Archive for Science
Your Friends Friends Friends Can Make You Fat
Posted by: | CommentsNicholas Christakis studies the subtle influence of large social networks on our lives. He came up with astonishing discoveries.
One surprising example is obesity.
Looking at the spread of obesity in large social networks, he found that there are clear clusters of obesity. In short, if your friends are fat, you are more likely to be fat. So far so good, this is understandable: you tend to go out with your friends, eat in the same places, share the same activities etc…
But what is unexpected is that the cluster extend to 3 degrees of separation! In short, your friends’ friends’ friends can make you fat!
Watch the Ted Talks video below for more.
What We Need To Teach Kids In Science
Posted by: | CommentsWhat we really need to teach kids in science class: The BS (Bad Science) detector by Sharon Begley, based on Ben Goldacre (of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) new book, “Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks”.
Observational studies (such eating an olive oil based diet etc…) are not a reliable basis for health advice.
Also, ignore the law of regression to the mean at your own risks. Example: attributing recovery from many ailments to the treatment is ignoring the fact that they have a natural cycle (i.e. they disappear after a while), and that people tend to seek treatment at the peak of their discomfort (i.e. they would start to get better anyway).
Read along if you want to learn about a really interesting experiment done in the classroom…
Click on this link to the Newsweek article.
Invisibility Cloak Not Science Fiction Anymore
Posted by: | CommentsScientists have created the first device to render an object invisible in three dimensions.
Click on the link that will take you to the BBC online article.
Invisibility Cloak
The Exponential Rise of Technology
Posted by: | CommentsA fascinating video from TedTalks by Ray Kurzweil on the exponential growth of Technology. Kurzweil explains how easy it is to predict the evolution of technology (contrary to the stock markets), and how the speed of new discoveries grows exponentially. Science fiction future is just a corner away! Ever wished you could sit at the bottom of your pool for 4 hours? It may be possible as soon as 2020!
The Scientific Nature of Consciousness
Posted by: | CommentsSusan Blackmore is dedicated to understanding the scientific nature of consciousness. Her latest work centers on the existence of memes — little bits of knowledge, lore, habit that seem to spread themselves using human brains as mere carriers. She’s exploring the existence of a new class of meme, spread by human technology. It’s temporarily named the “teme.”
