Links for you. Science: Something in the water: What drugs are local residents abusing? A researcher’s solution to that vexing problem suggests just how much our sewage knows about us Modern Rivers Shaped By Trees: Rivers were wide and shallow until the evolution of treelike plants, which got the waterways into line. Heritability On science and liberalism Other: It’s...

One of the ludicrous notions that has infected our political discourse is that government jobs aren’t ‘real’ jobs (tell that to fireman when your house is burning down…). But a lot of private sector jobs are heavily subsidized by the government. I’m not referring to private contractors hired by the government, but jobs that are supposedly private...

Fortunately, Irene just ended up resembling a bad nor’easter, but without the cold temperatures (or snow). We had high winds from about 9:30 – 10:30am, and if they had become progressively worse (as was predicted), it could have been pretty ugly. Didn’t turn out that way thankfully. In fact, it looks very clean out there. Still some clean up is...

Not much of a storm, at least in Boston. Let’s celebrate with some links. Science: Teh Wimminz in Academia Thingy Again Racial Disparity in NIH Grants: Solutions from Your Humble Narrator Worst Excuse Ever (to not disclose ties to pharma companies. For Intelligent Designer’s sake NIH, even Darrell Issa would be embarrassed to use that excuse) Cost...

They’re getting pretty good at hostage taking, and it worked before. Alex Seitz-Wald reports: Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene this weekend, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) today stood by his call that no more money be allocated for disaster relief unless it is offset by spending cuts elsewhere. The Washington Post reported...

Links for you. Another Scientist Calls Out Sen. Coburn’s Misleading, Juvenile “Report” XMRV: ITS EVERYWHERE! UUUUUGH! ITS IN MY RACCOON WOUNDS! AND MY QIAGEN COLUMNS! Coulter Goes All Science-y in Bid to Disprove Evolution Yet another bad day for the anti-vaccine movement 2011 Antibiotics: Killing Off Beneficial Bacteria… For Good? Other: Case study:...