Blog
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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 18, 2015
Is This the Future of Research Funding?
The never ending quest to obtain funding for scientific research just got more difficult for a lot of scientists. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is taking steps to radically change the way it funds cardiology studies, making the move to allocate money to fewer studies with a deeper reach. The agency is confronting the … 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
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August 13, 2015
Top Tips for Writing Up Your Scientific Data: Mastering the Art
Perhaps the most difficult part of the research process is writing up your data. Journals and other scientists want to know the question being asked, understand your reproducible methodology, and be intrigued by the conclusions you came to and how they might affect your field of interest. Scientific data is driven by charts, graphs and images. Bringing … Read more