retrospectacle | June 24, 2006
I just couldn't resist that title. A more accurate title would have been "Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Prevents Migraines From Progressing," but, when in doubt, err on the side of drama. And, I actually wasn't THAT far off, really. (Note: Ray gun above is not real (duh). Real device under the fold.)
As reported in Medical News Today , a handheld device which relies on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to deliver an mild electric current for about 1 millisecond is able to interrupt migraines from progressing to the headache stage. This is extremely useful clinically, as migraine…
retrospectacle | June 23, 2006Despite a lack of scientific evidence to back up their claims, herbal remedies are used by millions. effectiveness isn't the only issue. Could they be dangerous, too?
A news story with this headline appeared in Delaware Online today, highlighting the complex relationship that Americans have with herbal remedies. I personally am quite interested in this topic for several reasons:
1) Most effective pharmaceuticals originated in plants or animals, in a more dilute form (opium, growth hormones, aspirin, etc.)
2) A paucity of peer-reviewed clinical studies back up the health benefits of a variety…
retrospectacle | June 22, 2006Oh the gems!
I got a one-way ANOVA, do you know what that means?
Thats when ya got three or more independent levels on tha scene.....
This movie made my day. It will make yours too. The display of nerdy stat-related witticisms made me glad to be alive. From Cognitive Daily.
Its sooooo "sig."
retrospectacle | June 22, 2006What if we lived in a world with no secrets? As the field of neuroscience matures, the need for a new brand of ethics--"neuroethics"--is becoming clear, as highlighted in this month's Nature. .
Society would be a different place if all our lies, however trivial, were abandoned in favour of blunt honesty. In some areas, such as criminal prosecution, this might be advantageous. In others, where little white lies help life run smoothly, knowing all the facts might be uncomfortable. These thoughts are brought to the fore by the arrival of two US start-up companies, No Lie MRI and Cephos, which…
retrospectacle | June 21, 2006The Midwest has been hit hard by the heroin/fentanyl overdoses. For more on the background see this; in a nutshell, drug dealers have been lacing heroin and cocaine with the dangerously powerful painkiller fentanyl. CNN reports tonight that 47 people, part of the Mickey Cobra's gang, were busted in Chicago in connection with fentanyl trafficking. (More below......)
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro alleged that the Mickey Cobras gang marketed its drugs to take advantage of the deadly heroin's notoriety, selling products with names such as "Max Pain," "Lethal Injection," "Fear Factor," "…
retrospectacle | June 21, 2006Courtesy of SEED's Daily Zeitgeist comes the newest addition to the People I'd Like To See Fight William Shatner (Stephen Hawking was recently added.). Yes, none other than the original Man In Space himself, Buzz Aldrin. Just cause he's been on the Moon doesn't mean he won't use gravity to its fullest potential to pound annoying people's faces in.
retrospectacle | June 21, 2006'If man in space, in addition to flying his vehicle, must continuously be checking on things and making adjustments
merely to keep himself alive, he becomes a slave to the machine. The purpose of the Cyborg, as well as his own
homeostatic systems, is to provide an organizational system in which such robot-like problems are taken care
of automatically and unconsciously, leaving man free to explore, to create, to think, and to feel.'
-Cline and Clyne (1960), on the creation of the word "cyborg"
During the summer, the Neurokids (University of Michigan Neuroscience pre-docs) have a journal club…
retrospectacle | June 19, 2006
These are amazingly nerdy-cool. MadeWithMolecules has got a great thing going--serotonin earrings, estogen necklace, even boxer shorts and baby apparel! I would LOVE the serotonin necklace, but alas, I am a poor graduate student.
retrospectacle | June 19, 2006Quite an interesting ethics debate, really. An 8-year-old boy is caught in the middle of his parent's court battle over whether he should be circumcised or not, and groups opposed to the procedure are keeping a keen eye on the case. The mother wants him to undergo circumcision in order to prevent a recurring inflammation she says he's experiencing, but the father is opposed to what he considers an unnecessary and psychologically (and physically) scarring procedure.
"The child is absolutely healthy," the father said during a break in a court hearing on the matter Wednesday. "I do not want any…
retrospectacle | June 18, 2006A recent post by Stranger Fruit about the rare rhinos in Borneo reminded me of what a special, unique place Borneo is, in terms of beauty and diversity of life. I have been to the island of Borneo twice, both times to the state of Sabah. Sabah is one of 13 states in Malaysia, and one of two on the island of Borneo which is located in the South China Sea. This is, hands-down, the most gorgeous example of nature I have ever seen; crystal clear water on white beaches, dense rainforests (some of which have never been explored by humans), tall snow-capped mountains. While it is being threatened by…
retrospectacle | June 17, 2006Energy drinks are ubiquitous these days. They have become a multi-billion dollar industry....even Nelly has a drink called "Pimp Juice" and Lil John has "Crunk" energy drink. Advertised to improve stamina, energy, and mental power....what's not to love? By far the most popular of these drinks is Red Bull, which is a Austrian/Thai fizzy apple-flavored jolt. But what is really in these energy drinks, or more specifically, what is the reason that Red Bull "gives you wings?" And, can it be good for you? (More below the fold...)
