: The video includes some graphic sequences … Continue reading →

The standard criterion for considering a scientific study to be statistically significant is having a p-value less than 5%. This means that (according to the relevant background theory) there’s less than a one in twenty chance that the result in … Continue reading →

Sophistry or Philosophy? George Marshall discusses some practical advice — based on research in psychology and sociology — about how to talk to people if you want to change their minds (as opposed to simply engaging them in arguments). For … Continue reading →

Carl Zimmer at The Loom discusses archeopteryxs’ place in the transition between non-avian dinosaurs to birds. An important part of what makes a bird a bird is the size of its brain. In this respect, Archaeopteryx isn’t as closely related … Continue reading →

From a Physics Today article entitled “Communicating the Science of Climate Change. It’s always good to choose your words carefully, but this is especially true when terms used in science have slightly different meanings when used in everyday contexts.