one.point.zero - Colin O'Brien's weblog

One of the report's most striking scenarios involves the use of devices called brain-machine interfaces to connect people's brains directly to military technology, including drones and other weapons systems.

Neuroscience could mean soldiers controlling weapons with minds

Imagine for a minute that, instead of discovering a diamond planet, we'd made a breakthrough in global temperature projections.

Planets, climate and the scientific method
Much of what medical researchers conclude in their studies is misleading, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong.
How To Live Forever! Or Why Habits Are A Curse.
Believing in God generates soothing "juices" in the brain that make us feel good.
The brains of shy or introverted individuals might actually process the world differently than their more extroverted counterparts.
Junk food may be addictive in the same way as heroin or cocaine. Laboratory rats will endure painful electric shocks to satisfy their craving for high-calorie snacks.

How it feels to have a stroke

The Floating Water Bridge - Startup & Expansion (real time)

If the GEO600 result is what I suspect it is, then we are all living in a giant cosmic hologram

Craig Hogan, physicist at Fermilab
Scientific study shows that when battles are waged over values and ideologies, you can't bribe or reason your way to peace.

Countries with the highest levels of active transportation generally had the lowest obesity rates

Ditch the car and lose weight
Patternicity: finding meaningful patterns in meaningless noise

Some scientists think climate change needs a more radical approach. As well as trying to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, they have plans to re-engineer the Earth

A changing climate of opinion?
The brain appears to make up its mind 10 seconds before we become conscious of a decision.
Interesting audio interview with Michael Pollan concerning his latest book: In Defense of Food. His previous bestseller, The omnivore's dilemma, was one of the finest texts I've ever read about food.

The Doctrine of Joint Belief isn't evidence of harmony between two systems of thought. It simply offers permission to ignore the clash between them.

Clay Shirky on science and religion.
Thought-provoking profile of James Lovelock and his definitely funereal outlook for the planet.

How it all ends

Beware of female van drivers at the supermarket checkout.

When a scientist talks about reducing greenhouse gas emissions ... he or she means just that; actually reducing them. But what it is coming to mean in the political lexicon is something very different

The semantics of climate change
Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by an Exxon-funded lobby group to undermine a major climate change report due to be published today.
The formula for procrastination: E x V/ÃD
An interesting article that goes some way into explaining why people don't change even when faced with overwhelming evidence they're heading at full speed towards an unstable if not deadly future.
The American science teachers' association has refused free copies of the film An inconvenient truth for classroom viewing as it may conflict with some of their financial supporters. One of them being Exxon. update: and a well-deserved worst person in the world award.

Fear of (climate) change

There's an argument taking place at the Climate Ark. This guy's daughter gets scared by climate change, so he goes ranting against scientists in the comments there. I had a bit of compassion for the guy's hot-headed reaction until I read his second comment. Sadly, many people think like him.

Statistics show that you are far more likely to die in a car accident or by a heart-attack. But we have no idea what the probability of a terrorist attack is, and that frightens us

Colin Camerer on our fear of terrorism
Men and women think differently. But not that differently.
Mice can feel each other's pain. That puts animal testing under another light.
Go to bed early tonight.

The most important difference between evolutionists and creationists is that scientists are always prepared to say, I don't know … That's one thing that believers never say, because it's all written down in a big book.

Evolutionary biologist Steve Jones