Category Archives: Science

FINDING ADDITIONAL DRUGS TO FIGHT DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA.

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Philip

FINDING ADDITIONAL DRUGS TO FIGHT DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA. I am pleased to see intensity rising almost to violence in debates about FDA statistical methods. This article about the debates says: “At times the debate has been so heated that the acting … Continue reading →

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“INEQUITY AVERSION”—DOES GUILT AFFECT FREE THROW SHOOTING?

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Philip

“INEQUITY AVERSION”—DOES GUILT AFFECT FREE THROW SHOOTING? Nick sent me this link which led to this article about “inequity aversion.” The article discusses an empirical study which confirms “the hypothesis frequently put forth by Rasheed Wallace…that a player will often … Continue reading →

Posted in Basketball, Science, Sports | 2 Comments

WERE THE HOMERIC GREEKS COLOR-BLIND?

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Philip

WERE THE HOMERIC GREEKS COLOR-BLIND? I posted here on the issue of whether speakers of a language with more words for a color are better at distinguishing those colors. (For example, Professor Boroditsky in her article says that Russian-speakers are … Continue reading →

Posted in art, History, Literature, Science | 2 Comments

DO LANGUAGES AFFECT THINKING ABOUT CAUSATION?

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Philip

DO LANGUAGES AFFECT THINKING ABOUT CAUSATION? Professor Boroditsky gives an example of a cognitive science experiment which shows how a language can shape thinking about causality. In the experiment, subjects were shown videos of people breaking eggs or spilling drinks … Continue reading →

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JOYCE APPLEBY’S DARWINIAN THEORY OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Philip

JOYCE APPLEBY’S DARWINIAN THEORY OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. Niall Ferguson points out that for Appleby the changes we refer to as the Industrial Revolution were the result of an evolutionary process. Appleby’s theory stresses the trial-and-error process of innovation. He … Continue reading →

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GREGORY CLARK’S DARWINIAN THEORY OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Philip

GREGORY CLARK’S DARWINIAN THEORY OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. Niall Ferguson in his review of Joyce Appleby’s THE RELENTLESS REVOLUTION in the Times Literary Supplement (July 2, 2010) discusses two Darwinian theories of the Industrial Revolution that are very different. They … Continue reading →

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INTELLECTUAL BATTLES WITH SQUIRRELS.

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Philip

INTELLECTUAL BATTLES WITH SQUIRRELS. I resist the tendency to underappreciate squirrels and blue jays because of past failures at feeding small birds at bird feeders. Mary Jane also remembers with amusement my paranoia that hidden squirrels were watching when I … Continue reading →

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THE INVENTION OF MAIZE.

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Philip

THE INVENTION OF MAIZE. When I was reading about archaeology as a boy, it seemed that most of the information about prehistory was unknowable. Carbon dating had been discovered and was a huge breakthrough, but DNA has provided knowledge that … Continue reading →

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METAMORPHOSIS—CATERPILLAR TO LIQUID TO BUTTERFLY.

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Philip

METAMORPHOSIS—CATERPILLAR TO LIQUID TO BUTTERFLY. Somebody told me yesterday that when a caterpillar is changing into a butterfly, the caterpillar doesn’t simply grow wings. Rather, it turns into liquid and then the liquid turns into a butterfly. I had never … Continue reading →

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A SPRINGTIME THOUGHT.

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Philip

A SPRINGTIME THOUGHT. Anthony Doerr, in FOUR SEASONS IN ROME, says: “In high spring, my tree guidebook says, inside a mature oak tree, rising sap can reach velocities of two hundred feet per hour. That’s three feet a minute.” I … Continue reading →

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