retrospectacle | September 12, 2006Yeah, I have an ear infection (otitis media). So, why not take this opportunity to describe what an ear infection is, why it hurts, and what you can do about it.
Otitis media literally means "middle ear inflammation," but it really refers to the build-up of infected fluid in the spaces in the middle ear, behind the ear drum, which are usually filled with air. This causes pressure to accumulate in this space, which translates to pain and the feeling of "ear fullness." The pressure can distort the ear drum slightly, which also causes pain and a reduced ability to hear in that ear. Children get…
retrospectacle | September 11, 2006Welcome to the sixth edition of the neuroscience carnival, Encephelon!
From the Neurophilosopher's Blog comes a fascinating video lecture by Dr. Martin Sereno, a cognitive scientist at UCSD, on why humans possess so much more cognitive power than other animals despite the close similarities in neuroarchitechture. The Neurophilosopher also reports on imaging studies which reveal the "God Spot" (or lack thereof), supposedly the neural center for religious experience. Thinking Meat also ponders this study, and wonders how atheists' "mystical" experiences might differ from those of religious…
retrospectacle | September 8, 2006Remember to submit your neuroscience-related blog posts to me by 9pm Sept 10th for the next edition of The Encephalon. More info on guidelines and how to submit, here.
retrospectacle | September 8, 2006
Toby! None of us could ever aspire to his level of nerd-dom. (Although he makes it more of an ethos.)
retrospectacle | September 8, 2006
Yes, indeed today is the 40th anniversary of the first Star Trek airing. And, how do Shatner and Nimoy feel about the franchaise, 40 years later?
If you ask them what still gets them fired up about the late producer Gene Roddenberry's creation after all these years, you get an answer that -- underneath the glibness -- is very telling:
SHATNER: Money.
NIMOY: Yeah. The big, the big bucks.
SHATNER: Money. The money gets you fired up.
TOGETHER: The biiiig bucks.
Seriously?
SHATNER: Yes, that was serious. We were very serious about that.
GOLD.
(More under the fold!)
And should Paramount let the…
retrospectacle | September 8, 2006
What do you do when your pet African Grey parrot, which have a lifespan of 65-80 years, will likely out live you? Well, you have to make sure that it is provided for in your will, according to Dottie Kennedy, head of Rainbow Feathers bird club in southern Michigan.
"You have to be sure the bird's taken care of," said the Livonia [Michigan] resident. It's part of the message Kennedy and members of the Rainbow Feathers Bird Club deliver in educational programs they present at libraries, preschools, churches and in exchange for donations to fund the club's bird rescue program.
The club was…
retrospectacle | September 7, 2006A lot of ScienceBloggers in these parts have been getting their panties and manties in a wad over who's the nerdiest nerd of all. There has been some some excellent hand-flailing-at-the-head-of-the-class-type posturing (myself included).
To recap the nerd highlights:
Tim Lambert (Nerd God like me) of Deltoid assembled all the SciBlogger's Nerd Scores together.
Janet of Adventures in Science and Ethics gives props to the female geeks among us. Pink pocket-protectors anyone?
Orac of Respectful Insolence insolently suggested that I be disqualified, but I quickly forgave once I observed his…
retrospectacle | September 7, 2006Darling of Nature and current researcher at UM, Dr. Sean Morrison, has recently authored a paper implicating a protein called 'inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4A' in the decline of a stem cell's lifespan.
A single molecular switch plays a central role in inducing stem cells in the brain, pancreas, and blood to lose function as they age, researchers have found. Mice lacking that switch show considerably reduced aging-related decline in stem cell function and tissue regeneration.
"People tend to think that old tissues have less regenerative capacity because they are wearing out," said…
retrospectacle | September 6, 2006Janet and Chris have declared a nerd-off, ostensibly in response to the sci-hottie awards that so cruelly snubbed them.
So, I feel that I must assert my Nerdelicious-ness by posting what I was wearing yesterday (under my labcoat, of course!).
Back in the twilight of my nerd-hood in the early 80s, my father (an electrical engineer) brought home a most wonderous contraption. It was my very first computer, a TI99 made by Texas Instraments.
