WASPS - World Atheist Science People

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3

WASP (World Atheist Science People) transfer to HASSERS
2007-12-06 08:36:00
With immediate effect, new WASP posts will be added to HASSERS - Humanist - Antireligious - Scientific - Secularist - Ethical - Rationalist - Sceptics.Add a Bookmark for HASSERS http://hassers.blogspot.com/WASP will continue to be online here until further notice.WASP: World Atheist Science People
More About: Transfer

The God FAQ
2007-11-26 08:49:00
reposted from: http://www.400monkeys.com/God/ THE OFFICIAL GOD FAQ Question: “Is there a God?” Answer: “No.” In the quite unlikely event that you were to discover any omissions or inaccuracies on this page, they may be reported to the international headquarters of The Official God FAQ, at aod@400monkeys.com, where they will be thoroughly investigated, submitted to rigorous scientific testing and, if substantiated, included in a subsequent update. Thank you. WASP: World Atheist Science People

Debate between Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Ed Husain
2007-11-25 22:32:00
reposted from: http://www.socialcohesion.co.uk/blog/2007 /11/centre_hosts_debate_between_ay_1.html WASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). On 20th November, the Centre for Social Cohesion hosted an evening debate in Westminster between Ayaan Hirsi Ali , the former Dutch MP and self-declared Muslim apostate, and Ed Husain, the author of the best-selling book The Islamist. Debating ‘The West and the Future of Islam’, the two speakers began by making a short speech setting out their arguments before taking questions from the audience. During the discussion, which lasted for over an hour and a half, Ayaan Hirsi Ali argued that Islam “as a body of ideas” is opposed to ‘Enlightenment’ values. She furthe...
More About: Debate

Blair 'nutter' fear angers bishop
2007-11-25 22:10:00
reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/71 12256.stmWASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). Blair 'nutter' fear angers bishop Mr Blair said politicians who talk about religion "get into trouble" A bishop has criticised Tony Blair after he said he avoided talking about his religious views while premier because he feared the "nutter" label. The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, said he was "sorry" the former prime minister felt unable to talk about his faith. It would have led to more constructive social policy at home and principled policies abroad, the bishop said. Mr Blair's admission comes in the final episode of BBC One's The Blair Years. During the interview, Mr Blair said faith was a crucial component for him in having the character to take on th...
More About: Fear

Divining pseudoscience
2007-11-21 07:22:00
reposted from: http://cectic.com/076.htmlWASP: World Atheist Science People

Gordon Moore tells how Moore's Law began and his predictions for chip devel
2007-11-18 08:48:00
reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7 080000/newsid_7084200/7084268.stm?bw=bb&a mp;mp=wm&asb=1&news=1Gordon Moore tells Jonathan Fildes how Moore's Law began and his predictions for chip development. (video: 15 minutes)Recommended!WASP: World Atheist Science People
More About: Predictions , Tells , Chip

Cloning using skin cells rather than stem cells
2007-11-17 15:49:00
reposted & edited from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7099758.stm WASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). Dolly scientist abandons cloning An egg being collected The scientist who controversially created Dolly the sheep is abandoning the cloning of human embryos in stem cell research. Professor Ian Wilmut, of Edinburgh University, believes a rival method developed in Japan holds the key to curing serious medical conditions. The new method creates stem cells from fragments of skin and removes the need to use human embryos. Prof Wilmut developed a cloning technique which involved creating stem cells - which have the potential to be grown into any cell in the human body - from human embryos. Building blocks Embryonic or stem cells are widely regarded as the most flexible ...
More About: Skin , Stem Cells , Cloning , Stem

BHA - British Humanist Association - Science Vision
2007-11-15 22:18:00
reposted from: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhascience/ Tom Rees has posted the following questions in the database of BHA Science . (to join this Yahoo group you must be a member of the BHA.Tom, thanks for creating the four question Database table "What do you want from the group, what can you do for the group?" viz:-1) Name2) Where did you here about the group?3) Why did you join the group?4) Do you have a 'vision' for what you want the group to be?Let me explain why I think the 'vision' bit is important for BHA Science group.A vision should be a source of inspiration and will stretch the Resources and Capabilities of the BHA Science group. Because our Resources and Capabilities are not fixed our vision can be stretched a lot! For example we potentially have the resources of many science professionals of the honourary BHA associates, the capabilities of 7000+ BHA members and the BHA Philosophers group. We could get the help of some of the 17 Million people (MORI poll) in the UK...
More About: British , Association , Vision , Humanist

