Watch a Grizzly Bear get an MRI

Well wishes for Lucy a 3-year-old grizzly from the Montana Grizzly Encounter who received an MRI today #GoCougs
— WSUVETMED (@WSUvetmed) January 17, 2014

The story.

Pale Blue Dot

Earth from six billion miles out.  Image Credit - NASA - from Voyager 1 ~1990.

A long time ago in a grad school far far away I watched a you tube video that changed my life. The you tuber who posted the video went by the name Silverseer and the video consisted of Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot monologue overlaid by Enya's "Boadicea." The video was just a series of Ken Burns moves with the original pale blue dot photograph. I loved that video so much, I must have watched it at least a hundred times. Eventually it was taken down; probably due to a copyright claim by Enya's record label. But today, after years being deprived of my Voice-of-the-Sagan induced spine tingles something similar has been produced! I give you a new window onto the world through the voice of Sagan, the sounds of Hans Zimmer, and the vision of Adam Winnik.

Pale Blue Dot - Animation from Ehdubya on Vimeo.

The Times They Are a-Changin' - Happy New Year!

Humane Society of the United States launches new Billboards

New billboards from the Humane Society of the United States are going up in the State of North Carolina; a high volume pork producer. Seeing this in my Twitter stream made me think of this video of Dr. Bernie Rollin speaking on humanity's ancient contract with farm animals. You can read my full interview with Bernie from a few years back here.

Traffic not moving? Try never moving. Check out our new billboard campaign in NC, a huge pork state: pic.twitter.com/Y3Im5lak7P
— Humane Society (@HumaneSociety) December 31, 2013

Brian Greene & Richard Dawkins discuss God.

Biking Viking: introducing the Copenhahen Wheel

The Copy Co-Op: reworking the "selfish" gene.

The nucleosome. Image generated from the protein data bank file deposited by Luger et al in 1997.  This a representative model of the atomic structure of one nucleosome the basic packaging unit of chromatin. Chromatin is the mixture of DNA and proteins that make up chromosomes, the heritable parts of living things.

Ice Drumming!

Hat tip to Sarah Keartes for sharing this incredible blend of nature and art on this first weekday of the Jul time. Brilliant!

China Launches Lunar Lander

Image credit - China Daily/Reuters

For the first time since 1976 humanity will land a functioning robot on the Moon.

Dubbed Jade Rabbit the lunar lander was rocketed into orbit in the early morning hours of December 2nd, 2013 from the Xichang launch center in Sichuan, China.

The vehicle carrying the jade rabbit is called the Chang’e-3 spacecraft.

Though the official landing date and location has not been revealed it is thought the spacecraft will reach lunar orbit in four days and the rover will then be sent down to gently land on the surface on December 14th in the Sinus Iridum region on the earth-facing side of the moon.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on "Agnostic" vs. "Atheist"