Citizen Scientists, again

I came across another opportunity to engage in the science collection practice. This one is called School of Ants and it's based out of North Carolina. I have ordered 3 kits for ant collection!

Project Squirrel

This is an idea called Project Squirrel where students can be involved in collecting data. Check it out.

Self control as a child- key to future success?

I ran across an interesting study in which researchers looked at the self-control of people as children and then measured that against their habits and activities as 32 year olds.

Genetically modified lawns?

It seems that the Scotts corporation is working on making a Round-up Ready grass seed. The USDA isn't prepared to regulate it though.

turtles, lizards, and phylogenetic trees

Scientific American has an article about how scientists have determined that turtles have a closer common ancestor with lizards. This adjusts the reptilian phylogenetic tree a bit.

Lessons from eugenics for modern school reform

I came across a fascinating blog from Scientific American in which modern school reform with its fascination in standardized testing was compared to the eugenics movement. Read it and tell me what you think.

Memories...

This article discusses how scientists are researching erasing memories by using drugs that affect the hippocampus in the brain.

What do you think of this research? How would you (personally) use the information? Is this something that schools could use? What are some negative effects that could come from this?

This article is from Wired magazine and it is a study about how the internet and search engines affect memory

Placebo effect

Chalk up another one for the Placebo Effect. This article is a study about the duration of colds. What do you do for a cold to shorten its duration and does it work?

Identify a few of the things from the scientific method used in this experiment as well.

New case of antibiotic resistance

This MSNBC article shows a new case of antibiotic resistance. Where will the medical profession turn when there are bacteria that cannot be killed by any antibiotics?