The UK has launched a National Science Learning Centre to encourage STEM education via grants, conferences, and hands-on activities for students; however, as the editor of New Scientist, Roger Highfield, notes in his address to the House of Commons, more needs to be done on the political front for science advocacy and has launched The S Word blog to cover science policy in the UK.
National Science Learning Centre
Researchers at the University of California’s School of Medicine have found that keeping children too clean impairs the ability of their skin to heal, as the naturally-occurring bacteria on the skin’s surface provide lipoteichoic acid, which acts on skin cells to promote healing. This research further supports the “hygiene hypothesis“, which argues that children who live in sterile environments are more susceptible to allergies. The organization Parents Outloud works to educate parents on the dangers of “over-sanitizing” their children (among other things).
Very young children who ask “Why?” repeatedly are making an honest proactive attempt at learning about the world around them and they can tell when they are given a non-explanation response, making them more likely to ask a follow-up “Why?”
A thought-provoking perspective on why cable TV is so hard to kill despite being able to find almost everything it provides online. The author considers the fact that watching TV online is an active experience, that the web does not easily enable passive channel-surfing, and how the popular, collective viewing-experiences like the last episode of Seinfeld or the Superbowl have been replaced by smaller, niche-groups of fans around specific shows who try to recruit others into their shared media experience.
Pearl Jam, Do the Evolution:
del.icio.us links
I didn’t ask “Why?” as much as I asked “What do you mean by that?” as a kid. Constantly.
Comment by ClintJCL — November 26, 2009 @ 1:49 pm