Update 13/11/2010 And the winner is.... Eukaryote for this beauty:
Man walks into a pharmacy and says "how much is your adenosine triphosphate?" The pharmacist says "to you, it's 80p"
Boom, Boom!! Eukaryote will get a book token for his trouble. Thanks for all your entries.
To celebrate Science Week, I'm looking for the best short science joke. But you have just until 5pm (Irish Time) today to get your entries in.
So, this is going to be short and sweet. You can tweet your joke, remembering to use the hashtag #scijoke , and the whole joke must fit into one tweet (140 characters). You can follow me on twitter @blogscience
You can also leave your joke as a comment to this post, but you need to observe a similar maximum length.
I'll dig out a nice prize for the best joke of the day (which may also be the worst....I love terrible puns), so spread the word and get joking.
It is with some degree of shock and surprise that I can announce that Communicate Science has been nominated for an Eircom Spider 'Big Mouth' award.
The 'Big Mouth' category is decided by a public vote so if you like what you've been reading then go and vote for Communicate Science here.
The full shortlist is a 'who's who' of Irish bloggers all worthy of their place, but special mention must go to fellow science bloggers Jeremy Stone and Humphrey Jones from The Frog Blog. It is great to see two science blogs in the shortlist.
So, click here and vote for us, it will take just a few seconds, and spread the word - we need all the votes we can get!
At this point, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who has read and commented on the blog; to those who have contacted me by email and followed me on twitter to comment, advise and sometime critique my posts.
The past year has been a steep learning curve but I have been constantly impressed by the friendliness and generosity of science 'bloggers' and the broad Irish blogging community. Well done everyone, well done!
I'm delighted to announce that I've joined the team of guest bloggers who will be making regular contributions to the second series of the highly successful 'Secret Life of Scientists'.
Secret Life is part of the long-running and highly successful NOVA series which has run on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) in the United States since 1974. Nova has picked up multiple Peabody and Emmy Awards for its work in bringing science to a broad audience in new and exciting ways. It is America's longest-running and most esteemed science programme.
Secret Life presents scientists, not only as brilliant researchers, but also as real human beings with a variety of outside interests. For example, the first series featured an astrophysicist who sailed around the world, a biochemist who participated in the Miss America pageant and an ethnobotanist who dances salsa in the Bronx.
The second series kicks off here with an interview with Mollie Woodworth, a cheerleader who also happens to be a neuroscientist.
Thanks for the nominations in the Irish Web Awards 2010. We were nominated in the Best Web Only Publication category. Fingers crossed, but we are up against some fine competition. Judging and shortlisting is due to begin soon and the winners are due to be announced on October 16th in Dublin's Mansion House.
This is the 100th post on the Communicate Science blog. From some rather shaky beginnings back in September 2009, we've finally made this minor milestone!
Back at the start of May, I did a highlights post for articles published before that date. You can check it out here.
As I've reached post 100, it seems appropriate to dig out (what I think are) the best of the posts since May. If you're new to the blog (or not so new) you might enjoy having a look back.
If you're not already doing it, you should follow Communicate Science on Twitter for the latest news and articles. You can also subscribe to the blog by using the gadget to the right.
HIGHLIGHTS
At the end of May, the results of our Science Photo Competition were announced. View the winners.
May was also the month when Craig Venter announced his lab had created a "synthetic" microbe. We looked at the story and the media reaction here.
In June, Anti-GM campaigners were told that they can't have it both ways in this post on GM potato trials.
We also launched our occasional series on Culture & Science with a poem by the Irish poet Paula Meehan. Read it here.
A European poll found that 55% of the public wanted scientists to communicate more. The results of the survey were discussed here in an article which also appeared on guardian.co.uk science blog.
I've had some excellent feedback on the article about the noted Irish artist, writer and naturalist Robert Gibbings. If you missed it, you can read the article in full here.
Plenty of feedback too on this guest post of the FrogBlog which dealt with biology at leaving cert level.
That's just a handful of the articles since May. Feel free to browse throught the rest.
If you enjoy an article, or if you think an article is totally off the point, feel free to contact me. We love feedback here at Communicate Science!
DSE aim to increase the numbers of students studying Engineering and Science; to promote a positive attitute towards careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to foster a greater understanding of science and its value to Irish society.
