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New scientific study says, most scientific studies are flawed.

The study doesn’t prove or disprove any particular studies, but instead looks at all the obstacles facing most studies (small sample size, small effect, etc.). Still, it’s hard to read about it with a straight face.

(NewScientist: “Most scientific papers are probably wrong,” by Kurt Kleiner [Aug 30, 2005])

• Charisma Explained. No, really. A British study lays bare the components of charisma. The BBC News Magazine article gives a few pointers (open body posture, let people know they matter, develop a genuine smile, be forceful and articulate, &c.). (BBC News Magazine)
• And lack thereof. Another study shows that people are more likely to make social blunders when they’re tired and/or stressed. Surprise! (EurekAlert!)
• How Marshmallows Are Made. How to make your own, anyway. (HowStuffWorks)
• One apple a day. To the max! If you’re eating apples for your health, best to chow down on red delicious or northern spry, as they’re the varieties with the most antioxidants. (Which is why you’re eating apples, right?) (EurekAlert!)
• Captivating gore. J.G. Ballard, whose books I’m always intrigued by but can never finish, has an interesting analysis of what makes C.S.I. so compelling. (Guardian Unlimited Books)
• gCensus = GoogleMaps + US Census.
• Musical furry lobster. It sings, but can it dance? This “musical” (it chirps) “furry” (its shell feels velvety to the touch) “lobster” (it’s a lobster) was recently discovered off the coast of Australia. (ABC [Australia] Science)

The New Scientist Special Report on BSE and vCJD. Updated with the latest articles and info. Also has a timeline, web links (as opposed to…?), and briefing notes.

Sleep improves memory.

Are you surprised? Probably not.

(EurekAlert: “Study shows how sleep improves memory”)

(via MeFi)

Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, by Lydia Millet, ends up being a disappointment, but only because the last few hundred pages pale in comparison to the incomprehensible brilliance of the first 250. Honestly, the beginning is outstanding, so it’s not really Millet’s fault that the rest can’t compare. Once you bring the three forefathers of the atomic bomb back from the dead, it’s a difficult proposition to know what to do with them, exactly. It’s one of those mediocre-by-comparison ordeals; if the start of the book were less spectacular, would the entire book perhaps seem more genius? Despite these misgivings, I’d tend to recommend this book, and heartily, at that. Lydia Millet manages to combine humor, drama, and social criticism in ways you wouldn’t think were possible. More impressively, she gives credible voices to the dead physicists, making Leo Szilard, Robert Oppenheimer, and Enrico Fermi powerful characters in her work.