Archive for the ‘Biology’ Category.
21st June 2008, 11:19 pm
By David Annis
Article ID: 1233
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Evolution can easily be observed in the laboratory and in the world around us. We can see moths evolve their coloring to match the color of soot that covers their habitat, watch bacteria evolve antibiotic resistance in hospitals, and my favorite variety of grapefruit (that’s Rio Star) was made by scientists who exposed seeds to radiation to increase the mutation rate. In the face of such overwhelming evidence - including knowing the exact DNA changes effecting such change - it is impossible for the creationists to deny evolution with a straight face.
Continue reading ‘Macro-evolution observed in the laboratory’ »
4th June 2008, 10:16 pm
By Andy Kaiser
Article ID: 1229
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In writing this article, I tried to use ten percent of my brain. I really did. But I got stuck pretty fast on the method of how to actually use only ten percent of my brain. There seem to be many ways to go about it. For example, I could just think this article in my head, and only write down every tenth word. But the results would be incomprehensible. I could decrease my writing quality to 10% of its usual stellar technique. But that would be annoying for any future readers. I could remove 90% of my writing tools, and type this article using only one finger. But that would just slow me down significantly, when I’d be getting the same final result. Wait: I could encode the characters in this article into their base-10 ASCII equivalents. I’d then take the resulting numeric string and increase its value by a factor of 10, then convert the results back from ASCII into plain text. Mathematical perfection. Granted, it would be unreadable mathematical perfection. That’s counterintuitive to the purpose of Digital Bits Skeptic, so maybe that’s not the best idea.
Continue reading ‘The ten percent of the brain myth: a fractional truth’ »
29th May 2008, 09:59 pm
By ScienceReasonRationality.blogspot.com
Article ID: 1228
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Do you want to learn how to knock out an opponent without touching them? How about learning the art of fighting ghosts with the power of “The Force“? Well, here’s your chance! Japan’s Yanagi Ryuken can teach you now. He holds a 10th degree black belt in five traditional martial arts, and his system is based on martial arts like Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu and spiritual paths like Qigong. Yanagi Ryuken supposedly won over 200 Vale Tudo competitions (these are “anything goes” fights, involving unarmed combat and minimal rules). According to the author of the video below, you need 500,000 yen (about $5,000 USD) in order to get a chance to fight with Yanagi Ryuken. However, if you win the fight, Yanagi Ryuken will pay you back double: 1,000,000 yen ($10,000 USD)! Good deal, right?
Continue reading ‘The “Bullshido” of martial arts and no-touch knockouts’ »
19th May 2008, 10:35 pm
By David Annis
Article ID: 1226
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In the late 1850s, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace introduced the world to the theory of evolution. The theory of evolution is a scientific hypothesis that describes how species descended from a common ancestor, diversifying to produce the myriad species that we see today.
Continue reading ‘Evolution makes testable predictions’ »
12th May 2008, 08:48 pm
By M Parrott
Article ID: 1224
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Homeopathy finds its origins in the 18th century with a German named Samuel Hahnemann (we won’t address the honour of his doctorate). This was a time when blood-letting, leeches, mercury and arsenic were utilised in medical practice. Mr. Hahnemann’s idea was to create a less-harsh form of medicine straying away from the dangerous medicines of the day. This seems a good idea. A shame it doesn’t work. We’ll come back to him later.
Continue reading ‘Homeopathy: Diluted and deluded’ »
6th May 2008, 07:39 am
By ScienceReasonRationality.blogspot.com
Article ID: 1223
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It’s been almost ten years since my last supernatural nightmare experience. The last one I’ve had was way back in my late 20’s. This is because I’ve learned a little secret on how to get rid of such nightmares, once and for all. Let me share with you what led to my enlightenment.
Continue reading ‘Supernatural Nightmare Experiences and the Illusion of Prayer’ »
18th February 2008, 04:54 pm
3rd February 2008, 12:37 am
By Tim Eisele
Article ID: 123
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[Editor's note: Some of the external links in this article point to photos that may be disturbing to some.]
Continue reading ‘Spider bites are an overrated menace’ »
4th November 2007, 12:11 am
By Sandra L Hubscher
Article ID: 117
Introduction to Apophenia
August Strindberg, the early 20th century Swedish playwright, chronicles in Inferno/From an Occult Diary his descent into what would likely be diagnosed as schizophrenia in modern times: Continue reading ‘Apophenia: Definition and Analysis’ »
28th October 2007, 10:05 pm
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