A few months ago, The Guardian reported that the Oxford English Dictionary had included an incorrect definition for the word 'siphon' for about 100 years. Never fear though, you can now learn all about siphons from four schoolchildren dressed as monsters.
This learning opportunity arises from SciCast, an online initiative which invites scientists (of any shape or form) to submit short films about science to their website. They also present the SciCast awards, which are open to films submitted from the UK and Ireland.
Many of the films come from schools, but anyone can submit- families, professional scientists, youth groups, etc. as long as they are from amateur film-makers.
The result is a huge web resource of fun science movies that everyone can enjoy at www.planet-scicast.com
The initiative is the brainchild of TV producer Jonathan Sanderson and stems from what he says was a dirth of science content on British Children's TV.
The winners of the competition element of the scheme were announced at an event in the Royal Institution, London last Friday. Some of my favourite award winners include:
The schoolchildren from Scotland who tested a variety of rockets. See it here.
The Lego animation of the Apollo 11 moon landings by Oliver Madgwick which discusses the difference between mass and weight. This film won the award for technical and Artistic Achievement. See it here.
A fun explanation of the Doppler Effect. See it here which picked up the best Physics SciCast.
An excellent paper animation demonstrating seed dispersal which received the award for Best Biology (Primary) SciCast. See it here.
Finally, there is the wonderful "Spooky Siphoning" film which combines an explanation of siphons with monster costumes - It has to be seen to be believed!
There are loads more films to watch on the website. And while watching them should be a great learning opportunity in itself, if it encourages people to create their own SciCasts, then the organisers will have achieved something altogether much more fun!
Some of the most weird and wonderful highlights of SciCast:
All of the shortlisted entries for the Communicate Science Photo Competition 2010 are now available to view at the online exhibition and the accompanying slide show.
The winner will be announced on Friday next, 28th May.
The Communicate Science blog has developed rapidly since the first postings in September 2009. Given the recent increase in viewers, I thought this was an appropriate time to look back over a few of the highlights so far. Feel free to add your own with a comment to this posting or email me directly.
In October 2009 we brought you a report on Kew's Millenium Seedbank when they celebrated having collected 10% of the world's known plant species. See it here.
We looked at the relationship between science and religion in November while we were knee-deep in flood waters. Relive the drama here.
Also that month, we contemplated the sheer beauty of nature (and the movies!) with a look at bioluminescence. Shine the spotlight here.
In March of this year, we looked at consumer acceptance of GM crops in an article that was also published on the Guardian website. Read more here.
And just last month we brought you a London picture special with images from the Natural History Museum and Kew Botanical Gardens while we also launched our own Science Photo Competition. See the London images here.
After a few weeks of tinkering, I've finalised the new template, layout and design for the Communicate Science blog. The banner image on top is of a community of lichen growing on the bark of a tree in the Ringaskiddy area of Co. Cork a few years ago. It's a small portion of a much larger image for which I've been looking for a use since I took it.
The majority of the changes have now been implemented and save a few minor changes to a few gadgets, no major upheavals are expected for the foreseeable future. I'd be delighted to know what you think of the new design. Any comments or suggestions can be left as a comment to this post.
The good people at guardian.co.uk have published one of the articles from Communicate Science as a science blog on their website. The article deals with the recent decision by the EC to allow GM potatoes to be cultivated in Europe as well as consumer opinion on GM in general. The article, which is an edited version of the post that appears on this blog, can be viewed here.
Science Spin is Ireland's Science, Wildlife and Discovery magazine. It's now available in its entirety online.
See the March edition here and read about the geology of coal mines in Co. Kilkenny, the latest research on how the brain functions and the latest events and happenings in Irish science.
Welcome to Communicate Science. I'm a plant scientist, so expect lots of plant-related posts but also lots on science in general and science communication. Enjoy!
Contact: communicatescience1@gmail.com
All content, unless otherwise stated, is copyright of Communicate Science and should not be used without prior consent. Opinions expressed on this blog represent my own views and not those of my employer. Any comments on posts represent the opinions of visitors.
I'm passionate about the need to enthuse, inform and engage everyone in society about science.
I'm a full-time researcher and lecturer and a part-time blogger. I'm interested in all things to do with science. In particular, education and communication of science - especially biology.
This blog represents my personal views.