Onions 'cut heart disease risk'
2007-11-06 08:34:00
reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7069343 .stmWASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). Onions 'cut heart disease risk' Onions are a good source of quercetin Eating a meal rich in compounds called flavonoids reduces some early signs of heart disease, research shows. An Institute of Food Research team focused on one of the compounds, quercetin, which is found in tea, onions, apples and red wine. The Atherosclerosis study examined the effect of the compounds produced after quercetin is broken down by the body. They were shown to help prevent the chronic inflammation which can lead to thickening of the arteries. The effect is more subtle...
More About: Heart , Disease , Risk , Heart Disease

You big, fat pile of bacteria
2007-11-06 07:44:00
reposted from: http://richarddawkins.net/article,1830,n, nWASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). You big, fat pile of bacteria Go ahead, roll in it. Revel in it. You're made of it. What, you prefer a meek, sterile world? By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist Friday, November 2, 2007 Mark Morford You big, fat pile of bacteria - Go ahead, roll in it. Revel in i...11/02/2007Behold! The Bliss Watch List - To hell with the FBI's million-st...10/31/2007Come see our giant toxic stew! - 1,500 miles wide, floating in t...10/26/2007American kids, dumber than dirt - Warning: The next generation m...10/24/2007 I'm 2 or 3 years old. I'm out in the backyard playing in the grass and my dad is just over there, working ...
More About: Bacteria

Jury Awards Father $11M in Funeral Case
2007-11-06 06:27:00
reposted from: http://richarddawkins.net/article,1821,n, nWASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow).The Westboro Baptist Church is a pernicious hateful organisation that uses children, amongst others, to promote its beliefs. Its had a just come uppence by the legal system. Jury Awards Father $11M in Funeral Case by AP Thanks to Stephen M. Weeks for the link.Reposted from:http://www.comcast.net/news/index.js p?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2007/10/31/803048.h tml&cookieattempt=1By ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press WriterBALTIMORE - A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was kil...

'Thousands' pose UK terror threat
2007-11-05 21:06:00
reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7078712.stm WASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). 'Thousands' pose UK terror threat Jonathan Evans took over as director of MI5 in April There are at least 2,000 people in the UK who pose a threat to national security because of their support for terrorism, the head of MI5 has said. Jonathan Evans said there had been a rise of 400 since November 2006. He said children as young as 15 were being recruited for terrorist-related activity by al-Qaeda. Resources that could be devoted to counter-terrorism were instead being used to protect the UK against spying by Russia, China and others, he added. There had been "no decrease" in the number of Russian covert intelligence officers operating in the UK since the end of the Cold War, M...
More About: Terror , Pose , Threat

spoon bending fraud
2007-11-05 10:10:00
reposted from: http://cectic.com/068.htmlWASP: World Atheist Science People
More About: Fraud , Spoon

On arguing with a believer
2007-11-05 10:07:00
reposted from: http://cectic.com/069.htmlWASP: World Atheist Science People

Noctilucent Clouds
2007-10-29 02:10:00
reposted from: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix .html Noctilucent Clouds Over Sweden Credit & Copyright: P-M Hedén Explanation: Sometimes it's night on the ground but day in the air. As the Earth rotates to eclipse the Sun, sunset rises up from the ground. Therefore, at sunset on the ground, sunlight still shines on clouds above. Under usual circumstances, a pretty sunset might be visible, but unusual noctilucent clouds float so high up they can be seen well after dark. Pictured above last month, a network of noctilucent clouds cast a colorful but eerie glow after dusk near Vallentuna, Sweden. Although noctilucent clouds are thought to be composed of small ice-coated particles, much remains unknown about them. Satellites launched to help study these clouds includes Sweden's Odin and NASA's AIM. Recent evidence indicates that at least some noctilucent clouds result from freezing water exhaust from Space Shuttles. WASP...
More About: Lucent

The Great Carina Nebula
2007-10-27 13:00:00
reposted from: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix .htmlWASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). The Great Carina Nebula Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler and Stephane Guisard Explanation: A jewel of the southern sky, the Great Carina Nebula, aka NGC 3372, spans over 300 light-years, one of our galaxy's largest star forming regions. Like the smaller, more northerly Orion Nebula, the Carina Nebula is easily visible to the naked eye, though at a distance of 7,500 light-years it is some 5 times farther away. This stunning telescopic view reveals remarkable details of the region's glowing filaments of interstellar gas and dark cosmic dust clouds. The Carina Nebula is home to young, extremely massive stars, including the still enigmatic variable Eta Carinae, a star with well over 100 times the mass of the Sun. Eta Carinae is the bright star left of the central dark notch in this field and just below the dusty Keyhole Nebula (NGC...
More About: Bula , The G

