Astroturfing is a form of advocacy in support of a political, organizational, or corporate agenda, designed to give the appearance of a “grassroots” movement. The goal of such campaigns is to disguise the efforts of a political and/or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some political entity—a politician, political group, product, service or [...]

  Should we take the coal industry’s advice and abandon renewable energy immediately? It seems far too dangerous.   In The Know: Coal Lobby Warns Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit  

  David Hume, hero of the Enlightenment, father of skepticism, linchpin of democracy and human rights and freedoms, Happy 300th Birthday! Sir Roger has some understanding of how Hume felt when he said this: “Here am I who have written on all sorts of subjects calculated to excite hostility, moral, political, and religious, and yet [...]

Love-sick, that’s Sir Roger’s friend, unfortunately, and Sir Roger needs your help. Sir Roger has a friend – no, really – who is, to put it politely, totally smitten with this girl. Love-sick is what he is; there is no better way to describe it. UPDATE: Sir Roger’s “friend” has responded fiercely to Sir Roger’s [...]

Sir Roger tells me he really didn’t want to have to write anything today. He has a new pair of Wellington boots and they are chafing his heels. He just wants to put his feet up and go to that nothing box men go to where women are not allowed. Perhaps this will help you [...]

Sir Roger is not one to boast. But he felt it right to congratulate you, his cherished friend, on your taste, intelligence, discrimination and excellent choice

Extraordinary images! When Sir Roger found this image he was very sceptical. He’s seen he’s never seen one like this. He checked. It’s real!

Amazing Penguin discovery and an unseasonal spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. Perhaps this might help to explain the mystery of a penguin colony in Sydney.

A Sciencey Xmas celebration with Robin Ince, Ben Goldacre and Brian Cox, Weird Placebo Effects, Amazing Universe and Onion News is Back with the Palin Effect!

Influential and surprising people go to bat for dealing with global warming or clean air or both – including a CIA Director and Richard Branson.

So here’s a heads-up for the new year about how gullible people can be and how ignorant and stupid celebrities can be (or maybe they’re just greedy).

I just had sex, on The Lonely Island with Akon, Jessica Alba and John McEnroe, and then fireworks with Katy Perry, followed by an antacid tablet

Check out this picture, one of a series taken by Twitter users of yesterday’s total eclipse of the moon, posted on Mashable.

Sir Ken Robinson PhD is inspiring and hilarious. His first TED talk is the most popular ever. This one is an animation of the RSA talk that he gave this year.

Your heart will pound, your jaw will drop, your tongue will flop to the floor, your brain will expand. You’ll want to be a spaceman or spacewoman all over again