Month: February 2015

The next time you get into an argument with your laptop or shake a fist at your computer, try to refrain from calling it “a stupid machine.” That would be gloating. We really are more intelligent than our computers. Case in point, the human mind can solve some puzzles better than computers. On this principle, […]

Citizen science makes serious contributions to our understanding of the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun doing it! Here are five projects that combine science and gameplay to create an exciting experience for everyone. Cheers! The SciStarter Team

  On its surface, it looks like just another science puzzle game. In reality, the game is part of a broader goal to enable non-scientists to contribute to synthetic biology research. ‘It’ is Nanocrafter, a project created by researchers and game developers at the Center for Game Science at the University of Washington. They are […]

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Citizen Science Hackfest on 2/11 at the Citizen Science Association’s conference in San Jose, CA! This hands-on and discussion-driven meet-up was a wonderful opportunity for participants to  dream up AND build creative tools to improve the field of citizen science! . Once we settled into our digs (conveniently situated […]

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by David Coil a Project Scientist in the lab of Jonathan Eisen at UC Davis and a member of the Project MERCURRI team.  We’ve finished analyzing all the data from the “Microbial Playoffs” part of Project MERCCURI(described here).   Each microbe that was chosen to fly to the International Space […]

SAN JOSE, CA – A global audience is gathering this week, intent on changing the way science is done. Over 600 people from 25 countries will convene February 11 and 12, 2015, at the San Jose Convention Center for “Citizen Science 2015,” the inaugural conference of the Citizen Science Association (CSA). In citizen science, members […]

Propose or join a project or activity for the SciStarter Hackfest at the Citizen Science Association Conference! What: A hands-on and discussion-driven meet-up where everyone participates in dreaming up AND building creative tools to improve the field of citizen science! Where: Citizen Science 2015 Conference, San Jose, CA Who: The SciStarter team and YOU! Why: […]

DNA, proteins, and chromosomes are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but there are plenty of citizen science projects that make the building blocks of life accessible to us all. Here are some great projects that need your help to advance our understanding of what we’re made of and where we come […]

With its striking orange and black coloring and transcontinental range, the monarch butterfly is probably the most recognizable insect in North America. All pollinators are important to maintaining our food supply, but monarchs also have a key role in education; for decades schoolchildren across North America have been raising and releasing monarchs as part of […]

Are you planning to attend the Citizen Science Association’s Conference and/or the American Association for the Advancement of Science Conference and Family Science Days in San Jose, CA? Let’s meet up! Here’s where you will find SciStarter: All events are at the San Jose Convention Center. Citizen Science Association Conference 2/11 11:50am The Crowd & […]