12.30.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: December 8-28, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past few weeks (even the editors need a short break for the holidays!):



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks for physics, chemistry, or the earth sciences each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

12.09.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: December 1-7, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks for physics, chemistry, or the earth sciences each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

12.05.2013

Meet the Editors: Jordan Gaines Lewis

In the coming weeks, we'll be featuring short interviews with each of our editors, so that you can get to know those folks who are responsible for highlighting your posts each week as editors' selections. First, meet Jordan Gaines Lewis.

Hello! Let’s start with first things first. Where are you from, what do you do how did you get into science?

Hi all! I’m originally from Maryland and graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland in 2011 with my bachelor’s degree in biology. I’m now in my third year of the Neuroscience Ph.D. program at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania. (Yes, living in the chocolate capital of the U.S. is as great as it sounds.) You can connect with me on Twitter, Google+, and my website is here.

I used to want to be some sort of counselor; this was back in 8th grade, when my friends would tell me their deep, dark secrets over AOL Instant Messenger after school. Somehow this all transitioned into a fascination of the brain and, in college, the study of neuroscience as a whole. I work in a sleep research lab, which captivated me after a lecture in my introductory neuroscience class two years ago. On the side, I write neuroscience/psychology blogs for Scitable by Nature Education, Psychology Today magazine, and NBC News Health. I also started up a blog written by the graduate students at Penn State College of Medicine called ”Lions Talk Science” (‘cause we’re Nittany lions, and I like assonance!). And, of course, I’m your Social Media Editor here with ScienceSeeker!


What is the name of your blog and why did you choose that name – what does it mean?

My blog is called “Gaines, on Brains,” and I thought of it while…well, taking a shower one day. It is what it is: me, Jordan Gaines, discussing brains. It just seemed fitting that my last name would rhyme with the organ of interest. (I’ve since gotten married, so my last name is now actually Lewis, but nothing in neuroscience rhymes with Lewis. Trust me, I’ve racked my brains). You can check out “Gaines, on Brains” here.

How did you get into science blogging and science writing? What were the early influences on you regarding your blogging style and topics?

I’d had the Scientific American gadget on my iGoogle homepage for years (RIP iGoogle) and always enjoyed reading the articles on there. It took me awhile to realize that half of the pieces I was enjoying were actually blog posts by writers in the SciAm blog network. SUPER cool. That, combined with my lifelong love of writing (and the impending fear of beginning my doctoral program and being out of work after attaining my degree), inspired me to start up my own blog. I can’t believe how much my blog has evolved and how many different types of people I’ve reached since starting it up.

What is your blog about? Who is your target audience, and why do you think people should read your blog?

“Gaines, on Brains” is pretty much about anything remotely brain-related that I think will be interesting. Ah, I just had a deja vu episode…hey, I bet people are curious about what’s going on there. Better blog about it! I also take suggestions from readers and am constantly jotting ideas down in my planner. I also write about current research and hot topics in the news in an effort to “set the record straight,” so to speak. My target audience is the general lay community. Neuroscience is a ubiquitous and highly-misconstrued field, and dopamine is more than just the “happiness chemical” that “makes your brain light up,” as the TV doctors would say.

How do you spend your time when you're not doing science or science blogging? Any interesting hobbies?

I dabble in all sorts of things. (I get bored easily.) I like working out (just ran my first half-marathon two weeks ago), reading, knitting, painting, binge-watching shows on Netflix, and eating delicious food (not hard when I live in Hershey). I’m a huge trivia nerd when it comes to The Beatles, Harry Potter, and Titanic (the actual ship, not the movie). I also like to volunteer my time walking and socializing dogs at the local shelter.

Why did you decide to become an editor at ScienceSeeker?

I’d actually applied to be ScienceSeeker’s Photo Editor last year. When Dave Munger saw my application, he thought I’d be well-suited to being some sort of Social Media Editor; and thus the position was created. So when you see a Facebook post (“Like” our page here!) or Tweet link to our Twitter), that’s me!

12.02.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: November 24-30, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks for physics, chemistry, or the earth sciences each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

11.25.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: November 17-23, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

11.18.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: November 10-16, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

11.11.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: November 3-9, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:

Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

11.04.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: October 27-November 2, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

10.28.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: October 20-26

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

10.14.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: October 6-12, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

10.09.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: September 29-October 5, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

9.30.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors’ Selections: September 22-28, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of all the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

9.23.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors’ Selections: September 15-21, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of all the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

9.16.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors’ Selections: September 8-14, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of all the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

9.09.2013

ScienceSeeker Editors' Selections: September 1-7, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of all the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

9.03.2013

Science Seeker Editors' Selections: August 25-31, 2013

Each week, the ScienceSeeker editors pick their favorite posts within their respective areas of interest. Here is a round-up of all the Science Seeker Editors' Selections for the past week:



Don't forget you can recommend your favorites as well - just click the little star icon next to the post's entry.

