I have a pile of things that I’ve wanted to write about, but it’s been a busy time with a family illness.

That said, here are some great pieces of good Science I have run across this week. All are worth a look.

First of all a salute to the ROYAL SOCIETY by the BBC in the form of an audio visual slide show. Mouse on the pic below to see it.

Another piece of info is a reality check for those trying to portray a few stolen emails as a scandal in climate science.

Scientific consensus  is a totality of observation and evidence, and not the work of any one person or group.

Claims that these emails prove climate change theory is wrong or made up are like tearing a page from an encyclopedia set and proclaiming the entire set of volumes untrustworthy as a result!

So, for those that are still looking for loopholes – ponder this. The temperature data that the Univ. of East Anglia has used to show the rapid warming of planet Earth, has been DUPLICATED INDEPENDENTLY by NASA and scientists in Japan. You have to be pretty gullible to believe all those scientists are part of a grand conspiracy.

To put it frankly, anyone who thinks this will make an iota of difference on the science is living in a dream world.

It won’t.

Andy Revkin of the NYT has posted a public letter regarding this subject from Dr. Ben Santer.

Santer is one of the top climate experts in the world. I had the honor to be part of a climate change seminar for Meteorologists last April with him. His papers on fingerprinting the human causes of climate change are must reads.

Another good read is by Geologist Peter Keleman at Popular Science. He does a great job of putting the issue into proper context. Thanks to Real Climate for the heads up on that. If you are not sick of it all by now then the viewpoint closest to mine on the matter is here. (especially the end)

Tim Lambert of Deltoid provided me with the best laugh all week from the climate denier Eric Raymond screaming conspiracy over the stolen emails. It all boils down to knowing what “;” means.

Amazing Ignorance.

Last, but not least, on the climate email story is an Editorial in today’s issue of NATURE. The premiere peer reviewed publication of all Science. Click the image below to read it:

A snippet regarding the claims made about the emails from the editorial:

“The stolen e-mails have prompted queries about whether Nature will investigate some of the researchers’ own papers. One e-mail talked of displaying the data using a ‘trick’ — slang for a clever (and legitimate) technique, but a word that denialists have used to accuse the researchers of fabricating their results. It is Nature’s policy to investigate such matters if there are substantive reasons for concern, but nothing we have seen so far in the e-mails qualifies.”

Last, but certainly not least, is something I have said nothing about before.

The ANTI vaccination crowd.

First of all- look up HERD Immunity.

If you’re even thinking of not having your kids or yourself vaccinated because of some of the junk science these people put out, then you are making a big and perhaps fatal mistake. This includes the MMR vaccine. There is NO scientific evidence that it causes Autism. The science is good on this. It wasn’t a few years ago perhaps, but it is now.

Before you start writing me emails about how you have an autistic child and I just don’t get it, let me assure you that I DO indeed get it.

I have a 15 year old autistic son.

Phil Plait at BAD ASTRONOMY has a touching story regarding this subject. Keep in mind that he uses the term SKEPTIC in the proper science way. Anyone doing science should be skeptical of any claim! It doesn’t mean he’s a climate change skeptic!

Later,

Dan