Can crowdsourcing lead to better medicine?    Crowdsourcing is used in astronomy and protein folding in biology, along with engineering and computer software. But can the 'wisdom of crowds…

A group of scientists say they have conducted a comprehensive study of how different body measurements correspond with ratings of female attractiveness. Even across cultural divides, women who are…

If you are a scientist in any field you have had to deal with a member of the public who did not understand the word theory.  This blog post intends to be a simple explanation for the willing…

A postdoc's view of the changing world of academic research 'What's on your mind?' These are the four words taunting me on my Facebook page as I wind down from a long day at work. Today…

Airlines, hotel companies, anything with a date attached, know they have you on the hook the closer to that date because no one buys airline tickets for tomorrow unless they are desperate, and there…

I live in China, in Nanjing, which is not too far from Shanghai, and work at Nanjing University (NJU). This type of adventure becomes popular. China gains in popularity also among academics. It seems…

There was a time a few years ago when the music industry was in the doldrums.   They blamed MP3 piracy, though it made no sense unless you were the kind of person who believes 'jobs saved or…

It's been a mantra that more money has to be spent on outreach for women in academia, or even quotas implemented.  Why?   Women PhDs are now the majority, at least in the US.   This…

The scientific elite have been moving forward with their advancements in science at an accelerated pace over the past one hundred years. It is this exponentially speedy development that is providing…

My series on cheating is about very disturbing trends in science. These posts will draw a gloomy picture about modern science. And I am not talking from the outside like philosophers in so called '…