SS asks: What makes statistical modeling different from, say, new age methods of trying to predict the future? I suppose it might be somewhat unorthodox to answer any way but "Everything!", but the more I thought about this question, the more intriguing I found it. I'll get into the answer in the coming weeks. First I'd like to explore why there's more to this question than might be immediately apparent. … [Read more...] about Science Reader Question: Never Quote Me the Odds!
Interview
Interview with John Walton
ESN Writer Mark Hansard interviews John Walton, author of The Lost World of Adam and Eve. See Mark's review of the book here. … [Read more...] about Interview with John Walton
Science Reader Question: And You Are… ?
I'd love to know more about your career journey. Are you working in academia or do you have what is currently called an alt-ac (alternative to academia) career? How did you get there? I touched on this briefly in my very first post 3 years ago, in a fairly obtuse way. I mentioned some more details while discussing the topic of private sector careers. But given how much I focus on esoteric science, and given how popular practical, career-oriented posts are on this blog, I think a more straightforward answer to this … [Read more...] about Science Reader Question: And You Are… ?
Science Corner: Where’s the (Roast) Beef?
My son introduced me to the cutaneous rabbit illusion a few weeks ago. It's a pretty interesting phenomenon. Basically the nerves in your forearm aren't wired for strong spatial resolution, so the brain fudges a little to figure out where along your arm a given sensation originated from. As a result, some taps at your wrist and elbow can be perceived as a series of taps running up the length of your forearm, even though nothing touched the middle area. … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Where’s the (Roast) Beef?
Science Corner: A Bridge Too Far
Communicating science to the public is a dicey proposition. Science employs a tighter precision than our everyday language usage. Preserving that precision can leave one's writing inaccessible to many. Analogies can be employed to improve accessibility. Analogies are like bridges; they help people get from wherever they are to somewhere new, often spanning a conceptual gap that might otherwise be much harder to cross. But what happens when the analogy morphs into fact? … [Read more...] about Science Corner: A Bridge Too Far