Category Archives: Science

Adapting scientific illustration to modern needs

Posted on February 25, 2012 by cicada

The Bora Zivkovic pointed out this article by Brian Hayes for American Scientist. After convincingly arguing that static, 2D scientific figures (in research papers and in popular science writing) fail to maximize the communicative potential of current technology, Hayes suggests … Continue reading →

Posted in Data Visualization, Science | Comments Off

“You’re radiant, Nikola.” “No, Marie, you’re electrifying.”

Posted on February 19, 2012 by cicada

The folks at eavesmade used to only have scientist ornaments. Now they have scientist valentines and coasters. Adorable! (Can you guess what Wallace and Mendel say on their Valentines?)

Posted in Biology, Conspicuous consumption, Frivolity, History of Science, Science | Comments Off

Whale Fall

Posted on February 19, 2012 by cicada

Whale Fall (after life of a whale) by Sharon Shattuck is a charming and unusual film that uses paper puppetry to show the ecological “afterlife” of a whale. The overall effect is a little Steve Zissou, a little arts-and-crafts, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Ephemera, Film, Video & Music, Science | Comments Off

Helping a young postdoc help elephants

Posted on December 13, 2011 by cicada

Shermin de Silva just finished her PhD. Now she wants to continue her research on Asian elephants, the lesser-studied cousins of African elephants. Her goal? To understand how local farmers and elephants live together. Shermin has raised half of her … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Destinations, Random Acts of Altruism, Science | Comments Off

AAAS Update: Drunks with Lamp-Posts

Posted on February 18, 2008 by cicada

Well, the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting here in Boston was fun! I didn’t expect that. I’m not a huge fan of scientific conferences because I have an extremely short attention span. And I haven’t been blogging a lot – I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs and Blogging, Science, Science in culture & policy | Comments Off

The Golden Age of Scientific Computing?

Posted on February 17, 2008 by cicada

In a Friday session at the AAAS conference here in Boston, Dr. Chris Johnson of Utah’s Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute showed this short video encapsulating some of his team’s striking 3D imaging innovations. He also made what I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Film, Video & Music, Science | Comments Off

God is more than a flying brain

Posted on February 14, 2008 by cicada

Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam From Paluzzi et al., Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 2007 For a few years, Nature Reviews Neuroscience stuck to a humorous theme in its cover art: everyday objects that mimic brains. A dandelion, spilled … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Medical Illustration and History, Museum Lust, Retrotechnology, Science | Comments Off

Please, don’t inhale the pig brains

Posted on February 5, 2008 by cicada

Ok. . . apparently a new neurological disorder has been linked to the inhalation of aerosolized pig brains. According to the Washington Post, The 12 sufferers of the neurological illness — most are Hispanic immigrants — all work at or near the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Science | 1 Comment

Seriously, now. . .

Posted on January 19, 2008 by cicada

OK – enough frivolous posts for the moment. There’s an election in the offing, and I want to address those of you who care whether the next President is science-and-technology-literate. Which should be ALL of you, right? Sciencedebate 2008 (of … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogs and Blogging, Science, Science in culture & policy | Comments Off

Who’s your daddy? Ask PCR

Posted on January 17, 2008 by cicada

Ah, I have the warm fuzzies now for my eppendorfs and thermal cycler. . . but I’m sure it will pass.

Posted in Biology, Film, Video & Music, Frivolity, Science | Comments Off