Harry Potter and the Prince of Science Songs

"Tom Lehrer, in my opinion, is the cleverest and funniest man of the 20th century." So said Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the movies based on the J.K. Rowling novels, in a recent BBC telecast. Then, as if to prove his devotion to Lehrer, he performs a rushed but recognizable version of one of Lehrer's most famous songs, "The Elements."



Thanks to my friend Jeremy for sharing this.

Benoit Mandelbrot: a song to remember him by

Thanks to Curtis Silver of Technorati for writing this up before I had the chance:
In Memory: "The Mandelbrot Set" by Jonathan Coulton

Those with highly sensitive ears should be warned that the song contains the phrase "bad-ass f***ing fractal." Is it vulgar, or is it math?

Rock stars of science

Here is a site that I was surprised to discover. There aren't a whole lot of places on the web where you can find biographies of Harold Varmus and Anthony Fauci alongside those of Sheryl Crow and Seal.

So what's the goal of "Rock Stars of Science"? The mission, as stated on the site, has four parts.

• Make investment in medical research a national priority
• Accelerate therapies across diseases: cancer, Alzheimer's, heart and HIV/AIDS
• Inspire the next generation to careers in science
• Stand together and refuse to accept "no cure" as an answer

The featured scientists are mostly rock stars in the metaphorical sense. However, Francis Collins (of Human Genome Project fame) can be seen and heard playing songs such as The Times They Are A-Changin' with Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

Given the many scientific fields not represented in this group, a more accurate name for the initiative might be "Rock Stars of Biomedical Research on Diseases Prominent in the Developed World." In any case, we here at Sing About Science certainly agree that researchers should be recognized for their achievements and that young people should be encouraged to consider careers in science. Rock on, guys!