Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
The Periodic Table has been extended and we now have four new elements on it. Here is an illustration of them (via Phil Plate) … The Official Press Release So who gets to pick such things? The answer is that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) does this, and the process involved is … Read more
As a kid I loved the idea of UFOs and so I fed myself on a constant diet of stuff gleaned from bookstores that would weave tales of ancient and modern aliens visitors, and I do not mean just the science fiction, but the claims of supposedly real aliens. It was all stuff that made many professionals familiar … Read more
It is commonly understood that humans need to sleep roughly about 7-9 hours each night. That of course is not a one size fits all, it varies with age – a newborn will be in the range of 11-19 hours, teens 7-11 hours, and the over 65 5-9 hours. Have we always had one continuous sleep cycle? Historian Roger … Read more
Richard Dawkins was originally scheduled to give a talk at the Washington Reason Rally last weekend, but unfortunately due to the minor stroke he had a couple of months ago in February, he was not able to travel. He did however record a message that was played there, and that is now online on YouTube. … Read more
When faced with the big C, either personally or perhaps somebody close, we would all be willing to try any and every option available. There is of course mainstream medicine and that would and should be utilised as best we can, that is beyond debate (I hope). However, where personal choice can play a role … Read more
Science within the early Islamic world flourished, and in many respects did not simply rival what was happening elsewhere, but it some aspects surpassed it, and yet today right across the Islamic sphere of influence superstition and ignorance generally prevails. What happened, what went wrong, and are there lessons we can perhaps learn from that decline? … Read more
