Reading the comments on a recent Stuff article,I was reminded of the aphorism attributed to Mark Twain: Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Continue readingYear: 2013
fluoridation – but wait, there’s more
At noon today the NZ Herald had an on-line forum around fluoridation. Aside from engendering a bit of frustration (it took ages for comments to get past moderation), following the chat was an interesting experience. It also left me with questions/comments that weren’t addressed in the relatively short time available. (The forum included Dr Jonathan […]
Continue readingfluoridation (where did science communication go wrong?)
I’m currently reading through the background information prepared for Hamilton City councillors ahead of the meeting they had yesterday, at which they decided to end the fluoridation of Hamilton’s water supply. Right now I’m beginning to think that those of us who are science educators & communicators have done something very wrong, because in the […]
Continue readingwhy everyone must understand science
(& a big ‘thank you!’ to Jean Fleming for showing me this on Facebook) This video featuring philosopher A.C. Grayling, on the BBC’s ‘Future’ page (which alas! did not give an embed code), is a must watch for those concerned with (& about) science literacy. Noting that many people feel excluded by science, he explains […]
Continue readingpretty jelly
I’ve got heaps on at work at the moment, but there’s always time to share a lovely picture 🙂 So here’s the stunning Australian spotted jellyfish, Phyllorhiza punctata. It’s native to Australian waters but has apparently become an invasive species elsewhere (eg in the Gulf of Mexico). And yes, I found it on FB: Photo: Mister […]
Continue readinga great synopsis of evolution? no, i don’t think so
The great & wonderful FB (</snark>) this morning delivered me a link to this video, describing it as ‘a great depiction of the process of evolution’. To which, having watched it, I can only say, ‘no, I don’t think so’. Why? Well, apart from the music (repetitive rap-style tracks don’t do a lot for me, […]
Continue readingperhaps the most inspiring graduation address i have ever heard
At the recent graduation ceremony for students from Waikato University’s Faculty of Science & Engineering (& those from its sister Faculty, Computing & Mathematical Sciences), we were privileged to hear an absolutely inspirational address from the recipient of an honorary Doctorate at that ceremony: Dr Gordon Stephenson. And I mean, inspirational! After the event I […]
Continue readingthought-provoking video, pity about the title…
… for I fear the title (not to mention the image below!) of this video by Thunderf00t would put many off if they were not forewarned. A real pity, as the video contains some thought-provoking ideas, eg: the total value of a discovery is the product of data (the utility of an idea) & metadata (can […]
Continue readingout of the mouths of students
We’ve been trialling some software for on-line paper/teaching appraisals & I got my results back the other day. The appraisal form included open-ended questions where students could give extended feedback on particular issues that concerned them, & I’ve been going through it all so that I can give feedback in my turn, thus ‘closing the […]
Continue readingaquatic apes & custard elephants
The ‘aquatic ape’ hypothesis (it can’t be described as a theory) has been around for quite a while, & in fact I’ve blogged about it before. So I was sorry to hear that Sir David Attenborough, who’s done so much to promote conservation issues and enhance our understanding of the natural world, appeared to have […]
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