Want to become a ScienceSeeker editor and share your favorite picks each week? As a project of ScienceOnline, ScienceSeeker editors also get priority registration for the annual conference in Raleigh. Let us know! Email: jason at scienceseeker dot org

5.14.2013

Announcing the Winners of the Science Seeker Awards!



There were over three hundred and fifty posts nominated for the inaugural ScienceSeeker Awards! Congratulations to everyone who was nominated!

Before I get to the winners, I want to first thank the judges, Fraser Cain, Maggie Koerth-Baker, and Maryn McKenna, for reading and commenting on dozens of posts, and to the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) for funding the contest.

As a reminder, there are eleven awards that will be handed out. The best single post from among the following ten categories will each receive an award of $100:

  • Best biology post

  • Best physics, astronomy, or earth science post

  • Best psychology or neuroscience post

  • Best medical sciences post

  • Best chemistry post

  • Best podcast or video

  • Best post about peer-reviewed research

  • Best post by a high school or undergraduate blogger

  • Best science art post (e.g. cartoon, photo, drawing, sketch, painting, etc)

  • Best life-in-science post

In addition, there will be a grand prize for Post of the Year which will receive an award of $1000 and priority registration for 2014's ScienceOnline Together, the annual conference in Raleigh that brings together scientists and science communicators from all over the world.

Without any further ado, here are the winners!

Best biology post
The Narcissism of De-Extinction by Hannah Waters

Finalists:
Gingrey is a bad doctor, says science by Christie Wilcox
Archaea Are More Wonderful Than You Know by Jennifer Frazer
Bad news for whale sharks: The world’s largest fish are being killed for bait and billboards by David Schiffman
Buzzsaw Jaw Helicoprion Was a Freaky Ratfish by Brian Switek


Best physics, astronomy, or earth science post
On the L’Aquila trial verdict: earthquake safety is about door locks, not fire alarms by Chris Rowan

Finalists:
Phenomenon of the year: Sandy’s stunning surge by Bob Henson
The Truth about Radon by Matt Herod
Why Paleontology Is Relevant by Sarah Werning


Best psychology or neuroscience post
The crayola-fication of the world: How we gave colors names, and it messed with our brains (part II) by Aatish Bhatia

Finalists:
Dr. David H. Barlow and Aversion Therapy for Gays by The Neurocritic
Exploring the Mind of the Mountain Gorilla by Kim Moynahan
Why do children hide by covering their eyes? by Christian Jarrett
Will changing your Facebook profile picture do anything for marriage equality? by Melanie Tannenbaum


Best medical sciences post
Weaving together the DNA of parenthood by Nathalia Holt

Finalists:
Llamas: Vaccine Factories For HIV by Nsikan Akpan
When You Swallow A Grenade by Carl Zimmer
Are You A Unique Medical Case? by Lutz Kraushaar


Best chemistry post
Negative temperature? by Chad Jones

Finalists:
My, What Lustrous Fur You Have by Sara Klink
Wanna buy some tetrahedral centers? by vinylogous


Best podcast or video
Palaeocast Episode 12: Paleozoic Problematica by Dave Marshall

Finalists:
Chemjobber Podcast: Chemistry Avengers: anti-chemophobia and chemistry outreach by Chemjobber
Token Skeptic Episode One Hundred And Fifty Two – On Bad Pharma And AllTrials.Net – Interview With Dr Ben Goldacre by TokenSkeptic


Best post about peer-reviewed research
The pseudoscience of anecdotes by Pete Etchells

Finalists:
Dogs and Cats in the Home: Happiness for all? by Julie Hecht
Did dinosaurs lactate..? by Jon Tennant
Science Journalism and the Inner Swine Dog by Jalees Rehman


Best post by a high school or undergraduate blogger
Students of Ethnobotany: Underneath the mistletoe by Joycelyn Cheung

Finalist:
Deforestation and Global Warming by Samantha Jakuboski


Best science art post
Nanobody by May K.

