Common Science

When I told people that I was going to start writing a weekly science blog for www.chapelboro.com, the reactions I got ranged from rampant enthusiasm to overwhelming skepticism. When I told the skeptics that I was planning to...

Last week’s announcement that the world’s seven billionth person was born has prompted a barrage of news coverage, most of it lacking in any cogent analysis. In today’s blog you will get the Common Science view on this landmark...

A common frame for discussing differences in culture between the United States and China is short-term versus long-term thinking. The theory is that we worry primarily about the next quarter or next year while the Chinese are...

“The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal.” This claim has become routine for presidential candidates, including Rudy Giuliani, Rick Perry, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. There is some truth to this statement. The...

Entropy is a word that is used far more often than it is understood. But if you want to understand how manufacturing activities drive economic growth differently than service functions, you need to understand entropy. So to get...

I intended to move away from the flu after 3 weeks, but decided I left some things unsaid. Long, long ago, when I was applying for college, I wanted to study either history or chemical engineering. That may sound like and odd...

This week’s entry brings us to the conclusion of my three part series on the flu. If you want to start at the beginning here are the links for Part I and Part II. The flu, with its predictable yearly visits, has become so...

When we left off last week in “Flu Season Primer Part I: The Virus” your immune system was about to mount a spirited defense to a viral infection. Your immune system protects you from all sorts of threats and invasions,...

Flu season is upon us and the movie Contagion about a global epidemic is out in the theaters. So clearly it is time for a three-part Common Science series on viruses, the immune system, and influenza.    Viruses are frightening,...

It’s been awhile since I posted my most recent entry in my series on petroleum. If you want to start at the beginning, follow the links below.   1.     Nothing Matters More than Oil, Nothing 2.     Photosynthesis Part I: Oxygen...