1. Scientists confirm that parts of earliest genetic material may have come from the stars

Comment #192859 by Palmer_Eldritch on June 14, 2008 at 4:51 am

Sorry Drew, if you're not fast you're last ;-)

Just edited it to tidy up the special chracters.

Also, this stuff should be free to all.

Ben Goldacre at www.badscience.net has written about this and you should also look here and sign the petition.

2. Scientists confirm that parts of earliest genetic material may have come from the stars

Comment #192855 by Palmer_Eldritch on June 14, 2008 at 4:26 am

Here is the abstract:

Carbon-rich meteorites, carbonaceous chondrites, contain many biologically relevant organic molecules and delivered prebiotic material to the young Earth. We present compound-specific carbon isotope data indicating that measured purine and pyrimidine compounds are indigenous components of the Murchison meteorite. Carbon isotope ratios for uracil and xanthine of δ¹³C =   44.5‰ and  37.7‰, respectively, indicate a non-terrestrial origin for these compounds. These new results demonstrate that organic compounds, which are components of the genetic code in modern biochemistry, were already present in the early solar system and may have played a key role in life's origin.

3. Oklahoma: One Step from Doom

Comment #141274 by Palmer_Eldritch on March 10, 2008 at 8:22 am

"Okie use' ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you're a dirty son-of-a-bitch. Okie means you're scum. Don't mean nothing itself, it's the way they say it."

The Grapes of Wrath (Chapter 18) - John Steinbeck

4. The Lava Lizard's Tale

Comment #131321 by Palmer_Eldritch on February 22, 2008 at 8:47 am

@Steve Zara

Interesting that you mention Aubrey Manning. He was one of my lecturers as an undergraduate and I maintain to this day is one of the best lecturers/speakers I have ever had the pleasure to experience.
Of particular note is that he too was a student of the Nobel Prize-winning ethologist Niko Tinbergen like our host Professor Dawkins.
One more thing. I recently read The Ancestors Tale and was surprised at how much of the first year (and even a little of second year) of my undergraduate course it covered. Almost like a refresher course.

5. Richard Dawkins - Science and the New Atheism

Comment #95548 by Palmer_Eldritch on December 8, 2007 at 3:08 pm

...especially considering that animals do not behave cruelly either towards each other or towards other species...

Hmmm. Just thought I would step in here. You might want to look at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMyiMnQy9d4

Killer Whales can be pretty mean.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any of the original footage only ones where people have made jokes out of it but I suppose that is pertinent to the discussion in some way.

Anyway, carry on.