Confessions of a science junky

One of the nicer things about trying to keep up a list of blogging academics, is that I’ve come across a whole bunch of blogging scientists. I’m a science junky, and love to read practitioners talk about how it’s done. Perhaps this is just discipline envy – we “political scientists” are often rather touchy about whether we’re actually scientists or not – but it probably has a lot more to do with my having read way too much science fiction over the last twenty years. Whatever. Anyway, to point you to a few particularly good science posts that I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks.

Chad Orzel, here and here on the discovery of a new type of subatomic particle. While you’re at it, check out his index of physics posts.

Amity Wilczek on how dung beetles navigate. This is a great blog on all manner of strange behavior in the animal kingdom.

Cosma Shalizi on dumb research on mating behavior.

John G. Cramer who has an incredible list of essays on cosmology, the physics of warpdrives &c &c (OK: he’s not a blogger, but his daughter is).

And (not a scientist, but debunking bad science nonetheless), Belle Waring on _ad hominid_ arguments.