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Very cool stuff — experiments in data visualization as presented in the Harvard Business Review:

A nice explanatory graphic on curling from the LA Times (click to enlarge):

Link: Curling: An Olympic Sweep [LA Times]

In the Wall Street Journal, Johah Lehrer explores the connections between youth and creativity in the sciences.

For one, he notes the demographic shift toward older scientists:

In 1980, the largest share of grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) went to scientists in their late 30s. By 2006 the curve had been shifted sharply to the right, with the highest proportion of grants going to scientists in their late 40s. This shift came largely at the expense of America’s youngest scientists. In 1980, researchers between the ages of 31 and 33 received nearly 10% of all grants; by 2006 they accounted for approximately 1%. And the trend shows no signs of abating: In 2007, the most recent year available, there were more grants to 70-year-old researchers than there were to researchers under the age of 30.

Where are all the young people? It’s an important question.

But an equally important question–and one that I feel is relevant to proposing ways to change the status quo:

Why are young physicists and poets more creative? [Dean Simonton, a psychologist at the University of California, Davis] argues that they benefit, at least in part, from their willingness to embrace novelty and surprise. Because they haven’t become “encultured,” or weighted down with too much conventional wisdom, they’re more willing to rebel against the status quo. After a few years in the academy, however, “creators start to repeat themselves, so that it becomes more of the same-old, same-old,” Mr. Simonton says.

As we think about how to reinvigorate the sciences, I think it’s important to consider the effects of “enculturing” on a larger social level, too. We see it in middle school, high schools, and universities. Standardization of education may play a significant part in creating this perverse effect. So might our collective attitudes about what education means in this country.

But beyond the ivory tower, we see “enculturing” in the working world. Business leaders and entrepreneurs fight against this very thing. Though one might argue that every new gizmo on the market isn’t “moving the world forward” in the way scientific discovery does, there’s something about the spirit of innovation that thrives in market-driven endeavors.

What lessons can science learn from the world of entrepreneurship, and vice-versa?

Link: Fleeting Youth, Fading Creativity in Science [WSJ.com]

As my alarm clock radio went off at its predictable hour this morning, I heard about this study of human behavior on NPR:

Link: Human behavior is 93 percent predictable, research shows [Northeastern University News]

You can listen to the NPR audio report right here:

Oh, the surprises one finds when waiting in line at CVS:

Yeah. Get your copy here.

Type Ia Supernovae are a not just pretty in photographs. They play an important function in astronomy as a standard candle — a celestial object with known luminosity. By measuring visible brightness, astronomers can calculate a supernova’s distance.

In the LA Times today:

Type 1a supernovae are key to measuring celestial distances. Astronomers find evidence that they’re formed by the collision of two white dwarfs.

Link: Scientists shed light on supernova origins [LA Times]

In a report from the BBC today:

People who can choose their own working hours enjoy better physical and mental health, a report has suggested.

Link: Flexible working ‘good for heart and soul’ [BBC News]

From The Atlantic’s January/February 2010 edition, a piece about work at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies. They are developing interactive simulations to train Army personnel about better ways to interact in urban combat environments.

A pleasant surprise as I read through my subscription backlog. Not only because the subject matter is interesting, but also because I used to work at ICT. Matt Bosack and Randall Hill, both of whom are mentioned in the piece, are great people. Congrats on the good PR!

Link: SimCity Baghdad [The Atlantic]

More on grad school in the humanities from The Chronicle of Higher Ed: “The Big Lie About the ‘Life of the Mind’”: http://bit.ly/bM0tcu