Suzanne E. Franks of Thus Spake Zuska and I are hosting a panel this coming weekend at the NC Science Blogging Conference, and we'd like your input. The title of the panel is "Gender and Race in Science Blogging". For now you can participate at the conference wiki by submitting your questions and comments but we are planning to webcast the panel so that it will be possible for you to participate even if you aren't attending. If you know of any great webcasting sites please let us know. I will be one of the three panelists along with ScienceWoman and Pat Campbell of Fairer Science. Each…
A poll by BBC World and market research firm Synovate aimed at assessing global attitudes towards food found that the UK is ahead of the US as the world's leading fast food nation. How will an increase in consumption of unhealthy fast food (along with other unhealthy lifestyle choices) affect future obesity rates, health risks and burden of disease in the UK? Read more here.
A new video by evolution biologist Aaron Filler, MD, PhD, medical director at the Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, provides striking evidence that infant siamang apes walk like humans. This evidence, along with new information from the fossil record and from genetics, supports an upright bipedal ancestor for both the apes and humans. By showing that the upright bipedal body form of humans evolved before the knuckle-walkers (like gorillas), it promises to push back the date of the first human to 21 million years ago. Dr. Filler has written about…
National Geographic's Dino Death Trap is premiering Sunday December 9th at 8:00 pm. As part of generating publicity for the series they have set up this fun micro site where you can play the game "Dino Central Park" Dino Death Trap chronicles paleontologists in China's western Gobi desert uncovering what they believe to be the aftermath of this prehistoric cataclysm-pits of dinosaur fossils stacked four and five deep. Nothing like this has ever been seen before-a mass grave site of predatory dinos, including what scientists believe is the precursor to the most "terrible lizard" of them…
This Chicago Sun-Times article tells of how (expensive) scientific techniques are being used to change the quality of life for one man and his children. Art Kessler carries a mutant copy of the DYT1 gene and, as a result, suffers from a sometimes painful movement disorder called dystonia that makes muscles go haywire. Art and his wife wanted children and chose a technology called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), also known as embryo screening, to ensure that their children would not inherit the defective DYT1. In PGD, the couple first undergoes in vitro fertilization. Eggs are…
I recently attended the Emory University Climate Change Dinner series. We were first treated to a delicious dinner of "sustainable food" followed by great speakers who touched on different aspects of the public's response, involvement and responsibility towards climate change. One noted speaker was Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Director of the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Climate change can influence severe weather patterns and, as a result, the public health of…
A team of researchers from the St Vincent's Campus in Sydney have identified a protein called MIC-1 that appears to control the extreme weight loss common in late stage cancer (sometimes called cancer anorexia), which often speeds death. MIC-1, which also goes by the name GDF-15, PLAB, PDF or NAG-1, is a transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily protein. Researchers found that treatment of normal and obese mice with MIC-1 resulted in less eating and significant weight loss. MIC-1 has many effects on the body but researchers believe that its effect on suppressing appetite may…
Last week the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (at the Woodrow Wilson Center) and Consumer's Union hosted a dialogue about nanotechnology consumer products. The dialogue was a major effort to reach out to the American public and engage conversation about the potential benefits and risks of nanotechnology and nano in consumer products. I think it's a great initiative. The site provides a wealth of information concerning the numerous (over 500) consumer products that use nanotechnology. Access the site here for more information.
