Science and punk rock brought to you by Bad Religion.

You've got to quit your little charade and join the freak parade
Now that your road has been paved from conception to your grave.
Enormous things to do, others' practices to eschew,
To be better than you is impossible to do,

But the world won't stop without you.
No, the world won't stop without you.

Your achievements are unsurpassed, you are highly-ordered mass,
But you can bet your ass your free energy will dissipate.
Two billion years thus far, now mister here you are,
An element in a sea of enthalpic organic compounds.

The world won't stop without you.
The world won't stop without you.

You're only as elegant as your actions let you be
A piece of chaos related phylogenetically
To every living organ system, we're siblings, don't you see?
The earth rotates and will revolve without you constantly.
Two billion years thus far, now mister here you are,
An element in a sea of enthalpic organic compounds.

The world won't stop without you.
No, the world won't stop without you.
I said the world won't stop without you.

****

Some relatively personal thoughts on the convergence of punk rock and science and what they both my mean within the confines of my own life are coming within a few days for any of those interested.

The Paleo paper Challenge.--

Andy Farke and Dave Hone are putting together a project called the (you guessed it!) Paleo Paper Challenge. The idea? Finish a paper and get it published by the beginning of next year. It's especially a new (and thus far quite interesting) challenge for me because I've never before attempted a formal scientific publication--until now I've strictly dealt with translating the information I've been learning (my interest in paleontology, especially as a life's path, was rekindled by a chance event last spring) into a medium aimed for the curious layperson.

Basically, the paper is a review on a group of ancient prehistoric animals called the Spinosauridae (I've blogged about Spinosaurus here before, so you shouldn't be entirely unfamiliar!). From the first discoveries through the century following, it details a multitude (and a half) of finds that have been made by paleontologists spanning the globe and adds my own thoughts and interpretations behind them--their form, evolution, and biotic history.

So, give it a chance! Even if you've never tried it before, there's no better time to start than now.

-Tor