Check these stats and drool! Processor speed a blazing 3.3 MHz, memory was an ample 256 bytes, PLUS 16 KB RAM. Can we say SAH-WEET???? It ran on Basic of…
retrospectacle | September 6, 2006For many years, psychiatry has relied on the pharmacological usage of lithium (Li+), alone or in combination with other anti-depressants, as a treatment for bipolar disorder, depression, mania, etc. This, despite the fact that very little is known WHY Lithium works, let alone HOW.
The actual prescribed "dose" of lithium is not a pure metal, but rather as lithium "salts": lithium carbonate, lithium oxybutyrate, lithium sulfate, among others. In 1949, Australian physician John Cade discovered that the administration of lithium salts (lithium urate) in animals resulted in a tranquilizing effect…
retrospectacle | September 5, 2006Nick called it first: Flags and Lollipops has "calculated" the hottest science bloggers on the Net using a "Hot ot Not" type algorithm. (If such a thing could be called an algorithm).
Well yours truly was voted the hottest blogger by a jury of her peers. Ego stroked? Check! No Date Tonight? Check! Still a Broke Grad Student? Check! Totally Nerdelicious? DOUBLE CHECK!
(Dear World Domination Diary: Phase 1 of Operation: Hearts, Minds, and Loins complete. Soon to move on to Phase 2, deploy talking parrot army with friggin' lasers on their heads.)
retrospectacle | September 5, 2006I'm on vacation, so excuse the lack of posts. Blogging will resume tomorrow!
Even if I wasn't on vacation, I'm WAY too traumatized by the death of Steve Irwin to post anything.
Most of you may not know this, but I harbored a (not so) secret crush on Mr. Irwin, and now must find an appropriate target to move my third-tier celebrity infatuation to. This is proving hard work.
retrospectacle | September 2, 2006In the UK, fertility treatment is free under their health care system. However, experts are now suggesting that obese women should be denied access to in vitro fertilization unless they lose weight. The reasoning behind this are the high health risks associated with the treatment if the patient is severely overweight. The British Fertility Society suggests that these women may receive free IVF after losing weight. A BMI over 36, which is severely obese, would disqualify a woman from receiving the therapy.
From Yahoo News:
"Obese women are less likely to get pregnant and more likely to…
retrospectacle | September 1, 2006This Grey Matters is just slightly off-topic, as this week's episode involves a macaw rather than an African Grey. But, I hope you find it interesting nonetheless!
Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of England, died in 1969 but (according to legend) was outlived by his pet parrot, Charlie. Many people in southeast England, where the bird resides in a zoo called Hansfield, insist that the 104 year old bird belonged to Churchill. Charlie often goes on anti-Nazi tirades, mimicking Churchill's voice and favorite profanities against Hilter and other WWII figures. It makes quite a story…
retrospectacle | August 31, 2006Submit your neuro-bloggy treats to me (encephalon.host@gmail.com) by Sept 10th (9pm) for the next issue of the brain-based carnival Encephalon.
Submission guidelines can be found here.
Check out past issue of the Encephalon:
3rd July, 2006 - The Neurophilosopher's blog
17th July, 2006 - Pure Pedantry
31st July, 2006 - Thinking Meat
14th August, 2006 - The Neurocritic
28th August, 2006 - Developing Intelligence
retrospectacle | August 30, 2006"Graduating from an Ivy League university doesn't necessarily mean you're smart."
Lakehead University in northern Ontario set up www.yaleshmale.com in a bid to attract potential new students.
It shows a picture of Yale graduate Mr Bush with the caption: "Graduating from an Ivy League university doesn't necessarily mean you're smart."
"It was literally a tongue-in-cheek way of getting attention," university president and vice-chancellor Frederick Gilbert told Reuters news agency.
The website had received more than 7,000 hits, he said on Monday, and online comments had been 95% positive.…
retrospectacle | August 29, 2006From the Wall Street Journal:
In the unending quest for a miracle diet pill, Americans are trying an array of prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat a variety of illnesses. None of them have been approved as diet drugs -- but for many, weight loss is a side effect.
The list includes drugs meant to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (Adderall and Ritalin), depression (Wellbutrin), epilepsy (Topamax and Zonegran), diabetes (Glucophage and Byetta), sleep disorders (Provigil), smoking (Zyban) and even opiate overdoses (Narcan). Often these drugs are…