Friday’s Elk, April 15, 2016

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–
 

Science Fairs and Privilege

This week at Stat I wrote about my experience as the father of a girl in a science fair. She had a great time, but I came away reminded of how problematic the science fair phenomenon has become. The piece triggered a lot of discussion on Twitter and Facebook, which Stat followed up with some thoughtful opinion pieces from science fair participants, sharing their own experiences. Also, physicist Chad Orzel chimed in about how parents can help kids think scientifically at home. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, April 15, 2016” →

Science fairs are as flawed as my solar-powered hot dog cooker

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

STAT, April 13, 2016

Link

Last fall, my daughter Veronica got an idea for the seventh grade science fair at her school. She’d compare different ways to clean a toothbrush. First she’d take a new toothbrush out of a package and brush her teeth, covering it with her mouth bacteria. Then, she’d clean it with one of three liquids: water, lemon juice, or vinegar. Finally, she’d wipe the brushes on Petri dishes and see how many bacteria grew on them.

It seemed to me like a straightforward enough idea. It might fail, but so what? It would still be worth her time. Continue reading “Science fairs are as flawed as my solar-powered hot dog cooker” →

Scientists Unveil New ‘Tree of Life’

Posted on by admin

The New York Times, April 11, 2016

Link

A team of scientists unveiled a new tree of life on Monday, a diagram outlining the evolution of all living things. The researchers found that bacteria make up most of life’s branches. And they found that much of that diversity has been waiting in plain sight to be discovered, dwelling in river mud and meadow soils.

“It is a momentous discovery — an entire continent of life-forms,” said Eugene V. Koonin of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, who was not involved in the study.

The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

Continue reading “Scientists Unveil New ‘Tree of Life’” →

Friday’s Elk, April 8, 2016

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–

A Times double-header this week!
 

“Just” A Theory

This week, the New York Times ran a series of articles about misconceptions. I rounded out the series with a piece on one of the biggest misconceptions about science: What’s a theory? Hint: it doesn’t involve someone’s ideas about how cats fit in boxes.
 

Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, April 8, 2016” →

In Science, It’s Never ‘Just a Theory’

Posted on by Lori Jia

The New York Times, April 8, 2016

Link

Actually: Theories are neither hunches nor guesses. They are the crown jewels of science.

One day, it’s Megyn Kelly who has a theory about why Donald J. Trump hates her.

Another day, the newly released trailer for the next Star Wars movie inspires a million theories from fans about who Rey’s parents are.

Continue reading “In Science, It’s Never ‘Just a Theory’” →