The following video is from a series called “Why It’s Bad For You” and it discusses genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It is a short and well-edited watch but please do read my list of observations that follow it! . It starts with the assertion that our access to information is filtered by ‘global media corporations’. This strikes me …
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Category:Scientific Method
Drawing Graphs…
Often, when an investigation has been completed, you will need to draw a graph to represent your results. There are a few simple rules to help you decide what sort of graph to draw and a few other useful guidelines to make sure that your graph is as clear as possible. The first thing to …
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Rise Of The Retrovirals…
I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes this evening, which had been recommended (and lent) to me by JHB. He is very kind with such things, even though it sometimes takes me several years to return a DVD. I expect most of you have seen it and marvelled at the effects that seamlessly integrate …
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Hunting Again…
I went to the Boxing Day meet of the Avon Vale Hunt in Lacock yesterday; much as I did last year. The Daily Mail has a splendid photo of the meet in which you might spot a Summerfieldian. It was quite an interesting day because last week the RSPCA successfully prosecuted the Heythrop Hunt for …
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Save The Humans…
I wanted to write about President Obama’s Nobel Prize or perhaps the shocking predictions of the British economy but thankfully I found something more cheerful to discuss. Now, this may be old news to you since it occurred back in July but I had not heard it before. The story is as follows… Yang Yun …
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Thinking For Yourself…
As I think I mentioned in another post, thinking critically about the world around you is a fundamental scientific skill. It does not mean that you need to criticise everything, just that you consider the ‘credibility of evidence’. This means that you ask yourself how believable a story or a scientific claim is. When scientists look …
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35 Inconvenient Truths…
In October 2007, Lord Monckton of Brenchley published a response to Al Gore’s book and movie “An Inconvenient Truth”. In it Lord Monckton cites 35 errors in the movie. This came on top of a British judge decreeing that the film contained nine errors that needed to be clearly explained if it was to be used as a teaching aid …
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Exponential Growth…
The below describes the effects of exponential growth and is entirely lifted from something I read on the Internet. You may have a copy of the same article in paper form but the links might add to your understanding. The principle is simple. You start with one. Double it and you have two. Double again and …
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Some Graphing Help…
Graph drawing is an essential science skill. There are some conventions that you should follow and some ideas that I would urge you to consider. Graphs can show trends in data and help you to predict possible future outcomes. The more data you collect the more accurate your graph is likely to be, allowing you …
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Tycho Brahe…
Tycho Brahe (1546 to 1601) was born in Denmark to wealthy and aristocratic parents. He was a brilliant astronomer pioneering the idea that accurate observation was the secret to making improvements in astronomy. He designed special apparatus for making measurements and was meticulous in checking their accuracy. He taught Johannes Kepler who used the data gathered during …
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