Science Friday: Pearls Before Flies, The Drugs (that) Don't Work, and the Maths of Wonderland

My three year old could make art like that.

It turns out some cave 'art' might actually be more linguistic than impressionistic.

"While some scholars like Clottes had recorded the presence of cave signs at individual sites, Genevieve von Petzinger, then a student at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, was surprised to find that no one had brought all these records together to compare signs from different caves....  What emerged was startling: 26 signs, all drawn in the same style, appeared again and again at numerous sites."

Check out the full article in New Scientist. (via MindHacks)

My caddisfly could make art like that.

It's the hottest insect-assisted fashion accessory since silk.  French artist Hubert Duprat has made something really unique.

Er... rather, some bugs made it.

(via observations of a nerd) 

And my art could make coral like that

There's still time to RSVP for the Crochet Coral Reef workshop this Saturday Feb 20th.  Participants at the workshop will join curator Margaret Wertheim to finalise the process of making an "Irish Reef", which will be exhibited alongside the international crochet reef collection at Science Gallery in Spring 2010.

Like science, but different...

Luckily, no-one was admitted to hospital following the mass 10:23 overdose in Britain, but here in Dublin we can give it our best shot on March 13th.

Feel dubious about overdosing on something that Quinn and Aviva provide cover for?  Don't worry! There's nothing in it!  Remember, Homeopathic treatments (many of which are diluted to 30 C -- a 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 1% dilution) have been diluted to a degree that it's nearly impossible for them to contain any of the original substance.  More info on why it's not science, and why it's harmful.

Perspective? Your morning cup of coffee is probably more concentrated with the same molecules that were in Abraham Lincoln's cup of coffee on the day he was shot, than 30 C dilutions are concentrated with their original substance. 

A modest proposal

Science Journalists-- pay your sources!  It probably won't catch on, but it's an interesting idea, especially if you're a scientist. 

"The objection that scientists shouldn’t have to sully their independence is a day late and grant dollar short. The question is not whether scientists have to sell themselves, but to whom they must sell themselves. Selling to the populace, through science journalists as retailer, may in principle provide considerable freedom, because there are often widely varying interests among the populace, and tremendous potential for niche science consumers." (full article at ScientificBlogging)

Speaking of good ideas...

Hey Scientists! Do you:

1. Want to join the 'social networking revolution'? 
2. Dislike using the same online services, websites, train carriages, etc. as non-scientists?

Well, have we got good news for you! The well-intentioned ScienceFeed (Yes it does *coincidentally* look a lot like FriendFeed) is a platform where "scientists, journalists, students, and those with an interest in science, are able to communicate in a way that has no borders. Individuals from all over the world are able to participate and observe, helping to make science accessible to all."

Curious science, curiouser maths.

Finally, another one from New Scientist takes a look at how a changing Victorian attitude towards mathematics influenced Alice in Wonderland's curious additions in later revisions.