Here's an interesting article from Scientific American about the genetics of politics. The article discusses a study headed by University of California, San Diego political scientist James Fowler suggesting that genetics can strongly influence whether or not a person will vote. The authors are careful to explain that the research findings DO NOT suggest that genetics can determine whom people will vote for, only whether or not they are likely to vote. They further emphasize that environment also plays a significant role in voting. Check out the article here
Here are some of the interesting things discussed on this week's episode. 1. New concerns about kids and cough medications On Friday, an FDA advisory panel recommended parents and caregivers not give over-the- counter cough and cold medications to any children under the age of 6. This decision came a week after many drug manufacturers voluntarily withdrew more than a dozen of these products for infants and babies under the age of 2. The FDA advisory panel also voted to standardize dosing on product labels, as well as on such devices as cups, spoons, or syringes, which sometimes come with…
Dear Readers, I will be on vacation in Ghana until October 20th 2007 so my blogging may be quite infrequent. I look forward to blogging more when I get back. Karen
I am not a big video game fan but I can appreciate the technological expertise it takes to make a good, realistic-looking game. This article in Popular Science breaks down the top 10 challenges game-makers of today are facing to develop the next generation of cutting-edge video games. Here is the breakdown: 1.Processing power-if a computer can't keep up with the instructions the game issues, the image stutters, ruining the experience. 2.Water-having the processing power to create realistic water movements/viscosity. 3.Human faces-trying to re-create the subtlest and most familiar aspects of…
The 2008 North Carolina Science Blogging Conference (organized by ScienceBlog's very own Bora Zivkovic) is fast approaching. Suzanne Franks and I will be co-chairing a 1 hour session tentatively called "Exploring Women in Science Blogging". We are interested to get your feedback and comments on what we are proposing and your suggestions for improving or making it better. Here are some details: There will be a diverse panel of female science bloggers (we're thinking one graduate student, one professor, and a third in industry or in business for herself) to share their experiences as science…
Sexuality in old age Human beings are living longer, women more so than men. Among people 85 years of age and older, there are 4 men for every 10 women. What happens to sexuality in older age? Read more in this BBC News story or from the original NEJM paper. Cut Calories and live longer-latest research A University of Florida study shows just how much the body benefits when it "goes green," at least if you're a rat: Cutting calories helps rodents live longer by boosting cells' ability to recycle damaged parts so they can maintain efficient energy production.More from Science Daily. New…
Is depression overdiagnosed in today's society? Yes, says Professor Gordon Parker in the August 18 2007 issue of the British Medical Journal. Rates of diagnosis of depression have risen steeply in recent years. Parker, a scientia professor from the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, believes this is because current criteria for diagnosis are medicalising emotions (like sadness) rather than true clinical depression. Reasons for the overdiagnosis include lack of a reliable and valid diagnostic model and marketing of treatments beyond their true utility in a climate of…
This CNN Health article provides some useful recommendations on how to lower one's risk of miscarriage. I have summarized them below. 1. Do a little detective work When you're planning to get pregnant, your first move should be a careful pre-pregnancy checkup to reveal potential risk factors like diabetes-related problems 2. Stop the stress We've all heard that being stressed isn't a good thing if you're trying to get pregnant. That's also true of trying to stay pregnant. 3. Do some chromosome testing After a miscarriage, a chromosome analysis of fetal tissue can provide some useful…
The first report that gene therapy could enhance muscle in a mouse model was published in 2004. Since then, it has become of increasing concern that some unscrupulous athletes may consider gene therapy as a viable alternative to steroid injection (a term called gene doping) in the quest to enhance their athletic ability. Gene doping, as defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), is "the non-therapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to improve athletic performance." In the wake of recent Tour de France drug…
I was recently sent this news and thought some readers may be interested. MedHelp, an online health community that connects people with physicians and medical experts, has just added the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) to its repertoire. The website has liaisons with over a dozen medical organizations and one of its main goals is to connect people with medical professionals for expert advice to compliment doctor's visits. So, in addition to the many other specialists available, members and visitors can now have their eye care questions answered by AAO specialists. I briefly…
A large-scale genomics study has uncovered new genetic variations associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings confirm the link between MS and the autoimmune system and help researchers to better understand the mechanism of this complex disease. Does this mean we are closer to a cure? At the moment the new information can tell researchers more about the disease mechanism and how it works. MS is a very complex disease influenced by extrinsic (environmental) and intrinsic (genetic) factors. These findings can help guide scientists in the direction to finding better treatments. Read…
I have the honor of answering the next installment of "Ask a ScienceBlogger". This time around the question is: Can a forensic scientist tell the difference between DNA from blood samples of identical twins? The short answer is "No." Identical, or monozygotic, twins occur when a fertilized egg divides into two embryos that then develop into separate fetuses. Because they come from a single egg that's been fertilized by a single sperm, identical twins have identical DNA. This makes it difficult for forensic scientists to distinguish between DNA from blood samples of identical twins. To set…