Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
The Marshmallow Test is all about delayed gratification and the potential impact that can have on our lives. It dates back to the late 1960s when psychologist Walter Mischel conducted a series of tests on very young children. It works like this. The child is presented with a marshmallow on a plate and told something like … Read more
New Caledonian crows are smart, very very smart. Last January the BBC highlighted a study that illustrated their tool making ability. They were shaping hooks out of plant material that they then used to fish for insets. These were not simply random twigs, but consisted of hooks that were far more efficient. These crows are … Read more
When it comes to dealing with Climate Change we perhaps think about big ticket items such as coal fired power stations. On a far smaller scale what exactly can we as individuals do that will really make a difference, if anything? We often strive to recycle, and to also use more efficient lightbulbs, but are … Read more
When faced with the weekly weird religious news, you might wonder who actually believes what they are claiming, and who is simply running a con. In some instances such as Jim Bakker we find an individual who is quite transparently running a get-rich-quick scam. He uses fear of end-times to motivate the gullible into buying … Read more
Many of us drink rather a lot of coffee. Warning, I’m not an exception to that, I guess I do have a bias here since I consume lots of it. Interestingly enough, some don’t. I do once recall meeting a biochemist who insisted that he never drank it because he was aware of all the … Read more
The heat is cranking up everywhere. Jason Samenow writes in the Washington Post about the heat records that are being shattered all around the planet. He starts off by correctly pointing out that a new record in just one place is not Climate, but instead is weather. We will hit extremes, that is normal, it happens. … Read more