Blog
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December 17, 2015
The Dopamine Crash: How to avoid the post-holiday slump
The months leading up to the end of the year holidays can be euphoric, exhausting, exciting and then… dreadfully depressing. During the build-up, our physiology is in an increased state of arousal, whether we’re anxiously looking for an elusive parking space or elated when finding the perfect gift at 50% off. Neuroscience has known for … Read more
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December 2, 2015
Defending Your PhD: Learning to Shine
Achieving a PhD is a tremendous accomplishment. Getting to that point can be slow-going, though hopefully it’s been a rewarding process. But the build-up to defending your research to a committee of people who may know more than you do within your field of study can be painfully intimidating. It needn’t be. The most important thing … Read more
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November 15, 2015
How Science Can Reduce Violence
This week we’ve seen another spate of terrorist attacks on everyday people, starting in Beirut and ending in Paris. World leaders are reacting to the incidents with emotion, and talk is of fighting back, bombing, declaring war. However, before we set off on a path of mutual assured destruction, could science contribute to our efforts … Read more
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November 5, 2015
Why Journals Reject Manuscripts
This week, the Washington Post reported that a study highlighting the stunning rise in the death rate of middle-aged American whites was rejected by two prestigious journals before finally being published by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study was conducted by Angus Deaton and Anne Case, both distinguished Princeton economists, and Dr … Read more
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November 2, 2015
Why Translation and Editing Software is Bad for Your Reputation
You got that modest grant to carry out your research. You ran your study as frugally as possible and ate ramen noodles five nights a week. Now you’re tempted to run your data and text through inexpensive translation and grammar software before submitting for publication. Think again. Translation software is not savvy. Humans are. Even though … Read more
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October 4, 2015
The Hidden World of Sand
Even if you lay your cheek upon the surface of a sun-baked beach, you’re unlikely to see clearly the kaleidoscopic world beneath you. Gary Greenburg, a research affiliate at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, created a 3D high-definition light microscope in the 1990s, and he’s been capturing fascinating sand close-ups since then. He’s put out … Read more
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September 29, 2015
Might we be Martians?
Watch out Mars, here we come. Maybe. Someday. NASA used to play down the notion that the arid, desolate landscape of Mars could ever possibly be home to future life. However, the recent announcement confirming the flow of liquid water on Mars is causing its planetary science division to reconsider. In a recent paper published … Read more
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September 27, 2015
Get ready for the Super Blood Moon eclipse
Want to see all the sunrises and sunsets in the world at one time reflected off the surface of the full moon? That’s what we observe during a total lunar eclipse. Combine this with the moon passing closest to the earth during its monthly orbit, known as a supermoon, and you’re in for a rare astronomical treat. If … Read more
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September 20, 2015
Image of the Week : Arctic Eclipse
Called “one of the astronomical highlights of the year,” this photo of the moon’s total eclipse of the sun in March earned the French photographer Luc Jamet the title of astrological photographer of the year, presented at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. To see all the compelling and luminous images which won distinction in this year’s competition, follow this link. At Oxford … Read more