I love the "March of Science" that now displays itself every day in a bland, non-partisan and stupefying way, don't you? Here's a selection of today's "revelations" -- and they are jaw-dropping as usual. Remember, people are actually paid to do this research.
Women Who Smoke At Increased Risk Of Lung Disease That one took you by surprise, right?
Asian Cockroaches Could Aid Texas Growers Doing the jobs that American cockroaches won't do.
Circumcision Doesn't Reduce Sexual Satisfaction And Performance, Says Study Of 4,500 Men Sort of depends on how soon after the operation, doesn't it?
Intelligent design: New Laboratory Robot Can Lift The Burden Of Boring Work
2008 Likely To Be One Of The Top-ten Warmest Years Now you might think that would be bad news, right?
Well, you'd be wrong because: More Sun Exposure May Be Good For Some People
Rainforests. Now you don't see them. Now you do: No Convincing Evidence For Decline In Tropical Forests
Breakthrough medical technique: Colonoscopy Fears Overcome When Patients Support Patients Hey, I'm not going back just to hold someone. Not even in a manly way.
Today's "No shit, Sherlock" Award goes to: Emergency Responders At High Risk To Miss Work Because Of Injuries, with honorable mention to: Violent Shaking Pulps The Infant Brain, Forensic Researchers Find
And finally, Why Are Chickens Getting So Fat? Because they crossed the road to the McDonalds?
UPDATE: This just in -- New Risk to Earth Found in Supernova Explosions First the global freezing, then the ozone hole, then the alar scare, then the warming, then the comet strike and now, now this, the FINAL INSULT! I tell you if this keeps up, sooner or later every single person alive on the Earth today is going to be dead.
Posted by Vanderleun at January 8, 2008 3:24 AM | TrackBackFrom the supernova article: "It also happens to be tilted about 45 degrees from the line of sight to Earth, so any type of gamma-ray burst, a high-energy outburst expected with this star's eventual eruption, would miss the Earth."
OK, Mr Smarty-Pants Science Reporter, how does THAT work? Is this star, like...uhh, around a corner or something? Isn't everything in the observable franken' universe in direct line of sight of the Earth? Otherwise, HOW COULD WE SEE IT?
Posted by: mike anderson at January 8, 2008 5:30 AMIt would all be amusing if it wasn't taken so seriously by that force for ultimate good.....the MSM.
Posted by: Jimmy J. at January 8, 2008 9:43 AMOne more for the road:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/06/AR2008010600771.html?nav=hcmodule
I'm waiting for some neurologist to report an association between reading the MSM and early-onset dementia.
Posted by: Connecticut Yankee at January 8, 2008 2:13 PMGamma emitting stars, called GRVs, emit gamma radiation in jets, not omnidirectionally. The direction of the jets is related to the direction the poles of the star are pointing. That is, the gammas jets emit from the poles outward. So if the poles of the star are not pointed at the earth, the gammas radiation will miss us.
But things might be even worse than that!
Posted by: Donald Sensing at January 8, 2008 7:36 PMGerard, I'm a fan, but you are kind of missing the point, and taking a cheap shot, here.
In general, if you are reading something written for the public about science and you find it to be stupid, that stupidity is nearly always attributable to the reporter, and not the scientists.
People are "actually paid" to do this research because it is interesting and useful. This is true, even if a reporter misses the point of the study, or fails to capture the point in 300 words at a 6th grade reading level. In fact, just reading to the bottom of the 300 word article is usually enough to give you a hint as to what the real point behind the "Duh" headline is.
Posted by: DTLV at January 16, 2008 1:06 PMActually, you've a point and I do recognize the stupidity of science reporting and headline writing. In a very real sense that's the subtext here. It just doesn't work very well if you come out and say it. You have to depend on people getting it and well some people just won't . Tant pis.
Posted by: at January 16, 2008 1:23 PM"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated to combat spam and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.