Nobel Prize 2015 : Chemistry

And so it is on to the Nobel Prize announcement for Chemistry today and this is indeed for something quite fascinating. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015 Tomas Lindahl Prize share: 1/3 Paul Modrich Prize share: 1/3 Aziz Sancar Prize share: 1/3 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2015 to … Read more

2015 Nobel Prize: Physics

It’s Nobel Prize time again and today we find out who wins the Prize for Physics. This one usually excites because it is often somebody well-known, or for something well deserved – they really do get this one right year after year. Awarded annually since 1901 (except in 1940, 41 and 42) the nomination and selection process for the … Read more

2015 Nobel Prize: Physiology or Medicine

It is once again the time of year when the Nobel Prizes are awarded, and so each day this week we will be hearing about an award for one specific category. The roadmap is as follows: Mon 5 Oct – Physiology or Medicine Tues 6 Oct – Physics Wed 7 Oct – Chemistry Thur 8 Oct – Literature Fri 9 Oct … Read more

A message for you from Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell, the great British philosopher and social critic, appeared on the BBC program Face-to-Face in 1959 and was asked a closing question: What would you tell a generation living 1,000 years from now about the life you’ve lived and the lessons you’ve learned. His answer is short, but pithy. You can read a transcript … Read more

People have rights … ideas do not.

It was International Blasphemy Rights Day (30th Sept) a few days ago, and so it is perhaps appropriate to remember that the key point is not to offend, but rather to reject the meaningless concept of Blasphemy, a tool deployed by some to both oppress and to also enforce irrational dogma as “truth”. So who gets to decide when … Read more

Sometime satire really is the best reply

Being religious is about investing in an idea emotionally, and sometimes (I really do mean sometimes for a minority) that happens to such a degree that the person doing so is completely oblivious to what has happened to their ability to think clearly about specific things. While within this post I am thinking specifically about creationism it can … Read more