The ingredients of Red Bull (per 250 mL serving) include:27g sugar…
retrospectacle | June 17, 2006This week's question comes at a quite ironic time for me. It goes...
How is it that all the PIs (Tara, PZ, Orac et al.), various grad students, post-docs, etc. find time to fulfill their primary objectives (day jobs) and blog so prolifically?
I'll take it that I fall under the "various grad students" category. I guess one answer is that throughout my day there are quite a few "hurry up and wait" moments, like an incubation in a protocol, or waiting for an animal to wake up from anesthesia (or fall asleep). I also try to take a little time at lunch to just relax and read/write. During those…
retrospectacle | June 16, 2006Hat tip to Abel Pharmboy for this fascinating story! A recent US government study has found that:
a) Black adults hear better than white adults
b) Women hear better than men
c) Average hearing thresholds are the same in the US as they were 35 years ago (despite the much-maligned iPod and Walkman!)
(More under the fold....)
The large-sample-size study (5,000 people) was conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and mirrors the results of smaller, previous studies. This study examined hearing tests collected from 1999 to 2004 as part of a comprehensive federal…
retrospectacle | June 15, 2006So, my esteemed ScienceBloggers Grrrscientist and PZ Myers have weighed in on Stephen Hawking's recent comments regarding the state of the planet and what we're suppost to do about it. To paraphrase, he believes that humans should be actively cultivating colonies on the Moon or beyond, in the increasingly likely event that something disastous happens on Earth.
"It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species," Hawking said. "Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a…
retrospectacle | June 15, 2006People dying of terminal illnesses now have the right to take experimental drugs that are not yet approved by the the FDA, a federal court of appeals ruled last month (as reported in June's Nature Medicine). While on the one hand, these drugs may bring some hope to those whose illness has been thus far unresponsive to therapy, on the other it may hasten their demise by exposing them to a range of untested side effects while not even conclusively treating their illness. The recent ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed against the FDA by the advocacy group Abigail Alliance, whose namesake…
retrospectacle | June 14, 2006So, both myself and Cognitive Daily have highlighted the recent news story that high school students have hit upon a ringtone that teachers can't hear. CognitiveDaily instituted a poll over in one of their posts with a supposed 17kHz sound clip (hey, who would have doubted the New York Times?), but it was pointed out that the sound was, in fact NOT 17kHz, but 14hHz. The difference is this: as we age, high-frequency hearing is the first to go, and 17kHz is quite a bit "higher" than 14kHz, which means that older people can still hear it. Loss of hearing is called presbycusis (better known as…
retrospectacle | June 14, 2006In the latest effort by the Southern Baptist Convention to challenge evolution (and homosexuality), a motion was brought before the leaders to form a strategy to remove children from the public school system. This "exit strategy" was proposed by Roger Moran of MO and pro-intelligent design author Bruce Shortt, as a response to the concerns that public schools are not exerting a "godly influence" and are teaching that the "homosexual lifestyle is acceptable." Thankfully, the motion was NOT supported by the SBC, nor was a similar motion that was rejected 2 years ago.
"We are commanded…
retrospectacle | June 13, 2006I did always think it was weird that the snooty Starbucks baristas had bachelors degrees (albeit English, History, or Gen Studies). Now I know why: we are an over-educated people here in Ann Arbor (I do love that about it!) . According to a study in Bizjournals.com, Ann Arbor has the highest percetage of bachelor degrees (69.2%) amoung 233 small communities. Cambridge, Berkeley, and Boulder also made the top Ten. Only 13% in our small town didn't go beyond high school. Go Tree Town!
(Thanks to Kyle for the heads up here.)
retrospectacle | June 13, 2006Here's the continuation of some tips to get into (and be happy in) graduate school for the sciences. These tips may help you focus yourself during interviews and the admission process, or at least give you something to think about.
11. Good scientists don't always make good mentors.
When you read awesome papers, its easy to imagine this brilliant scientist as the perfect mentor. But its important to get a variety of opinions to find out if the person you want to work with is a good teacher, and good with people. Personalities are not always compatible, don't let it interfere in getting your…
retrospectacle | June 12, 2006Kudos to some clever students who have discovered an interesting little trick about human hearing and manipulated it to their advantage. According to this Yahoo blurb and NY Times story, kids are downloading an extremely high-frequency ringtone which often exceeds the hearing range of adult teachers. The reason for this is that, as people age, hair cells are first lost in the high-frequency region of the cochlea. Essentially, as we age we are less able to perceive sounds in high frequencies; this begins in early middle age. Kids can hear the ring just fine, as they still possess hair cells in…