clock | July 20, 2007If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late.
- Henny Youngman
clock | July 20, 2007Carnival of Space #12: Galactic Extra! is up on Music of the Spheres.
Friday Ark #148 is up on The Modulator.
clock | July 20, 2007Microarrays have been used in the study of circadian expression of mammalian genes since 2002 and the consensus was built from those studies that approximately 15% of all the genes expressed in a cell are expressed in a circadian manner. I always felt it was more, much more.
I am no molecular biologist, but I have run a few gels in my life. The biggest problem was to find a control gene - one that does not cycle - to make the comparisons to. Actin, which is often used in such studies as control, cycled in our samples. In the end, we settled on one of the subunits of the ribosome as we…
clock | July 20, 2007HOUSE BACKS TAXPAYER-FUNDED RESEARCH ACCESS
Final Appropriations Bill Mandates Free Access to NIH Research Findings
Washington, D.C. - July 20, 2007 - In what advocates hailed as a major advance for scientific communication, the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved a measure directing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide free public online access to agency-funded research findings within 12 months of their publication in a peer-reviewed journal. With broad bipartisan support, the House passed the provision as part of the FY2008 Labor, HHS, and Education…
clock | July 20, 2007This is the fifth post in a series about mechanism of entrainment. Originally written on April 11, 2005.
If you look at the Phase Response Curve you made you see that, as you follow the curve through the 24-hour cycle, you first encounter a dead zone during the subjective day (VT0 - CT 12) during which light pulses exert no or little effect on the phase of the clock. The line, then, turns down (negative slope) into the delay portion of the curve until it reaches a maximal delay in the early night. It reverses its direction then and goes up (positive slope) until it reaches maximal phase-…
clock | July 19, 2007The two best physicians of them all - Dr Laughter and Dr Sleep.
- Gregory Dean Jr
clock | July 19, 2007This is going to be a challenging post to write for several reasons. How do I explain that a paper that does not show too much new stuff is actually a seminal paper? How do I condense a 12-page Cell paper describing a gazillion experiments without spending too much time on details of each experiment (as much as I'd love to do exactly that)? How do I review it calmly and critically without gushing all over it and waxing poetically about its authors? How do I put it in proper theoretical and historical perspective without unnecessarily insulting someone? I'll give it a try and we'll see…
clock | July 19, 2007This picture, from this article, must have been taken some time last week, just a couple of days after Jimmy Wales came to talk to us here at PLoS. That is when he placed the PLoS sticker on his laptop:
clock | July 19, 2007Philosophia Naturalis #12 is up on A geocentric view.
Skeptics Circle #65 is up on NeuroLogica Blog.
clock | July 19, 2007The fourth post in the series on entrainment, originally written on April 10, 2005, explains the step-by-step method of constructing a PRC.
After months of applying light pulses to your animals you are ready to analyze and plot your data. You will print out the actographs (see how in the post "On Methodology" in the "Clock Tutorials" category) and you will see many instances of phase-shifts, somewhat like the very last figure in this post.
For each light pulse you applied to each animal, you measure the direction of the phase-shift (i.e., if it was a delay or an advance) and the size of the…
clock | July 19, 2007Student Results Show Benefits Of Math And Science Partnerships:
Students' performance on annual math and science assessments improved in almost every age group when their schools were involved in a program that partners K-12 teachers with their colleagues in higher education.
The End Of Barroom Brawls: Study Shows Alcohol Can Reduce Aggression:
The link between alcohol and aggression is well known. What's not so clear is just why drunks get belligerent. What is it about the brain-on-alcohol that makes fighting seem like a good idea? And do all intoxicated people get more aggressive? Or does…
clock | July 18, 2007You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave - win or lose.
- Gordie Howe
clock | July 18, 2007By The Associated Press
HEMLOCK, Mich. -- A woman who hates spiders is crediting them with helping save her from a house fire. Danielle Vigue, 18, says she awoke early Tuesday to find spiders in her room, and started killing them. When more showed up, she says she went across the hall and got into bed with her 15-year-old sister, Lauren.
"At first there were five, they were all around the light fixture," Danielle Vigue told The Saginaw News. "I hate spiders, they freak me out."
A fire, the newspaper said, apparently was smoldering in the attic of the home about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.…
clock | July 18, 2007Get yourself some Harry Potter recipes so you have something to eat while reading The Book over the weekend.
clock | July 18, 2007BlogTogether, the central online spot for Triangle (NC) bloggers, just got a new look. More to come....
clock | July 18, 2007Read the entire comment threads as well:
Why Facebook, why now?
Facebook: $6 Billion? Nah.
Robert Scoble is Media
The 'secret' video lives of Facebookers
Adopting Communication Practice
My Facebook secret is out...
Then sign up and start networking...
clock | July 18, 2007We101 is a new blog aggregator based on geography - sorry, for US residents only, for now. Find your nearest city and add your blog. Then later, when you travel, use the site to identify local bloggers you may want to meet for a beer.
clock | July 18, 2007Apparently, Great Britain became an island due to a big flood (not gradual erosion). Don't let the Old Earth Creationists hear about this...
clock | July 18, 2007Ruchira comments on the article in the Discover Magazine and their choice of seven most magical eureka moments in the history of science.
They are:
* Otto Lowei: discovering the chemical transmission of nerve impulses
* Rene Descartes: developing the Cartesian co-ordinate system of perpendicular lines and planes
* Nikola Tesla: designing the alternate current motor
* Edwin Hubble: discovering the existence of galaxies outside the Milky Way
* Robert Hooke: discovery of the cell as the building block of all living organisms
* Henry Becquerel: discovery of…
clock | July 18, 2007Synthetic Adhesive Mimics Sticking Powers Of Gecko And Mussel:
Geckos are remarkable in their ability to scurry up vertical surfaces and even move along upside down. Their feet stick but only temporarily, coming off of surfaces again and again like a sticky note. But put those feet underwater, and their ability to stick is dramatically reduced.
Monkeys Don't Go For Easy Pickings: Study Shows Primates Consider More Than Distance When Searching For Food:
Animals' natural foraging decisions give an insight into their cognitive abilities, and primates do not automatically choose the easy option.…