Science Etcetera Jupiterday, 20080221

February 21st, 2008

Discover has an interview with Leon Kass, former chairman of George W. Bush’s President’s Council on Bioethics and mentality behind the staggering restrictions on Stem Cell research. The interview reveals a mind less grounded on firm principles and more directed by vague intuitive (to him) concepts of morality.

Make continues their wonderful science-toys coverage with Triassic Triops (move over sea-monkeys), Zome - Make a virus, Wooden hydraulic power kits, and software to Control high powered telescopes from your own computer.

Pending More Peer-Review: Australian scientists believe they have found that the Milky Way is twice the size we think it is. I’m skeptical pending more diggs.

Florida has Approved New Science Standards, which places the words “Scientific Theory of” in front of “Evolution.” Creationists think they’ve scored brownie points, but that’s because they don’t know what the word “Theory” means, and that putting “Theory” in front of “Evolution” only reinforces its legitimacy. (Mumble. Mumble. Dumbass creationists. Mumble. Mumble.)

The Union of Concerned Scientists has proposed a A Bill of Rights for Scientists working for the Fed.

There might be thousands of Earth-sized planets in our Solar System’s Oort Cloud, which means we might one day fly them into nearby orbits, thaw them out, and set up more habitable worlds.

On the Information Technology front, I want to see how Id’s going to Run ‘Quake’ in a Web Browser.

How well we remember different types of things depends on our Gender. Men can remember things like where we parked the car, women can remember the faces of other women.

Deep sea glass tulips, sea spiders, and more found under the deep sea arctic ice (HT Zooillogix):