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October 2, 2008
By now, you've probably heard that VP nominee Sarah Palin has been tripped up a few times by tough questions from CBS New's Katie Couric. Real brain twisters like:Â
"what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the…
October 2, 2008
OK, not really. I've been felled by my first respiratory virus of the season and I'm not up to doing anything beyond getting through the day, so there may not be many new posts from me for a bit.
October 2, 2008
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure
Scientists have been using genetic data to estimate when species first appeared for some time. The basic idea is to use differences between species and a guess as to how fast sequences change as a molecular clock, running it backward until they show the…
October 1, 2008
American News Project has just posted a new video segment about how tactics used to defend tobacco are now staving off action on climate change. In "Smoke and CO2: How to Spin Global Warming," Danielle Ivory gives an eight-minute overview of how we went from reassurances that tobacco isn't really…
October 1, 2008
Ok, I know I've been digging up old posts lately, but it's because I love them so darn much. Thanks for your indulgence. --PalMD
That's apparently all it takes to be a "Holistic" practitioner. I've been searching online for their medical board, or for any consistent definition of "holistic…
October 1, 2008
ScienceBloggers band together. And no, unlike the many parties they've been banding together at recently, this time it's for a good cause: DonorsChoose.org.
Donors Choose is a non-profit that provides schools with the specific equipment a particular classroom needs. Rather than rounding up, say,…
October 1, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Education and Careers and Politics channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Education and Careers. Math class in Penang, Malaysia. From Flickr, by cleong
Politics. Massachusetts state capitol building. From Flickr, by…
October 1, 2008
As our population gets older and heavier, healthcare workers are having to lift more and heavier loads as they transfer and position patients. The increased physical demands have translated into alarming rates of musculoskeletal disorders. NIOSH reports:
Direct and indirect costs associated with…
September 30, 2008
If you've spent any time at all reading science and medicine blogs, you know that many of us are quite critical of the way the traditional media covers science. The economics of the business allows for fewer and fewer dedicated science and medical journalists. In the blogosphere, writers have a…
September 30, 2008
Weâve written previously about Devra Davisâs The Secret History of the War on Cancer, which generated a lot of controversy. Dick Clapp, an environmental health professor at Boston Universityâ School of the Public Health (BUSPH), wrote for us about two opposing reviews of that book, and now heâs…
September 30, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Environment and Humanities channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Environment. A glacier off the coast of Patagonia. From Flickr, by angela7dreams
Humanities. De humani corporis fabrica in Hunting Library, San Marino, CA…
September 29, 2008
Despite a short 30-day comment period, dozens of interested individuals and organizations provided comments to Asst. Secretary Leon Sequeira about his proposed so-called risk assessment policy. I've pulled some of my favorite excerpts for your consideration:
"The proposed rule is a parting gift…
September 29, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Life Science and Physical Science channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Life Science. A cheetah in the San Diego Wild Animal Park. From Flickr, by HBC4511
Physical Sciences. A Foucault pendulum in Milan, Italy. From…
September 29, 2008
The Labor Department has rejected calls from numerous public interest groups and even the chairman of its legislative oversight committee to conduct public hearings and extend the time period to provide feedback on its worker health risk assessment proposal. That means that today, Monday,…
September 29, 2008
Updated below: 9/29/08 5:00 pm
Over the last year, Matthew Faraci has served as the MSHA spokesman, providing official statements, for example, about the Crandall Canyon investigation, touting the Agency's progress implementing the MINER Act, and defending the Administration's request for an…
September 28, 2008
Bora and his crack team of editors are working on Open Laboratory 08, a collection of the year's best writing on ScienceBlogs. Head over there and nominate some stuff, from this blog and others.
That is all.
September 28, 2008
Morgellons "disease" is not a disease in any classic sense. There are no agreed-upon definitions of a case, so all else is meaningless. That being said, people are suffering. Since they feel ignored by doctors, they seek help elsewhere.
It's a problem in thinking, in some ways. When you don't…
September 27, 2008
I'm off to the west coast (of Michigan) for a few days, and if I don't blog, I shall die...or something. So I have a few posts from my old blog to share with you.
Often in the discussion of cult medicines such as homeopathy, acupuncture, and reiki, supporters fall back on "the wisdom of the…
September 27, 2008
I'm off to the west coast (of Michigan) for a few days, and if I don't blog, I shall die...or something. So I have a few posts from my old blog to share with you.
Sure, we all have our biases about food and health. I think chicken soup is great when you're sick---but not because of any proven…
September 26, 2008
I'm off to the west coast (of Michigan) for a few days, and if I don't blog, I shall die...or something. So I have a few posts from my old blog to share with you.
As my child approaches school age, I worry about school board battles a little bit more. I hate politics, but I can see myself forced to…
September 26, 2008
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced the winners of its 2008 MacArthur fellowships (or "genius grants").
Maggie Mahar at Health Beat links back to past stories on geriatrician Dr. Diane Meier and critical care specialist Dr. Peter Provnost.
Andrew Plemmons Pratt at…
September 26, 2008
What is my blood pressure? Is it OK?
Have I been checked for diabetes?
How is my cholesterol? Is that OK?
Am I due for any vaccinations?
Do I need any cancer screening, such as PSA, colonoscopy, mammogram, pap smear?
How is my weight? What is my body mass index (BMI)?
Here is my medication list--…
September 26, 2008
In this post: the large versions of the Medicine and Health, Brain and Behavior and Technology channel photos, comments from readers, and the best posts of the week.
Medicine and Health. From Flickr, by sevenbirches
Brain and Behavior. From Flickr, by Mandroid
Technology. Control…
September 26, 2008
But apparently he'd rather have me fill it with coffee. Really...I mean it. I love coffee, but c'mon now! I can't stand that this idiot is given time on public television during pledge drives to peddle his woo...
I stumbled across a website that goes on and on about the supposed vast conspiracy of…
September 26, 2008
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure
The Chinese food contamination scandal continues to widen. The European Union (EU) is now banning imports of all Chinese baby foods that contain milk. The problem is the presence of melamine, a cheap chemical used to make plastics that looks like protein in…
September 25, 2008
I'm off to the west coast (of Michigan) for a few days, and if I don't blog, I shall die...or something. So I have a few posts from my old blog to share with you.
This is rich. This is really rich. Mercola is speaking out against the one thing that keeps him in business: the scientific illiteracy…
September 25, 2008
Four U.S. Senators have written to Labor Secretary Chao and OSHA Asst. Secretary Foulke expressing serious concern that "OSHA has failed to make significant progress in addressing the continuing hazards" of diacetyl. They asked for a response by October 8 to four simple questions, including a…
September 25, 2008
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure
Like a lot of other research scientists supported by NIH I got an email yesterday from NIH Director Elias Zerhouni announcing his intention to leave his position "to devote much of my attention to writing." At least it wasn't the hackneyed "to spend more…
September 24, 2008
Once a cancer has been diagnosed, we must use our knowledge of biology, medicine, and clinical trials to plan treatment. Treatment can be curative or palliative (that is, with a goal of reducing symptoms or extending life, rather than effecting a cure).
Understanding cancer treatment requires a…