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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
To War over Water
Syria, Water, Climate Change, and Violent Conflict
Significant Figures by Peter Gleick June 10, 2013
There is a long history of conflicts over water – the Pacific Institute maintains an online, searchable chronology of such conflicts going back 5,000 years. There were dozens of new examples in 2012, in countries from Latin America to Africa to Asia. (A full update for 2012 has been posted.) Access to water and the…
The Promise and Threat of Ethiopia’s Dam on the Nile: 21st century Water Conflicts
Significant Figures by Peter Gleick June 2, 2013
The Nile River – river of legend – is not just a river in Egypt. It is the lifeblood of 11 different African nations and the longest river in the world, extending over 6,500 kilometers long and draining a watershed of over 3 million square kilometers. The eleven nations that share the Nile are Egypt,…
One day, sometime around the middle of this century, during the lifetime of people now alive, the population of the planet will be smaller than it was the day before. Global population growth is slowing, will level off, and one remarkable day, decline. This day will mark the dividing line – the definitive transition –…
Channel Surfing
Life Science
(via Larry Linton)
This past weekend was more complicated than it might’ve been. On Friday night, we drove to Whitney Point to my parents’ house, then on Sunday morning very early we drove back to Niskayuna so I could make it to Union’s graduation on Sunday (I arrived just in time to hear Civil Rights icon John Lewis…
Dr. Miyawaki from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako, Japan and colleagues have identified the first example of a muscle protein in Japanese freshwater eels (Anguilla japonica) that fluoresces under special circumstances that may lead to improved medical testing (photo above). The researchers have isolated the protein they named UnaG (after “unagi”, the term…
Physical Science
The other big event of the weekend was Commencement at Union. I didn’t make it in time for the academic procession and all that, but I did hear John Lewis’s speech, which was great. More importantly, though, I was there to see our students graduate, and congratulate them in person. As I told my thesis…
This past weekend was more complicated than it might’ve been. On Friday night, we drove to Whitney Point to my parents’ house, then on Sunday morning very early we drove back to Niskayuna so I could make it to Union’s graduation on Sunday (I arrived just in time to hear Civil Rights icon John Lewis…
Environment
The risk of homicide is higher for taxicab drivers than for most other occupations. A new study finds that surveillance cameras mounted inside the cabs substantially reduce the drivers’ risk of homicide.
Its well past time to look at the sea ice extent. I don’t have much to say, so here is a picture: We’re currently well above the minimum – indeed, we’re pushing the maximum of the AMSR era. That’s not as meaningful as it might be, because 2012 was quite well up until only a…
Yes, its the wonderful Heartland / WUWT own-goal over the Chinese translations of HI’s Climate Change Reconsidered. I have nothing to add except laughter, so you may as well read * BCL(SB), * Eli, * HW. Not edifying, true, but certainly amusing. Since I’m here I may as well put up something: can I interest…
Humanities
Despite loud (and in my opinion, well argued) opposition to the Swedish restrictions on metal detector use by honest amateurs, our authorities are sadly not coming round to anything resembling the Danish legislation that works so well. My friend and fieldwork collaborator Tobias Bondeson is a skilled amateur detectorist who regularly publishes scholarly papers on…
Those still sitting on the fence over whether to buy this month’s best pop science debut about zombies can read a review by the kind folks at Arc magazine here, and read an extract from the book in Salon magazine, entitled: Russians Who Raised the Dead: Bryukhonenko had heard about Kuliabko’s experiments with humans and he…
As workers converged on Walmart’s annual shareholder meeting in a quest for higher pay and better working conditions, an in-depth article on Costco highlighted some stark differences between the two big-box stores.
Education
USA Science and Engineering Festival: The Blog
2013 U.S. News STEM Solutions National Conference Begins Today!
As announced earlier, the Festival has joined forces with U.S. News & World Report to host the U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference at the Festival Expo during the week of April 21, 2014 in Washington, DC – bringing together the largest K-12 STEM outreach event and leading advocates of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from the Solutions Conference. Today marks…
Dr. Miyawaki from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako, Japan and colleagues have identified the first example of a muscle protein in Japanese freshwater eels (Anguilla japonica) that fluoresces under special circumstances that may lead to improved medical testing (photo above). The researchers have isolated the protein they named UnaG (after “unagi”, the term…
USA Science and Engineering Festival: The Blog
Entertaining ENGINEERING.COM Returns as Festival Sponsor!
ENGINEERING.COM, with its mission to inform, inspire and entertain the world’s engineers — and future engineers — is returning as a key sponsor of the USA Science & Engineering Festival and Expo in 2014. Widely known for having its fingers directly on the pulse of the fascinating, ever-evolving realm of engineering innovation, ENGINEERING.COM will help expand the…
Politics
Yesterday, Minneapolis had a convention pursuant to the process of electing a new Mayor. Also, sausages were made. I dare you to look: An Outsider’s View of the DFL Minneapolis Mayoral Convention ————- Photo Credit: Sri Dhanush via Compfight cc
“One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people’s minds.” -Frank Zappa One of the most difficult things to talk about, for any self-respecting scientist, is politics. Like all of you, I have my preferences, my opinions, and my…
Let’s look at the evidence … Hmmmmm…. Hat Tip: Aviva Shen
Medicine
Student guest post by Naomi Kirschenbaum Although we can never know, there are estimates in the range of 15,000 displaced pets in the wake of 2005 Hurricane Katrina. Many of the dogs found their way to shelters and homes in our community around the Monterey Bay in California. As a local veterinarian the most notable…
Student guest post by Jack Hamersky After successfully completing a job interview I had the opportunity to take the next step in my employment process: taking a Tuberculosis or TB test. I have received the test before but never really understood the point of testing for a disease no one ever sees in my community.…
I never used to write much about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) before. I still don’t do it that often. For whatever reason, it just hasn’t been on my radar very much. That seems to be changing, however. It’s not because I went seeking this issue out (although I must admit that I first became interested…
Brain & Behavior
Take a bunch of peculiar individuals, put them all together in one setting; film their every move, every second of the day. Sound familiar? Dr. Tali Kimchi is explicit about the resemblance of her experiments to a well-known reality TV show. The difference, of course, is that Kimchi’s subjects are mice. She places large groups…
“Illusion is the first of all pleasures.” -Oscar Wilde It’s tough to tell fact from fiction, and sometimes just as hard to tell reality from illusion. As long as you’re enjoying yourself this weekend, I’d have to agree with Buckwheat Zydeco, and say Let The Good Times Roll. But despite what these images you’re looking…
Dr. Liz Phular and colleagues at the University of Minnesota have been testing an experimental cancer treatment for brain tumors in dogs that also offers hope to humans with brain tumors: KMSP-TV
Technology
Dr. Miyawaki from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako, Japan and colleagues have identified the first example of a muscle protein in Japanese freshwater eels (Anguilla japonica) that fluoresces under special circumstances that may lead to improved medical testing (photo above). The researchers have isolated the protein they named UnaG (after “unagi”, the term…
No. Not if it is natural. In a decision that could have broad-reaching effects on the future of science and medicine, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that: — “A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated.” — But, synthetically created “strands of…
I hope it is very very good because if not the fact that it looks exactly like a trash can I just bought at Target could make it a laughing stock. It is assembled in the USA. That’s a good start! Here’s a question for the true geeks: What prior RAM had the same speed…
Information Science
Confessions of a Science Librarian
The Canadian War on Science: National Research Council’s new focus ignores how science works
I know I’ve already posted about the changes at the NRC, but this recent David Suzuki article frames the issue so perfectly that I thought I’d post about it again. The article is called National Research Council’s new focus ignores how science works. The core issue is that recently the Canadian Federal Government’s National Research…
Confessions of a Science Librarian
Reading Diary: Primates: The fearless science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani
First Second Books is one of my favourite publishers of graphic novels, in particular because they seem to like to do a lot of science-themed books. Jim Ottaviani’s book Feynman was one of my favourite graphic novels of the last few years. Perhaps not surprisingly, First Second published Feynman. The latest from the science graphic…
I saw a bunch of people yesterday tweeting approval of John Hawks’s complaint about academic timidity when it comes to blogging: The bottom line is: People need to decide if they want to be heard, or if they want to be validated. I have long been an associate editor at PLoS ONE, and once I…
Jobs
The Pump Handle
Sequestration and OSHA: Impact so far seems minor, but advocates brace for an uncertain future
Every week, the Austin-based Workers Defense Project welcomes standing room-only crowds to its Workers in Action meetings. And once a month, a local OSHA representative would join the meeting, giving some of Texas’ most vulnerable workers the chance to meet face-to-face with the agency. Unfortunately, due to the federal sequester, OSHA has had to indefinitely suspend its participation. It’s a significant loss.
The Pump Handle
Wage theft in South Florida: Nation’s first county with wage theft protections reports on progress and perils
Earlier this month, Florida lawmakers wrapped up their latest legislative session. And nearly 500 miles south of Tallahassee in Miami-Dade County, workers’ rights advocates breathed yet another sigh of relief.
The Pump Handle
Study: Peer-to-peer training can improve safety, knowledge among Hispanic construction workers
Eric Rodriguez and his colleagues at the Latino Union of Chicago quite literally meet workers where they’re at — on the city’s street corners. Many of the day laborers who gather there are hired to work construction at residential housing sites. Work arrangements are hardly formal and day laborers are frequently subjected to unnecessary and illegal dangers on the job. Unfortunately, worker safety is often kicked to the curb in the street corner marketplace.
