Some Science News

Genetic Tests of Athletic Prowess -- For Babies

A new genetic test offers to predict the sports at which a baby will someday excel. But even if the science were sound -- it's not -- this might not be a good idea.

The $150 test, offered by Colorado-based Atlas Sports Genetics, looks at ACTN3, a gene that codes for fast-twitch muscle fiber.

Details here, and a related commentary here.

Horrifying parasitic illness reaches all-time low from PhysOrg.com

(AP) -- Cases of Guinea worm disease - a horrifying infection that culminates in worms coming out of a victim's skin - have reached an all-time low worldwide, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced Friday.

[...]

CNN Guts Its Science Coverage ... this may not be as bad as it sounds. They will still cover science, but some of that coverage is outsourced and other coverage moved to a different part of the agency. I, myself, couldn't care less because CNN's coverage already totally sucked. As science news becomes increasingly important to people over the next few years, CNN will simply be left behind.

Lots of details on the Large Hadron Collider here, at SciAm/

Hacking Salmon's Mental Compass to Save Endangered Fish

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I vaguely remember a medical school lecture about dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea Worm Disease. Also called the "fiery serpent" these are very long worms that grow in people and then the females get hungry and start to burrow out of them, sort of like Alien but not quite as quickly or as…
by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure I vaguely remember a medical school lecture about dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea Worm Disease. Also called the "fiery serpent" these are very long worms that grow in people and then the females get hungry and start to burrow out of them, sort of…
Disclaimer: I was one of the authors on a 2003 study reporting a link between ACTN3 and athletic performance, but I have no financial interest in ACTN3 gene testing. The opinions expressed in this post are purely my own. An article in the NY Times yesterday describes the launch of the grandiosely…
Is the earth falling apart? Have they started using the Hadron Colider early and not mentioned it to anyone? Are we experiencing a Global Coincidence? Have science reporters suddenly gotten interested in earthquakes? There must be some explanation for the nearly simutaneious occurrence of a…

wait wait, I think I've got it.

But of course, I can't send it to you. That would be a violation of terms and copyright. So forget it.