Last 24 Hours
Student guest post: Mission Impossible: Fighting Zoonotic Infections in Nicaragua
Posted by Tara C. Smith on June 19, 2013 Student guest post by Brandon Woods A Dangerous Paradise From jungles with jaguars to crystal blue lakes with freshwater sharks, Nicaragua is one of the most beautiful and dangerous countries in Central America. The brilliant biodiversity attracts millions of tourists each year and the looming volcanoes that pepper the landscape can be an exciting yet…
Do you believe in magic in medicine?
Posted by Orac on June 19, 2013 Sometimes, between blogging, a demanding day (and night) job doing surgery and science, and everything else, I embarrass myself. Sure, sometimes I embarrass myself by saying something that, in retrospect, I wish I hadn’t. More often, I embarrass myself by letting things slide that I shouldn’t. For instance, when friends send me a prepublication copy…
Algae. Not just a soft drink any more.
Posted by Greg Laden on June 19, 2013 
Intel ISEF finalist Evie Sobczak creates viable algae biofuel without using chemicals in processing. ________________ Photo of Science Fair Credit: RinzeWind via Compfight cc
Student guest post: Are parasites causing a rise in the global HIV epidemic?
Posted by Tara C. Smith on June 18, 2013 Student guest post by Carrie Ellsworth During the summer of 2010 I spent two months in Ghana studying a parasite called schistosomiasis. We worked in a small town called Adasawase to determine prevalence and treat the schoolchildren who were infected. We were told that schistosomiasis was not a major health concern for the people in…
What do flies, fish, mice and worms have to do with biomedical science?
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on June 18, 2013 A recent article posted in the BBC News provided a good explanation of why scientists commonly study these organisms as models for human diseases and conditions. Model organisms are chosen because their physiology is similar to other animals, including humans, in addition to other reasons: Visit the BBC News to see why researchers most often use flies, fish, mice and worms…
Do the creationist shuffle and twist!
Posted by PZ Myers on June 18, 2013 Don’t you hate it when you get up in the morning and the first thing you read on the internet is that the news that your entire career has been a waste of time, your whole field of study has collapsed, and you’re going to have to rethink your entire future? Happens to me all…
Quasi Poll: Most Needed Pop-Science Biography?
Posted by Chad Orzel on June 18, 2013 
I’ve got a ton of stuff that needs to get done this week, but I don’t want the blog to be completely devoid of new content, so here’s a quasi-poll question for my wise and worldly readers: What scientist is most in need of a good popular biography? By “popular biography,” I mean things like…
The Bottleneck Years by H. E. Taylor – Chapter 44
Posted by coby on June 18, 2013 The Bottleneck Years by H.E. Taylor Chapter 43 Table of Contents Chapter 45 Chapter 44 An Unsettling Meeting, July 19, 2056 With the summer trimester, my schedule changed. Peter cut the UNGETF meetings down to once a month. I no longer had classes on Wednesday, the regular UNGETF meeting day. Usually I went in to…
Worth reading: Go bags, water wars, and working while pregnant
Posted by Liz Borkowski on June 18, 2013 First 4-Wheel Wagon In Swedish East Coast Rock Art
Posted by Martin R on June 18, 2013 
Bronze Age rock art along Sweden’s south-east coast is rich but not as varied as that of the famous west-coast region. One motif that we have been missing is the four-wheel wagon. It isn’t common anywhere except on one site, Frännarp in inland Scania (below right), but we have had none whatsoever where I am.…
How high can the sea level rise if all the glacial ice melted?
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2013 
There have been times in the past when there was very little ice trapped in glaciers. During this time, sea levels were higher because that water was in the ocean (most of it, anyway). It has been a long time since then. However, with global warming, more and more glacial ice is returning to the…
Amazon Throws Tantrum, Screws Minnesota Associates
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2013 Amazon has sent a letter to all of its associates based in Minnesota. All Minnesota based associates are being thrown out of the Amazon Associates program as of July 1st. This is because the State of Minnesota passed a bill that Amazon does not like. Amazon may well have a good reason to not like…
Example Review
Posted by Greg Laden on June 18, 2013 Example Show is a Netflix production consisting of two seasons, each with two episodes. All four episodes appear to be identical, but I’ve only seen the first two. Each episode opens with a mesmerizing fountain scene, and a playful hand, followed by a man moon walking across a courtyard while typing on his Apple notebook.…
Student guest post: A Push for Pasteurization
Posted by Tara C. Smith on June 18, 2013 Student guest post by Molly Stafne Nothing could be worse than watching your seven-year-old lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life after being diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome. Unfortunately, Mary McGonigle-Martin experienced it first hand as her son, Chris, fought for his life after being poisoned by E. coli 0157:H7 found in contaminated…
No matter how often I read about treatments like this, I still can’t believe parents actually subject their children to them
Posted by Orac on June 18, 2013 It’s been a while since I’ve written about MMS. You remember MMS, don’t you? It’s an abbreviation for “miracle mineral solution,” a solution first promoted by a man who is inaptly named Jim Humble. Basically, as I’ve described in multiple blog posts, MMS is bleach, specifically chlorine dioxide (ClO2). I first became acutely aware of…
