Author Archives: paleololigo

Scientist (Paleontology, Geochemistry, Geology); Writer (Speculative and Science Fiction, plus technical and non-technical Science); Mom to great boy on the Autism spectrum; possessor of too many hobbies.

Can Science Support Creationism?

Today, I’m giving at talk for RIT Skeptics with the above title. This post is the analogue version of the presentation for those who cannot attend. It’s also a good way for me to organize my thoughts in a linear fashion.

The point of the talk is to show whether or not some ideas of ‘Special Creation’ can be supported by science. Specifically, I’ll compare the Theory of Evolution with concepts of Intelligent Design and Scientific Creationism.Continue reading “Can Science Support Creationism?”

How Geology Has Benefited from the Military

Today is Veteran’s Day in the United States, a day in which we thank all members of our armed forces, past, present, and future, living or deceased, for their service in protecting our nation and keeping it strong.

I could write a kitchy post about how thankful I am (and I am, believe me. My father retired a full-bird Colonel from the United States Army), but instead I though I’d write about how the science of geology has benefited from the needs of the military.Continue reading “How Geology Has Benefited from the Military”

Stink Bug – Chapter 30

When I awoke again, I was determined to have a look around. The greys (which I called them for lack of a better word) seemed to want to help me, but I couldn’t help but think they meant to keep me prisoner. Plus, I was worried about V’x. She wasn’t a vicious animal, as the greys thought. She was a good… person. And I cared about her.Continue reading “Stink Bug – Chapter 30”

Misconceptions About How Glaciers Move

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to debunk a few of those misconceptions, specifically dealing with how glaciers work. There will be others. Find them here.Continue reading “Misconceptions About How Glaciers Move”

If I had a million dollars…

I’ve been participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for over a year now. The end result is that I’ve written approximately one blog post per day for the entire last year. That’s a lot of blog posts!

For November, NaBloPoMo is sending out a bunch of daily prompts. Actually, they always do this, but not usually by e-mail. The prompt for last Friday was this:

If you found one million dollars in the morning and had to spend it by nightfall, what would you do with the money?Continue reading “If I had a million dollars…”

Day Four Wrap-Up #2013SVP – Ending with a Bang

The fourth and final day of the 73th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate is at an end, for me at least. The after hours party goes on, but I am too exhausted to attend. I’m back in the room, ready to go to sleep.

 

Continue reading “Day Four Wrap-Up #2013SVP – Ending with a Bang”

Day Three Wrap-Up #2013SVP – Peer Pressure for A Good Cause

Another day of the 73rd annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology is in the record books. As with every Friday night of the annual meeting, we held the annual auction.

We have a live and a silent auction and sell donated items. The proceeds benefit various SVP programs, most often in support of student research.Continue reading “Day Three Wrap-Up #2013SVP – Peer Pressure for A Good Cause”

November is NaNoWriMo -or- Why I Won’t Respond to Your Text

November is National Novel Writing month, or NaNoWriMo for short. It’s a global challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

It can be done. I’ve done it three times already. I’ll be trying again this month. But don’t expect to hear much from me during November. I’ll be writing during every spare moment.Continue reading “November is NaNoWriMo -or- Why I Won’t Respond to Your Text”