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Blog Network Highlights Wednesday May 22, 2013

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Overthinking It
Why Portland Is Wrong About Water Fluoridation
By Kyle Hill | May 22, 2013 | 6
Kyle Hill is a freelance science writer and research fellow who specializes in finding the secret science in your favorite fandom.Follow on Twitter @Sci_Phile.
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STAFF Observations
How to Use the Bathroom on a 20-Hour Plus Solar Airplane Flight [Video]
By David Biello | May 22, 2013 | 1
David Biello is the associate editor for environment and energy at Scientific American.Follow on Twitter @dbiello.
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MIND The Scicurious Brain
The Scent of a Feline
By Scicurious | May 22, 2013 |
Scicurious is a PhD in Physiology, and is currently a postdoc in biomedical research. She loves the brain. And so should you.Follow on Twitter @Scicurious.
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Life, Unbounded
The Moon has it all: Explosions, Water, and Clues to the Grand Tack
By Caleb A. Scharf | May 22, 2013 |
Caleb Scharf is the director of Columbia University's multidisciplinary Astrobiology Center. He has worked in the fields of observational cosmology, X-ray astronomy, and more recently exoplanetary science. His latest book is 'Gravity's Engines: How Bubble-Blowing Black Holes Rule Galaxies, Stars, and Life in the Cosmos', and he is working on 'The Copernicus Complex' (both from Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.) Follow on Twitter @caleb_scharf.
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Guest Blog
We Fit Nature to Us: Evolution's 2-Way Street
By Jag Bhalla | May 22, 2013 |
Jag Bhalla is an entrepreneur and writer. His current project is Errors We Live By, a series of short exoteric essays exposing errors in the big ideas running our lives, details at www.errorsweliveby.comwww.errorsweliveby.com. His last book was I'm Not Hanging Noodles On Your Ears, a surreptitious science gift book from National Geographic Books, details at www.hangingnoodles.comwww.hangingnoodles.com. It explains his twitter handle @hangingnoodlesFollow on Twitter @hangingnoodles.
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STAFF Observations
U.S. Hurricane Forecasts Could Be Better
By Mark Fischetti | May 22, 2013 | 2
Mark Fischetti is a senior editor at Scientific American who covers energy, environment and sustainability issues.Follow on Twitter @markfischetti.
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The Artful Amoeba
Pirates, Charles Darwin, and One Very Un-Extinct Dodo
By Jennifer Frazer | May 22, 2013 |
Jennifer Frazer is a AAAS Science Journalism Award-winning science writer. She has degrees in biology, plant pathology/mycology, and science writing, and has spent many happy hours studying life in situ.

Follow on Twitter @JenniferFrazer.
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MIND MIND Guest Blog
What's Individuality, and Where Does It Come From?
By Ben Thomas | May 22, 2013 |
Ben Thomas is an author, journalist, inventor and independent researcher who studies consciousness and the brain. A lifelong lover of all things mysterious and unexplained, he weaves tales from the frontiers of science into videos, podcasts and unique multimedia events. Lots more of his work is available at http://the-connectome.com. Follow on Twitter @theconnectome.
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The Ocelloid
Dividing Arcella (test construction in progress)
By Psi Wavefunction | May 22, 2013 |
Psi Wavefunction is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia working as a researcher at Indiana University, Bloomington, and blogs about protists and evolution at The Ocelloid as well as at Skeptic Wonder.Follow on Twitter @Ocelloid.
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Cross-Check
Why You Should Care about Pentagon Funding of Obama's BRAIN Initiative
By John Horgan | May 22, 2013 | 5
Every week, hockey-playing science writer John Horgan takes a puckish, provocative look at breaking science. A teacher at Stevens Institute of Technology, Horgan is the author of four books, including The End of Science (Addison Wesley, 1996) and The End of War (McSweeney's, 2012).Follow on Twitter @Horganism.
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Expeditions
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: An Analysis of Sargassum Horneri Ecosystem Impact
By Jim Haw | May 22, 2013 |
Dr. Jim Haw is Ray R. Irani Professor of Chemistry and director of the Environmental Studies Program in the USC Dana and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He is also a scientific, technical and recreational diver.
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MIND Beautiful Minds
The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice
By Scott Barry Kaufman | May 22, 2013 |
Scott Barry Kaufman is adjunct assistant professor of psychology at New York University, where he teaches courses on cognitive psychology and human intelligence. He is author of Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined, editor of The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice, and co-founder of The Creativity Post. Follow on Twitter @sbkaufman.
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Extinction Countdown
Frog-Killing Chytrid Fungus Hits Rarely Seen, Wormlike Amphibians
By John R. Platt | May 22, 2013 | 2
Twice a week, John Platt shines a light on endangered species from all over the globe, exploring not just why they are dying out but also what's being done to rescue them from oblivion.Follow on Twitter @johnrplatt.
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PsiVid
Evolutionary Tales - A Hip Hop Theatre Cycle: Baba Brinkman is Back!
By Carin Bondar | May 22, 2013 |
Carin Bondar is a biologist, writer and film-maker with a PhD in population ecology from the University of British Columbia. Find Dr. Bondar online at www.carinbondar.com, on twitter @drbondar or on her facebook page: Dr. Carin Bondar – Biologist With a Twist.Follow on Twitter @drbondar.
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Guest Blog
Prolonging the Buzz with Grandma
By Andrew P. Han | May 22, 2013 | 1
Andrew P. Han is an graduate student in NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP). He studied astronomy and the history of science at Dartmouth College, but his main interests have expanded to include evolutionary biology and genetics as well. Having preferred non-fiction to fiction since the age of six, he is on a mission to find out as much as he can about the Universe.Follow on Twitter @hanandrewp.