Shell shapes evolved to avoid 'turning turtle'
2007-10-25 07:44:00
reposted from: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id =mg19626275.800&feedId=fundamentals_r ss20WASP comments are in bright green; highlights in blockquotes (yellow). Shell shapes evolved to avoid 'turning turtle' 27 October 2007 FOR a tortoise, being upside down is at best ignominious and at worst fatal. So to avoid it, some species have evolved a quite brilliant trick - perfectly shaped self-righting shells. Gabor Domokos and Peter Varkonyi at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary modelled the geometry of turtle and tortoise shells of differing dome heights. Those with very tall domes, such as the star tortoise, effectively have just one stable orientation, right side up. Put another way, ...
More About: Shapes , Turtle , Avoid

Synthetic life 'no terror threat'
2007-10-25 07:34:00
reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/70594 90.stm Synth etic life 'no terror threat' Scientist Craig Venter on his latest project SEE ALSO Scientist plotting genetic revolution 23 Oct 07 | Newsnight Creating life in the laboratory ...
More About: Life , Terror , Threat

Philosophy Matters: a review
2007-10-21 03:18:00
reposted from: http://www.royalinstitutephilosophy.org/t hink/article.php?num=16Philosophy Matters : a reviewMichael LacewingRoger Trigg, Philosophy Matters (Oxford: Blackwell, 2002) Roger Trigg's new book continues his discussions from Rationality and Science (Oxford: Blackwell, 1993) and Rationality and Religion (Oxford: Blackwell, 1998) on the role of reason in our thought and lives. Its fundamental premise is that philosophy is an irreplaceable discipline, and Trigg seeks to defend it from the Scylla of scientism and the Charibdis of relativism. His bold tone will engage many readers in the challenges he discusses. Scientism (which is my word, not Trigg's) is the belief that science is the only exemplar of rationality and all knowledge must come through empirical investigation; relativism is the belief that claims to truth are relative to the believer, so what is true for one person may not be true for another. Trigg diagnoses that these views are two sides of the s...
More About: Review

Hillary brings up science, but will it stay in play?
2007-10-19 19:44:00
reposted from: http://blog.sciam.com/index.php?more=1&am p;title=hillary_brings_up_science_but_wil l_it_st_5 Save for the media swarm in the wake of the hand raises by Republican candidates Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee and Tom Tancredo, it appears Hillary Clinton is the first to put science in the spotlight in the race for the White House. Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the Sputnik launch Thursday at the Carnegie Institution for Science , Clinton took the opportunity to talk about Bush's less publicized war--the one on science. (This, no doubt, had author and columnist Chris Mooney doing backflips.) She also released, via her website, an "Agenda to Reclaim Scientific Innovation." Here's an outline of the other "war," thus far: ...instead of fostering a climate of discovery and innovation, the Bush administration has declared war on science. The record is breathtaking: banning the most promising kinds of stem cell research, allowing political appointees to cens...
More About: Play , Stay

Cellular Visions - the Inner life of a cell
2007-10-18 07:53:00
reposted from: http://www.studiodaily.com/main/technique /tprojects/6850.html#commentformFilm with explanation of biochemistry: http://multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu/anim_in nerlife_Hi.htmlWASP: World Atheist Science People
More About: Life , Cell , Cellular , Visions

Key gene work scoops Nobel Prize
2007-10-10 08:01:00
reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7033492 .stm Key gene work scoops Nobel Prize Sir Martin used the technology to probe cystic fibrosis Two US scientists and their UK collaborator have been awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine for their groundbreaking work in gene technology. Mario Capecchi, Oliver Smithies and Briton Martin Evans developed a technique known as gene targeting. It enabled them to replicate human diseases in mice by introducing genetic changes into the animal's stem cells. The Nobel Committee said this had led to many new insights into conditions such as cancer and heart disease. Its impact on the understanding of gene function and its benefits to m...
More About: Work , Gene

Aurora, Stars, Meteor, Lake, Alaska
2007-10-09 21:16:00
reposted from: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix .html Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2007 October 9 Aurora , Stars , Meteor, Lake , Alaska Credit & Copyright: Bud Kuenzli Explanation: Sometimes, after your eyes adapt to the dark, a spectacular sky appears. In this case, a picturesque lake lies in front of you, beautiful green aurora flap high above you, brilliant stars shine far in the distance, and, for a brief moment, a bright meteor streaks by. This digitally fused breathtaking panorama was captured late last month across one of the Chena Lakes in North Pole, Alaska, USA, and includes the Pleiades open cluster of stars on the image right. The shot is unusual not only for the many wonders it has captured simultaneously, but because lakes this far north tend to freeze and...

