Category Archives: Scientific method

In which we home-school science: introducing #HomeSci, a social media experiment

Posted on 20 March 2020 by Jennifer Rohn

Joshua channeling his inner boffin at dress-up time From this coming Monday in the United Kingdom, all schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that many parents will be working from home and looking after their children … Continue reading →

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In which I defend the birds-eye view

Posted on 26 November 2019 by Jennifer Rohn

Lovely massive tree. But what about that small boy in the corner?Is science about obsessing over one tiny daub of paint? Or is it about standing back and appreciating the entire picture?

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In which we science the world

Posted on 18 October 2018 by Jennifer Rohn

My son just can’t help it. He’s not even doing it deliberately: he’s just acting naturally. Curiosity combined with razor-sharp eyesight is a killer combination for the accidental scientist. He sees things that I miss, with my own failing ocular … Continue reading →

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In which I feel a bit too old for this game sometimes

Posted on 15 April 2016 by Jennifer Rohn

Age is a slippery thing. Most days I still feel like that tentative new PhD student, pulling 80-hour weeks at the University of Washington Health Sciences Center in Seattle. By the red glow of the safelight, I’d feed dusky rectangles … Continue reading →

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That’s the way science works

Posted on 25 July 2014 by Steve Caplan

There have been a lot of articles published in newspapers around the world discussing a recent PLoS ONE paper published on July 23 by Harris and Provoust entitled “Jealousy in Dogs.” Ginger, in a reflective, non-jealous mode For those who … Continue reading →

Posted in animal behavior, behavior, canine, dog, dog sense, dogs, impact, jealousy, PLOS ONE, Research, science, Scientific method | Comments Off on That’s the way science works

In which satellite models trump circumspection: the case of MH370

Posted on 25 March 2014 by Jennifer Rohn

The strange disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH340 has captivated the world, myself included. In an era of instant information, it’s sobering that an entire Boeing 777 could just vanish. I am sure I am not the only one who … Continue reading →

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In which I admire their honesty

Posted on 27 February 2014 by Jennifer Rohn

Kudos to Mateja Erdani Kreft of the University of Ljubljana and Horst Robenek from the University of Münster for telling it like it is: You don’t often see such candor in the methods section of your local journal article – … Continue reading →

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In which the data get an outing

Posted on 31 May 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

For the past few weeks I’ve been traveling the globe at back-to-back conferences – hence the silence here. The conference universe has its own natural laws, and time flows differently as its strict routines overwrite all of your own normal … Continue reading →

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In which we make a mess of things

Posted on 11 February 2013 by Jennifer Rohn

As a rule, when I’m trying to be creative, I have a hard time focusing if my workspace is not pristine and well-ordered. This holds true whether I’m working on a novel at my desk or performing an experiment on … Continue reading →

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In which a picture’s worth a thousand words

Posted on 15 August 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

A significant part of the scientific process is documenting what you observe. This activity is not merely a formality for the record. In some cases, it’s not until we study and analyze our results that the experimental situation can start … Continue reading →

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