Category Archives: Science

APPRECIATING AUTHENTIC NATURE AND ARTIFICIAL NATURE.

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Philip

APPRECIATING AUTHENTIC NATURE AND ARTIFICIAL NATURE. Continuing my reaction to Robert Sullivan’s article about New York City as an ecological paradise: Appreciating the urban landscape requires a change in aesthetics. That is, nature does not have to be pristine or … Continue reading →

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THE HEARTLESSNESS OF SOME CLINICAL TRIALS.

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Philip

THE HEARTLESSNESS OF SOME CLINICAL TRIALS. The protocols of the clinical trial were followed even though they made no sense. Doctors had to know from years of experience with decarbazine, the drug that had been used for 30 years, what … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Science | 2 Comments

THE FOOLISHNESS OF SOME CLINICAL TRIALS.

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Philip

THE FOOLISHNESS OF SOME CLINICAL TRIALS. I have posted before about the misuse of those clinical trials which require the control group to use existing therapies for which there is already abundant data. For example, I posted here last year … Continue reading →

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LETTING THE CONTROL GROUP SUFFER.

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Philip

LETTING THE CONTROL GROUP SUFFER. Amy Harmon writes wonderful and moving articles about the frontiers of cancer research. The New York Times had a heartbreaking and deeply troubling article by her on its front page this Sunday (September 19). It’s … Continue reading →

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URBAN LIFE SHAPING NATURE.

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Philip

URBAN LIFE SHAPING NATURE. Urban activities shape the natural environment in paradoxical ways. Sullivan says that fires in abandoned cars have encouraged certain species of birds and plants. Two naturalists have published an article calling arsonists “New York City’s incidental … Continue reading →

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NEW YORK CITY—“AN ECOLOGICAL PARADISE.”

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Philip

NEW YORK CITY—“AN ECOLOGICAL PARADISE.”.The New York magazine for September 20 advertises on the cover a wonderful article by Robert Sullivan about the rich ecology of New York City with the headline “The City as Ecological Paradise.” I have posted, … Continue reading →

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RESEARCH ON WHETHER POWER CORRUPTS.

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Philip

RESEARCH ON WHETHER POWER CORRUPTS. I posted here on Lord Acton’s observation that: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men….” Jonah Lehrer had an article in the Wall Street Journal (August … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Politics, Science | 1 Comment

COLLECTING MORE MEDICAL DATA.

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Philip

COLLECTING MORE MEDICAL DATA. This article by Gina Kolata describes the success of a large-scale long-term study of Alzeimer’s patients. The study involved the sharing of a massive data set developed over several years about some 800 patients. What is … Continue reading →

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CROWDSOURCING.

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Philip

CROWDSOURCING. The wikipedia article on Foldit says that it is a variant of “Crowdsourcing”, which is discussed in this wikipedia article. I posted here about James Suroweicki’s book THE WISDOM OF CROWDS, which is about another form of throwing a … Continue reading →

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NONSCIENTISTS DOING BIOCHEMISTRY—THE VIDEO GAME.

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Philip

NONSCIENTISTS DOING BIOCHEMISTRY—THE VIDEO GAME. This Economist article describes a videogame, with 57,000 registered users, in which players score points by finding chemically stable configurations for chains of protein molecules. The game is called “Foldit.” The science behind the game … Continue reading →

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