Finalist:
Photos of Starfish Up Close: What Are You Looking At? by Hannah Waters


Best life-in-science post
The Sea Has Neither Sense Nor Pity: the Earliest Known Cases of AIDS in the Pre-AIDS Era by Rebecca Kreston

Finalists:
A field guide to privilege in marine science: some reasons why we lack diversity by Miriam Goldstein
Playing in Tide Pools | Scientist in vivo by Christie Wilcox
A Dream Deferred: How access to STEM is denied to many students before they get in the door good by Danielle Lee
Does Neuroscience need a Newton? by Scicurious


Post of the Year
Re-Awakenings by Virginia Hughes

Congratulations to all the winners! Please email me so that we can arrange to deliver your prizes: jason at scienceseeker dot org

If you are a finalist or winner, here are some badges and embed codes that you can use on your blogs and websites.

<a href="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/announcing-the-winners-of-the-science-seeker-awards" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/FinalistBadgeSmall.png" alt="" title="FinalistBadgeSmall" width="100" height="100" /></a>



<a href="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/announcing-the-winners-of-the-science-seeker-awards" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/FinalistBadgeMedium1.png" alt="" title="FinalistBadgeMedium" width="200" height="200" /></a>



<a href="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/announcing-the-winners-of-the-science-seeker-awards" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/WinnerBadgeSmall.png" alt="" title="WinnerBadgeSmall" width="100" height="100" /></a>



<a href="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/announcing-the-winners-of-the-science-seeker-awards" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog.scienceseeker.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/WinnerBadgeMedium.png" alt="" title="WinnerBadgeMedium" width="200" height="200" /></a>



4.05.2013

Twitter login down; Should be resolved within a few days

The Twitter login feature of ScienceSeeker is temporarily down as we enhance the security of the login feature.

If you need to login in the meantime, you can still use a username and password. You can recover a forgotten password using our lost user name / password feature.

3.27.2013

The nominated posts by category

There are just three more days to nominate and recommend posts for the ScienceSeeker Awards. While some categories have lots of nominees, there are also some categories with just a few. Below are links to the nominees in each category:

The topics with the fewest nominees are Best Science Art Post and and Best Post by a High School or Undergraduate Blogger. If you're in one of these categories, now is your chance to nominate your best posts and have an excellent shot at winning!

Also, you may want to take a look at the already-nominated posts in your favorite topics and recommend your favorites (by clicking on the star next to the post). Only the nominated posts with the most recommendations will be reviewed by our judging panel, so this is your chance to make a difference. Bloggers, if you have posts that are nominated, point your readers to them so they can also recommend posts.

3.15.2013

Science Seeker Awards - Update

There are just a few weeks left to nominate posts for the inaugural Science Seeker Awards.

In case you don't remember how to nominate a post, it's really simple: just find that post’s entry on Science Seeker (hint: use the filters and search box on the right sidebar), and click the little trophy icon. Then, you’ll be prompted to identify for which of the ten categories above you’d like to nominate the post. All nominated posts are also automatically considered for “Post of the Year.”

Remember, posts can be nominated for multiple categories. If a post has already been nominated, another way to lend your support to that post is to “recommend” it, by clicking on the little star icon. Bloggers: if your posts are nominated, be sure to encourage your readers to "recommend" them!

At the end of the nomination period, the Science Seeker editors will use the total number of nominations (the trophy icon) as well as the total number of recommendations (the star icon) in order to crowdsource a list of finalists, which will be handed over to the judges, Fraser Cain, Maggie Koerth-Baker, and Maryn McKenna.

Here are the posts that have been nominated since the last update. If you see any you like, remember to recommend them. Just click the post title, and click the star icon on the top right of the page.

Don't see any of your posts on the list? Nominate your own! Any post, video, or podcast written before February 1, 2013 is eligible. The nomination period will run through midnight on April 1, 2013.

3.04.2013

Science Seeker Awards - Nominations So Far

It's one month into the nominations period for the inaugural Science Seeker Awards, and there is just one month left to nominate your favorite posts for the contest!

In case you don't remember how to nominate a post, it's really simple: just find that post’s entry on Science Seeker (hint: use the filters and search box on the right sidebar), and click the little trophy icon. Then, you’ll be prompted to identify for which of the ten categories above you’d like to nominate the post. All nominated posts are also automatically considered for “Post of the Year.”

Remember, posts can be nominated for multiple categories. If a post has already been nominated, another way to lend your support to that post is to “recommend” it, by clicking on the little star icon. Bloggers: if your posts are nominated, be sure to encourage your readers to "recommend" them!

At the end of the nomination period, the Science Seeker editors will use the total number of nominations (the trophy icon) as well as the total number of recommendations (the star icon) in order to crowdsource a list of finalists, which will be handed over to the judges, Fraser Cain, Maggie Koerth-Baker, and Maryn McKenna.

