clock | August 26, 2008Cells In Eye Could Help Control Sleep:
A set of nerve cells in the eye control our levels of sleepiness according to the brightness of our surroundings, Oxford University researchers have discovered. The cells directly regulate the activity of sleep centres in the brain, providing a new target for the development of drugs to control sleep and alertness.
New Evidence Debunks 'Stupid' Neanderthal Myth:
Research by UK and American scientists has struck another blow to the theory that Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) became extinct because they were less intelligent than our ancestors (Homo…
clock | August 25, 2008Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.
- Oscar Wilde
clock | August 25, 2008Science promotion is not science outreach, damn it!:
We've all encountered this: the science communication department at a large university is usually devoted to marketing the research of that particular university. The so-called "outreach" products of such departments - the public talks, articles, and events for school groups - are all forced to suit this purpose. Mediocre research is described in glowing terms as "world-class" or "ground-breaking". Poor communicators are put forward again and again so that they can be seen as a leader in their field.
This is promotion, not outreach.…
clock | August 25, 2008Monday night - time to check out the new articles in PLoS Biology and PLoS Medicine:
Is Sleep Essential?:
Everybody knows that sleep is important, yet the function of sleep seems like the mythological phoenix: "Che vi sia ciascun lo dice, dove sia nessun lo sa" ("that there is one they all say, where it may be no one knows," Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte [1790], Così fan tutte). But what if the search for an essential function of sleep is misguided? What if sleep is not required but rather a kind of extreme indolence that animals indulge in when they have no more pressing…
clock | August 25, 2008There are 12 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. Here are my own picks for the week - you go and look for your own favourites:
Individual Differences in the Amount and Timing of Salivary Melatonin Secretion:
The aim of this study was to examine individual differences in a large sample of complete melatonin profiles not suppressed by light and search for possible associations between the amount and timing of melatonin secretion and a multitude of lifestyle variables. The melatonin…
clock | August 25, 2008How 'Secondary' Sex Characters Can Drive The Origin Of Species:
The ostentatious, sometimes bizarre qualities that improve a creature's chances of finding a mate may also drive the reproductive separation of populations and the evolution of new species, say two Indiana University Bloomington biologists.
Elephant Legs Are Much Bendier Than Shakespeare Thought:
Throughout history, elephants have been thought of as 'different'. Shakespeare, and even Aristotle, described them as walking on inflexible column-like legs. And this myth persists even today. Which made John Hutchinson from The Royal…
clock | August 25, 2008
[Comic strip taken from Unshelved]
The anti-technology curmudgeons are back. Not just worrying about technology in classrooms (for which Dave has a great response), but culture in general.
Nice to see a couple of good responses to the doom-and-gloom crowd.
First we: DIGITAL_NATIVES by Jonathan Imme:
There used to be a time when we would be called 'nerds' or 'techies'. Strange people with a near-obsessive compulsion to embrace new technology, and who'd rather communicate with their friends online than offline. People for whom the Internet itself was the ultimate source of information for…
clock | August 25, 2008It is so nice teaching biology to adults when there are no (obvious) Creationists in the classroom. It does not always happen that way - I have had a couple of cases in the past - but this time it was really nice as I could freely cover all topics deeply within an evolutionary framework (not always seen in my public notes, though, as I try to gauge the class first and then decide how overtly to talk ebout everything in evolutionary terms). It is always a conundrum. If there is a potential resentment of my lectures, I have to thread carefully. I have to remember that I am not trying to…
clock | August 25, 2008Tiny Cellular Antennae Trigger Neural Stem Cells:
Yale University scientists today reported evidence suggesting that the tiny cilia found on brain cells of mammals, thought to be vestiges of a primeval past, actually play a critical role in relaying molecular signals that spur creation of neurons in an area of the brain involved in mood, learning and memory.
Picking Out Specific Sounds In A Complex Scene: Researchers Study 'Cocktail Party Effect', Measure Auditory Dynamics Of Selective Attention:
Call it the cocktail party effect: how an individual can participate in a one-on-one conversation…
clock | August 24, 2008The way you explore complex ecosystems is you try lots of things and you hope that everybody who fails, fails informatively.
- Clay Shirky
clock | August 24, 2008You know I am excited about Carrboro Creative Coworking. Looking at the pricing list which was released today, I think there will be a place for me there I can afford....
clock | August 24, 2008Totally awesome: Dimensions:
Nine chapters, two hours of maths, that take you gradually up to the fourth dimension. Mathematical vertigo guaranteed!
Hat-tip: quixote
clock | August 24, 2008Foul Owls Use Feces To Show They Are In Fine Feather:
Some years ago, within the Department of Conservation Biology of the Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientÃficas; Seville, Spain), a recently established group (colloquially named the Night Ecology Group) started to explore the possibility of visual communication in crepuscular and nocturnal birds.
Exploding Chromosomes Fuel Research About Evolution Of Genetic Storage:
Human cells somehow squeeze two meters of double-stranded DNA into the space of a typical chromosome, a package 10,000 times smaller…
clock | August 24, 2008I love the way Web works! So, I was on FriendFeed earlier today and I saw through this link there that Paul Jones posted a note on Pownce (on which I am registered but never check) about this article in Raleigh N&O:
An iPod Touch for each student?
A Chapel Hill middle school could become the first in the country to give an iPod to every teacher and student, an experiment that would challenge teachers and administrators to ensure the hand-held devices are used as learning tools, not toys.
It's still not clear how the iPod Touches would be used at Culbreth Middle School. And school…
clock | August 24, 2008But, how many fonts are out there anyway?
Or perhaps Nature is secretly diversifying its operations ;-)
But what would be the formula for calculating Impact Factor of pet food?
d = maximal distance of projectile vomiting
t = time between the onset of feeding and onset of projectile vomiting
m = total mass of vomited material as percent of ingested food
k = coefficient that normalizes the pet size to 15kg regardless of the actual size of the animal.
So, how does one plug these values in?
clock | August 24, 2008A wide range of opinions:
Melissa McEwan: Biden and Shocker: Women Less Enthusiastic Than Men About Biden
Melissa McEwan: Obama's small change
Jesse Taylor: Obama/Biden
Ezra Klein: Winning the argument
Joe Trippi: Stay Loose Joe, Stay Loose
See the comment thread on the Intersection: Obama Picks Joe Biden and also It's 3AM And Joe Biden's Giving Foriegn Policy Advice To Barack Obama
John Lynch: Obama, Biden & the Progressive Future
Ed Brayton: Thoughts on Biden as VP
Greg Laden: Obama will Pick Biden as VP on Saturday. and Obama Picks VP Running Mate
Josh Rosenau: Bidenmania
Pam Spaulding…
clock | August 24, 2008Links by Myrna the Minx, something for you to bookmark and use. I'll probably use FriendFeed and visit some of my favourite blogs (including Pam and the Blenders who will be there - see the NYTimes article about the bloggers at the Convention).
clock | August 23, 2008It's not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens.
- Woody Allen
clock | August 23, 2008I have no competing interests, nobody is paying me to say nice things, but I have helped set up a CollectiveX group site and it was easy and I like its functionality a lot: