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Latino and Indigenous Science Organization Rejects Arizona as a Conference Choice

8:58 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · arizona|Immigration|Phoenix|science · 6 Comments

10 May 2010

SACNAS, a society of scientists dedicated to fostering the success of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists, formally withdrew Phoenix from consideration as a conference location. In a letter to Governor Brewer, the organization stated that SB1070 would guarantee attendees would be subject to harassment. SACNAS estimates that this represents a loss of in revenue to the local economy of $3 million.

From the organization’s press release:

The leadership of SACNAS strongly believes the immigration law SB1070 will make the state inhospitable to people of color, especially Hispanics,” says society president, Jose Dolores Garcia, PhD. “We have been seriously considering Phoenix as a site for our conference in 2012. However, we feel the passage of this law and the policies of Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio will lead to racial profiling of our students and faculty.

Meet Ida, Your Oldest Ancestor

1:55 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Celebrities|science|society · 1 Comment

20 May 2009

626_fossil …and media darling! This fossil, formerly referred to as Darwinius masillae, emerged yesterday in a media storm as what is believed by her discoverers to be human’s oldest known ancestor, and proof of our evolution from apes. Take that creationists!

But really, with all the fuss about Ida today and yesterday, one would think she had a new film premiering or a hit show on Broadway. Flash bulbs went wild as she was unveiled yesterday at New York’s Museum of Natural History, with the celeb mayor Michael Bloomberg in attendance.

Dozens of reporters swarmed to the museum for Tuesday’s announcement at the museum, where even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand to extol the discovery. The fossilized creature lay on its side, suspended in a block of amber-colored material sitting in a brightly lit specimen case.

Before Tuesday’s event, the fossil was shrouded in secrecy, and its unveiling unfolded more like a Hollywood production than a scientific discovery. When asked if the publicity was overdone, Hurum said he didn’t think so.

“That’s part of getting science out to the public to get attention,” he said. “I don’t think that’s so wrong.”

Ida apparently lived some 20 times earlier — 47 million years ago, when the Himalayas were just forming – than the last known fossil of this type, making her super old…and super cool! Ida makes Lucy look like chopped liver. So 1974!

Via / MSNBC

Thousands of Stargazers Gather in Mexico City

7:11 am By Maegan La Mala · Latin America|mexico|science|World · 1 Comment

9 Feb 2009

To kick off International Astronomy Day — which marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s invention of the telescope – thousands of Mexico City residents gathered this weekend in the city’s main plaza, El Zócalo, to turn their telescopes to the sky and do a little stargazing:

But it wasn’t just Mexico City residents who got in the stargazing spirit. Events took place all over the republic, in city squares in all major Mexican cities. In addition, astronomy buffs also gathered at archeological sites all over the country in an event called “Night of Stars 2009: Our Ancestors’ Skies”, which took place a Boca de Potrerillos, in Nuevo León; Xochicalco in Morelos; Calixtlahuaca in Mexico State; Cholula in Puebla; Dzibichaltún in Yucatán; and Edzná in Campeche.

Via / Reforma on YouTube

Follow up to Latin@s and Black Americans in Danger of falling out of Middle class

12:36 pm By Maegan La Mala · GLBT|Justice|science · Comments Off

30 Jul 2008

black%20AIDS%20institute.jpg Democracy Now! had a great segment about the report released yesterday, “Economic (In)Security: The Experience of the African American and Latino Middle Classes.” The report asserts that:

The vast majority of African-American and Latino middle-class families are at risk of falling out of the middle class altogether. Only one in four African-American and one in five Latino middle-class families in America are financially secure.

Watch the segment here. Pay attention to the segment prior to this one as well, there are some very interesting links being made between poverty and the government’s response to the AIDS epidemic in the black community.

(On a side note, when will these researchers finally let us know how they categorize black Latinos?)

Even Dinosaurs Want to be Latinos

11:04 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Brazil|science · Comments Off

18 Oct 2007

Being Latino is so “in” right now that even science and prehistoric animals are trying to get in on the action. Argentine and Brazilian palaeontologists think they have found a new species of giant plant-eating dinosaur, Futalognkosaurus dukei (say it with a Spanish accent please), that roamed the Earth some 80m years ago. El gran Duke, as we’ll call him, would have been around 105 feet long, making him one of the biggest dinos ever found (go ahead insert your Latino size stereotype in here, you know you want to).

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