Category Archives: Science news

Why no wheels? At Gambler’s House, teofilo endeavors to explain why ancient cultures throughout the Americas didn’t make use of the wheel — even when they understood its principles! Acro-tastic! (with additional GADZOOKS!). Over at we are all in the … Continue reading →

The Giant’s Shoulders #25 is officially out at The Dispersal of Darwin, and it marks the two year anniversary since the first carnival!  In honor of it, Michael has put together a truly massive list of posts for the month, … Continue reading →

It was, perhaps not surprisingly, a relatively quiet week in research blogging, but there were still lots of great posts! Men, English, and international romance. We begin this week with a post about international relationships, specifically of Japanese folks with … Continue reading →

In spite of all the craziness in the blogosphere right now (or perhaps because of it), this seemed like a good time to remind people that there are 7 days left until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #25, to … Continue reading →

Eclipse in The Odyssey: Science Meets Mythology. It has been long suspected that one passage in Homer’s Odyssey describes an actual solar eclipse, but has been mostly speculation.   A recent investigation, described by agoldstein at Beyond the Bench, provides tantalizing … Continue reading →

Pouring oil on ‘troubled waters’. Historically, sailors believed they could calm choppy water by pouring oil on it, and small-scale tests indicate at least a partial truth to this.  Could the Gulf oil spill have a similar effect?  In a … Continue reading →

Reflections on the Gulf Oil Spill – Conversations With My Grandpa. Over at Observations of a Nerd, Christie hits it out of the park by talking about the Gulf oil spill with an expert on cleanup strategies: her Grandpa! Aircraft … Continue reading →

The Giant’s Shoulders #24 is up over at Jost a Mon, and to celebrate the 24th edition it includes a timeline of discoveries made in the 24th year of each century !  Many thanks to Fëanor for assembling such an … Continue reading →

A Bonobo in the Hand or Two Chimps in the Bush? Do different species of primates have the same perception of risk, or does it depend on their feeding habits and environment?  With some clever imagery, Jason at The Thoughtful … Continue reading →