Mike the Mad Biologist
Archives for January, 2007
Quote of the Day
Posted by Mike on January 21, 2007 This is from a speech given by Adam Werbach, former head of the Sierra Club. It’s an interesting speech, and worth thinking about, but this quote about funders cracks me up (italics mine):
Sorry Shakes…
Posted by Mike on January 20, 2007 …but I saw Al Gore speak last night, and he’s not going to run for president. He did, however, have a lot of interesting things to say.
Freeping the Weather Channel
Posted by Mike on January 19, 2007 A few weeks ago, climatologist and Weather Channel blogger Heidi Cullen suggested that:
Don’t Forget Bora’s Book
Posted by Mike on January 19, 2007 One of the weird things about the internets is that one’s fifteen minutes of fame get compressed even further into about fifteen seconds.
Calling All Oncologists
Posted by Mike on January 18, 2007 There’s an article in the New Scientist about researchers who are using dichloroacetate (‘DCA’) to treat many different cancers. According to the article, here’s what DCA does:
Shigella, Children, and Antibiotic Resistance
Posted by Mike on January 18, 2007 In the developed world, shigellosis, a diahrreal disease caused by the bacterial species Shigella, typically isn’t considered dangerous, even though it makes about 450,000 ill in the U.S. To shorten the length of illness and to reduce potential infection of other people, antibiotics are typically prescribed, usually cotrmoxazole or ampicillin. However, recent shigellosis outbreaks are…
There’s a New Tangled Bank Up…
Posted by Mike on January 18, 2007 …over at The Voltage Gate (who’s partying like it’s 1779). Yours truly has a post there, but you should check out all of the scientific goodness.
Nothing Political Going On Here, Move Along
Posted by Mike on January 17, 2007 It would appear that seven U.S. attorneys, some of whom are in the middle of investigating Republicans, have been sacked and replaced by Republican political appointees. Thanks to the Patriot Act, these appointees, regardless of their qualifications, don’t have to be confirmed by the Senate (does Congress even read the legislation they sign? And if…
Norovirus and Surveillance
Posted by Mike on January 17, 2007 There’s an interesting article about the norovirus outbreak in Boston (it also seems to be nationwide). At this point, over half a percent of all the residents of Boston have gone to the emergency room due to this virus–which means even more have been sick.
What’s the Matter With Virginia?
Posted by Mike on January 16, 2007 I grew up in Virginia, and unlike transplant George “Macacawitz” Allen, I’ve never been pollyanish about Virginians’ attitudes on race and religion. But what VA Republican State Delegate Frank Hargrove said in a recent interview was shocking (italics mine):