appendix’s purpose
2007-10-07 08:02:00
reposted from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21153898/Scie ntists may have found appendix’s purposeSeemingly useless organ may produce, protect good germs for your gutWASHINGTON - Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut.That’s the theory from surgeons and immunologists at Duke University Medical School, published online in a scientific journal this week.For generations the appendix has been dismissed as superfluous. Doctors figured it had no function. Surgeons removed them routinely. People live fine without them.And when infected the appendix can turn deadly. It gets inflamed quickly and some people die if it isn’t removed in time. Two years ago, 321,000 Americans were hospitalized with appendicitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The function of the appendix seems related to the massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestiv...
More About: Purpose

Two Million Galaxies
2007-10-07 07:53:00
reposted from: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix .html Two Million Gala xies Credit & Copyright: S. Maddox (Nottingham U.) et al. APM Survey, Astrophys. Dept. Oxford U. Explanation: Our universe is filled with galaxies. Galaxies -- huge conglomerations of stars, gas, dust -- and mysterious dark matter are the basic building blocks of the large-scale universe. Although distant galaxies move away from each other as the universe expands, gravity attracts neighboring galaxies to each other, forming galaxy groups, clusters of galaxies, and even larger expansive filaments. Some of these structures are visible on one of the most comprehensive maps of the sky ever made in galaxies: the APM galaxy survey map completed in the early 1990s. Over 2 million galaxies are depicted above in a region 100 degrees across centered toward our Milky Way Galaxy's south pole. Bright regions indicate more galaxies, while bluer colors denote larger averag...

Melyn Bragg - Antimatter
2007-10-06 08:18:00
reposted from: Melvyn Bragg s Newsletter today Hello .... contradictions between matter and antimatter. One thing that fascinates me when I enter into the area of physics is the glossary that I usually get hold of. The glossary of physics terms. Antimatter itself, of course: “material made from antifermions”,fermions: “any particle that has odd-half-integer (1/2, 3/2 ...) intrinsic angular momentum (spin), measured in units of h-bar”, boson, hadron, kaon, photon, positron … I can understand why Christopher Marlowe was so entranced by the great names of cities and places which came out of the East and understand the allure of the shipping forecast to all of us – Seamus Heaney wrote a memorable poem about it which is a poetically-shaped listing of that reassuring, but somehow gallant, tour of these islands. And so to antimatter. Once again, you have to be impressed by the generosity of people who are at the coal-face of modern physics, taking the time and ...

First Nontheistic Billboard
2007-10-05 21:05:00
reposted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7028 639.stmFriday, October 05, 2007 First Nontheistic Billboard In April of 2006, I was complaining about the volume of religious billboards I had observed during a road trip. I then started wondering what would happen if freethought organizations began getting into the billboard act. It looks like we'll find out. The Freedom From Religion Foundation just unveiled a secular billboard in Wisconsin. From the press release:The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which is the nation's largest association of atheists and agnostics, is unveiling what is believed to be one of the first nontheistic billboards erected in Madison, Wis."We are launching a campaign to place freethought billboards up around the country, wherever an irreverent billboard is needed--which is practically everywhere!" says Annie Laurie Gaylor, Foundati...
More About: Theist

a Presidential Debate solely on the subject of science
2007-10-05 08:33:00
reposted from: http://richarddawkins.net/article,1703,n, n A New Debate by Matthew Chapman I am advocating for a Presidential Debate solely on the subject of science, and I hope you will join me in trying to bring this about. Had such a thing occurred during the election in 2000, perhaps we would have discovered that George W. Bush believed "the jury is still out on evolution." In this election, we have been provided with an excellent reason to ask for a scientific debate by the fact that three Republican candidates for president, Brownback, Huckabee, and Tancredo indicated that they do not believe in evolution. For them the jury seems not to be out, but to have rendered a verdict against the theory.A publication of the National Academy of Science s states: "The evolution of all the organisms that live on earth today from ancestors that lived in the past is at the core of genetics, biochemistry, neurobiology, physiology, ecology, and other biological disciplines. It ...
More About: Subject , Resident

George Carlin on God
2007-10-04 19:55:00
In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims: religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told. clipped from www.positiveatheism.org Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man -- living in the sky -- who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-pow...
More About: George , George Carlin

Free Burma!
2007-10-04 19:04:00
reposted from: www.free-burma.orgFree Burma ! - International Bloggers' Day for Burma on the 4th of October! International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner with "Free Burma!".What can I do? 1. Join our list of participants here 2. Take part in this action more 3. Spread the word here 4. Spread the graphics here Free Burma! News Contact Media Support Important Links Free Burma! Wiki Free Burma! Flickr Group Amnesty International UAtake action - email the Burmese Foreign Minister Information Blogs about Burma More campaignsList of Signatories total 2965 at 3/10/07 6:50amFlikr infoAvaaz.org After decades...