People like stories. Scientists have all heard the suggestion to communicate your science as a story when communicating with the public. But what about to fellow scientists? Do we then get the dry, impersonal version of your science? Unfortunately, it often turns out that way, but established science communicators are now suggesting science stories be … Continue reading
When you were little, did you ever do that thing where you cut a worm in half because someone told you two new worms would grow from the parts? I did that thing. And it was the first of many somewhat morbid scientific disappointments in my childhood. It’s half true – the head half might … Continue reading
If you follow us on Twitter, you have probably seen lots of content about #SciREN. If you weren’t at the workshop, let me tell you how it works. Marine scientists from North Carolina submitted lesson plans to the workshop and then met up at North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (a great venue, by … Continue reading
Did any of you, when visiting National Parks as a kid, complete those Junior Ranger workbooks? I did. I completed one at every park we lingered in for longer than a bathroom break and a photo-op. You got these activity booklets from the Visitor Center, and when you finished the whole thing you took it … Continue reading
Wave energy may be very important to the renewable energy industry as more traditional green energy sources meet more and more opposition in the political and economic arena. In this post, I’ll show you how ocean waves work, and some of the ways people have been attempting to harness wave energy for use by humans … Continue reading
The following is a guest post from an undergraduate student in the Marine Ecology class that I was a TA for last semester. See the entire student blog at http://marineecologyblog.web.unc.edu/ A discussion of Marko et al’s “Fisheries: Mislabelling of a depleted reef fish”, 2004 By Michael Auriemma So men, picture you are on a date with a … Continue reading
Recently I have been exploring the topic of science writing and communication, through a class on science comm, this blog, and through reading tons of papers (because you know, grad student). Throughout my adventures I have discovered something very interesting. Often I will read a paper inside of my own field, tangentially related to my … Continue reading
[Full Disclosure: I wrote this article for the express purpose of sharing this gifset: Cosmos with Carl Sagan] It is unsurprising that the recent creation/evolution debate stirred up some voracious animosities both in real life, and in comments on our very own blog. Discussions about the nature of science are rarely brought to center stage … Continue reading
An article posted late last night on the NYT website reports that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, an independent Australian government agency whose purpose is to protect the Great Barrier Reef, has approved the dumping of 3 million cubic tons of sediment and dredging mud within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (a UNESCO … Continue reading
By now I’m sure you’ve heard that the government of Western Australia has decided to pursue a shark cull. The government supported program allows for the killing of sharks in Western Australian waters, including threatened Great Whites. There have been reports of people shooting sharks, but most of the culling will be done be baiting … Continue reading
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