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STAFF The SA Incubator
Introducing: Kyle Hill
By Khalil A. Cassimally | May 22, 2013 |
Khalil A. Cassimally is the community manager of Nature Education and SciLogs.com. He's also a science blogger. He hails from a tropical island and is a happy geek. Subscribe to his updates on Facebook and Google+.Follow on Twitter @notscientific.
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STAFF The Network Central
#SciAmBlogs Tuesday - Oklahoma, cervical cancer, Weil's postulate, immunity and reproduction, global energy, UK wallabies, and more.
By Bora Zivkovic | May 21, 2013 |
Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web.Follow on Twitter @boraz.
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MIND Illusion Chasers
Fat Tuesday: Hungry for love
By Stephen L. Macknik | May 21, 2013 |
Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen L. Macknik are laboratory directors at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Follow on Twitter @illusionchasers.
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Plugged In
What unconventional fuels tell us about the global energy system
By David Wogan | May 21, 2013 | 12
An engineer who explores the relationships between energy, technology, and policy. Based in Austin, TX.Follow on Twitter @davidwogan.
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Guest Blog
Dissecting the Controversy about Early Psychological Response to Disasters and Trauma
By Hilda Bastian | May 21, 2013 | 3
Hilda Bastian tweets @hildabast and comments on the science of unbiased health research in a cartoon blog called Statistically Funny. She has been analyzing and communicating the results of trials and systematic reviews for a couple of decades, and is completing PhD work on the subject.Follow on Twitter @hildabast.
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Symbiartic
The SciArt Buzz: ScienceArt On Exhibit In May/June 2013
By Kalliopi Monoyios | May 21, 2013 |
Kalliopi Monoyios is the illustrator of several best-selling science books including Neil Shubin's The Universe Within, Shubin’s Your Inner Fish, and Jerry Coyne’s Why Evolution is True. Her illustration portfolio can be found at kalliopimonoyios.com. Follow her solo on Twitter at @eyeforscience. For tweets from the whole Symbiartic crew, Follow on Twitter @symbiartic.
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STAFF @ScientificAmerican
Physics, Metaphysics and Cosmology Collide in New E-Book, Possibilities in Parallel: Seeking the Multiverse
By The Editors | May 21, 2013 | 2
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The Urban Scientist
My Heart is in Oklahoma now #OklahomaStrong
By DNLee | May 21, 2013 |
DNLee is a biologist and she studies animal behavior, mammalogy, and ecology . She uses social media, informal experiential science experiences, and draws from hip hop culture to share science with general audiences, particularly under-served groups. Follow on Twitter @DNLee5.
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PsiVid
500 Million Years of Evolution in Under 4 Minutes
By Carin Bondar | May 21, 2013 | 4
Carin Bondar is a biologist, writer and film-maker with a PhD in population ecology from the University of British Columbia. Find Dr. Bondar online at www.carinbondar.com, on twitter @drbondar or on her facebook page: Dr. Carin Bondar – Biologist With a Twist.Follow on Twitter @drbondar.
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Guest Blog
An Unheralded Breakthrough: The Rosetta Stone of Mathematics
By Edward Frenkel | May 21, 2013 | 6
Edward Frenkel is Professor of Mathematics at University of California, Berkeley, as well as an author and a filmmaker. His book Love and Math will be published by Basic Books in October. To learn more about his work, visit his website.Follow on Twitter @edfrenkel.
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STAFF The Network Central
Scitable blog network just got bigger and better than ever!
By Bora Zivkovic | May 21, 2013 |
Bora Zivkovic is the Blog Editor at Scientific American, chronobiologist, biology teacher, organizer of ScienceOnline conferences and editor of Open Laboratory anthologies of best science writing on the Web.Follow on Twitter @boraz.
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Expeditions
USC Dornsife Scientific Diving: A New Faculty Member on the Team
By Jim Haw | May 21, 2013 |
Dr. Jim Haw is Ray R. Irani Professor of Chemistry and director of the Environmental Studies Program in the USC Dana and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He is also a scientific, technical and recreational diver.
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Guest Blog
Winning the War against Cervical Cancer
By Mark Farmer | May 21, 2013 |
Mark Farmer holds a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Physiology from Rutgers University. He is a professor of cell biology and Chair of the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Georgia. His research focuses on the evolution of protists (protozoa, algae, and lower fungi) and the origin of complex cells. For two years he served as a Program Officer for the National Science Foundation in Washington where he became very interested in public policy concerning the teaching of science in the public schools. An author of numerous op-ed pieces for the Athens Banner Herald, Mark is also a media consultant for the Georgia Citizens for Integrity in Science Education. Along with his family he enjoys hiking and SCUBA diving as well as cooking non-vegan meals when his wife is out of town. You can read more about his work at his website, MarkFarmerUGA Follow on Twitter @ProtistGuy.
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Context and Variation
Your Lady Parts Don’t Like It When You Get Sick: Relationships Between Immune Health and Reproductive Hormones
By Kate Clancy | May 21, 2013 |
Dr. Kate Clancy is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois. She studies the evolutionary medicine of women’s reproductive physiology, and blogs about her field, the evolution of human behavior and issues for women in science. Find her comment policy here.Follow on Twitter @KateClancy.
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Tetrapod Zoology
Wild wallabies in the UK
By Darren Naish | May 21, 2013 | 16
Darren Naish is a science writer, technical editor and palaeozoologist (affiliated with the University of Southampton, UK). He mostly works on Cretaceous dinosaurs and pterosaurs but has an avid interest in all things tetrapod. His publications can be downloaded at darrennaish.wordpress.com. He has been blogging at Tetrapod Zoology since 2006. Check out the Tet Zoo podcast at tetzoo.com!
Follow on Twitter @TetZoo.
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