This one seems to be firmly in the ‘nature good, man-made bad’ camp. Doctors, drug companies and journalists alike refuse to acknowledge that what they manufacture, prescribe and pontiificate about is harmful to each and every human being. If children become poisoned, as reported [the writer is referring to a recent case where a child […]
Continue readingYear: 2011
another lovely biological image
Grant & I have something of an ongoing friendly competition to come up with stunning & unusual biological images. Here,via PZ (as usual!) & The Node is my latest offering: It’s a confocal microscope image of a squid embryo. The reddish areas are neural tissue (mmmm, braaaainzz) & each of those fluorescent green speckles is a tuft […]
Continue readingwaiter, there’s a fish in my cucumber!
My sea cucumber, that is. I was going to write something full of snark about the current brouhaha around predictions that the world is going to end on May 21st. But Darcy has beaten me to it! So instead (from the Echinoblog, and via PZ) I offer you… [drumroll]… the sea cucumber with fish residing in its nether […]
Continue readingpink – not for boys?
Over on Sciblogs, Michael Edmonds has written about a report from the US, wherein a mother is castigated for putting (wait for it!) pink nailpolish on her son’s toenails. Apparently the response in some quarters has been one of Shock, horror! The poor child will be scarred for life.
Continue readingwhy geologists are wrong, wrong, wrong! about the age of the earth
I came across the following diagram on Peter Bowditch’s wonderful The Millenium Project. Like him, I hope it’s a poe; but nonetheless, I find it has a certain dreadful fascination. Who knew that geologists could get it so wrong?
Continue readingon academic honesty
I’m marking at the moment (essays & dissertations) and also (when I need a break) reading James Lang’s book On Course: a week-by-week guide to your first semester of college teaching. (Yes, I know I’ve been teaching for yonks, but I know there’s always something new for me to learn & also it’s nice to look […]
Continue readingweird ‘science’ letter of the week
Some of my colleagues over at Sciblogs (NZ) publish the occasional ‘crazy science’ letter. I thought I would join them, having just read the following in one of our local free papers. Fluoride and Viagra – what do they have in common? As it turns out, a lot.
Continue readingvision and change: biology education for all students
That’s the title of the first chapter in the AAAS’s Vision and change report. It should cause tertiary biology educators to pause & think – because not all of the students sitting in our first-year classes are biology majors or, indeed, science majors. In my own Faculty around 1/6 of those students will be taking my papers […]
Continue readingvision & change in undergraduate biology education
Last week our department began to review its biology curriculum. I have a sneaking suspicion that some folks were hoping that one day was pretty much ‘it’, but realistically we’ll be continuing the process for some time. Which is just as well, because Grant has pointed me at a document that I would have liked […]
Continue reading‘darwin’s dilemma’ – id in nz
A little while ago Ken alerted me to an Intelligent Design website that appeared to be set up to provide ID ‘resources’ to teachers & others who might be interested. Today I found time to wander over & have a look at what was on offer (not much, at the moment). The site’s owner is […]
Continue reading