Here are the posts that have been nominated so far. If you see any you like, remember to recommend them. Just click the post title, and click the star icon on the top right of the page.

Don't see any of your posts on the list? Nominate your own! Any post, video, or podcast written before February 1, 2013 is eligible. The nomination period will run through midnight on April 1, 2013.



Note: These posts are listed in chronological order according to when the post was published, so multiple posts from the same blog are not necessarily adjacent to eachother.

2.04.2013

ScienceOnline 2013 news

The ScienceSeeker team loved meeting so many of you at ScienceOnline 2013! Quite a few of you came up to our booth, attended our blitz session, or had lunch with us. We got some great feedback for what is important to you in future features, and we really appreciated everyone's kind words about how useful ScienceSeeker is to you.

For those of you who weren't there, our big news is our first contest. The grand prize winner will receive $1000 and a guaranteed spot at Scio14. The guaranteed spot garnered more enthusiasm from attendees than the cash:



The most-requested features were:


  • People want to be able to load older blog posts in to the site. Right now, the site only reads posts that are still in your feed. We will look into finding ways to load up older ones!

  • People would like to be able to group together similar blogs, forming pseudo-networks on ScienceSeeker. This would be a way to have a single feed for multiple blogs. This is something we've already been thinking about, but we'll move it up the priority list.

  • People want to be able to more easily search by post-level tags: "I want to see all the posts which are tagged 'genetics.'" This is doable now, but there isn't an easy user interface for it. We'll work on that soon, too.



Let us know if we missed any requests.

It was great meeting so many of you face to face. See you next year!

2.01.2013

Announcing The Inaugural Science Seeker Awards

We are pleased to announce the inaugural Science Seeker Awards!

We hope that these awards will be a way to feature several of the most outstanding blog posts, podcasts, or videos from the past year, as well as serve as a way for those who are perhaps unfamiliar with our website to play and explore.

There will be a total of eleven awards handed out. The best single post from among the following ten categories will each receive an award of $100:
  • Best biology post

  • Best physics, astronomy, or earth science post

  • Best psychology or neuroscience post

  • Best medical sciences post

  • Best chemistry post

  • Best podcast or video

  • Best post about peer-reviewed research

  • Best post by a high school or undergraduate blogger

  • Best science art post (e.g. cartoon, photo, drawing, sketch, painting, etc)

  • Best life-in-science post


Click here to see the posts that have been nominated

In addition, there will be a grand prize for Post of the Year which will receive an award of $1000. No single post can win more than one award, including the grand prize.

We're also pleased to announce that the judges for the inaugural Science Seeker Awards are Fraser Cain, Maggie Koerth-Baker, and Maryn McKenna. We'll be introducing you individually to each judge in the coming weeks here on the Science Seeker News Blog.

How does the nomination process work?

The nomination process will run from February 1, 2013 through midnight on April 1, 2013 (so, really, the evening of March 31 is the time for last minute nominations).

It's really simple to nominate a post: just find that post's entry on Science Seeker (hint: use the filters and search box on the right sidebar), and click the little trophy icon. Then, you'll be prompted to identify for which of the ten categories above you'd like to nominate the post. All nominated posts are also automatically considered for "Post of the Year."

Posts can be nominated for multiple categories. For example, you might notice that the post you'd like to nominate has already been nominated for "best post about peer-reviewed research," but could also be nominated for "best biology post." If you'd like to nominate the post for a new category, that's fine.

If a post has already been nominated, another way to lend your support to that post is to "recommend" it, by clicking on the little "star" icon.

At the end of the nomination period, the Science Seeker editors will use the total number of nominations (the trophy icon) as well as the total number of recommendations (the star icon) in order to crowdsource a list of finalists, which will be handed over to the judges.

The judges will collectively determine the winner for each of the ten categories, as well as the overall grand prize winner. The winners will be announced on May 1, 2013.

What posts (or podcasts, or videos) are eligible?

Any post, podcast episode, or video that was first published between February 1, 2012 and February 1, 2013 are eligible for the Science Seeker Awards.

To nominate a post, however, the blog has to be indexed by Science Seeker. If your blog, podcast, or video series is not yet indexed by Science Seeker, don't worry! The submission process is simple. Just click the button that says Add Site on the top menu. (Find detailed instructions here.)

Any questions?

Feel free to leave a comment here on this post, use the contact form, or tweet us @SciSeeker. For more detailed questions only, email Science Seeker Associate Editor Jason G. Goldman: jason at scienceseeker dot org

Update: Modified categories to add "earth science" to Physics/Astronomy category