milhayser | March 7, 2010
On The Frontal Cortex, Jonah Lehrer explores the cognitive consequences of depression and happiness, explaining that the way we feel has a huge impact on the way we think. First, Jonah shares an article he wrote for the New York Times Magazine, in which he says the blues can be "a clarifying force, focusing the mind on its most essential problems." For the notoriously down-in-the-dumps Charles Darwin, depression "may actually have accelerated the pace of his research, allowing him to withdraw from the world and concentrate entirely on his work." Jonah answers critiques of his article,…
milhayser | March 5, 2010
ERV familiarizes us with the different "layers" of the immune system, including intrinsic, innate, and adaptive immunity. The last layer makes specific antibodies to recognize pathogens, but in the case of HIV, capable antibodies aren't enough to stave off the progression of disease. ERV writes, "HIV-1 evolves to escape these antibodies...and your body can't catch up." The high mutability of HIV-1 makes for a very plastic envelope, meaning the virus continually shifts shape and evades the watchful eye of the immune system. In another post, ERV explains that antibodies make diseases like…
milhayser | March 4, 2010March 14 is fast approaching...3/14/10. Personally, I can't wait till 3/14/15, just so we can get a couple more digits in the mix. That will be the Pi Day of the century.
In the meantime, ScienceBlog Overlord Erin Johnson has thrown down the potholder, challenging all our bloggers to concoct the most delicious-sounding and radiant pie in celebration of this irrational day. See last year's best entries and brush up on the new rules—only 10 days remain!
milhayser | March 4, 2010You are cordially invited to Dinner With a Dinosaur X—that's a Roman numeral, not a mysterious appellation. The event happens March 12, 2010, in the Great Hall at Chicago's Union Station, located at 210 South Canal Street, 60606. Yes, there will be a dinosaur, and no, it will not be alive. Other relics include Honorary Dinner Chairs Governor Pat Quinn and Senator Dick Durbin.
More importantly, proceeds from the event will benefit Project Exploration, "a nonprofit science education organization that makes science accessible to the public—especially minority youth and girls—through…
milhayser | March 4, 2010
If we are to skirt the disasters of pollution, ocean acidification, and climate change, we must change our ways of life. But as Matthew C. Nisbet reports on Framing Science, young people may be less engaged than older generations when it comes to global warming. Citing survey numbers that show young people trust information from the media only slightly more than "information" from Sarah Palin, Matthew writes "news organizations and journalists need to take initiatives to increase their credibility with younger audiences." Matt also has advice for President Obama, suggesting he "marshal…
milhayser | March 3, 2010
On Universe, Claire L. Evans interviews sci-fi world-builder Ursula K. Le Guin. Their conversation centers on the Google Books Settlement, which seeks to "circumvent existing U.S. copyright law." While Le Guin hopes her books will become more accessible in the future, she says "the vast and currently chaotic electronic expansion of publishing should not be controlled solely by corporations." On Uncertain Principles, Chad Orzel reviews China Mieville's new novel The City and the City, which is about two cities that enforce very strict boundaries despite being "co-located" on the same real…
milhayser | March 2, 2010
You don't have to be brain-damaged to feel the presence of God, but it just might help. On Neurophilosophy, Mo analyzes a recent study into feelings of "self-transcendence" among individuals afflicted with brain lesions. Those with tumors in the posterior regions of the brain were more likely to identify as religious, and feelings of "creative self-forgetfulness," "transpersonal identification" and "spiritual acceptance" increased after surgical removal of "the left inferior parietal lobule and the right angular gyrus." The posterior regions of the brain are strongly associated with…
milhayser | March 1, 2010
Earlier this week on Adventures in Ethics and Science, Dr. Free-Ride reported that a UCLA researcher faces renewed harassment from animal rights activists for talking about his work. Dr. Dario Ringach and his family have been the subject of invasive physical and personal attacks, and Dr. Free-Ride too has now been targeted by the "militant" animal rights group Negotiation is Over. Scicurious on Neurotopia decries these threatening tactics, writing "we shouldn't have to do our work in fear of threats, intimidation, and severe bodily harm." On Good Math, Bad Math Mark Chu-Carroll adds "animal…
milhayser | February 27, 2010
On Laelaps, Brian Switek tells the story of a man who cooled off in an Ethiopian river against all advice, only to meet his death. Brian writes that "like our hominin forebears we can still be prey, and crocodiles are among the animals that have long considered us to be on the menu." Crocs were munching on our ancestors long before the pyramids rose along the Nile, and scientists have even named one ancient monstrosity Anthropophagus, the man-eater. Still, evidence for predation is slim, possibly because hominins who "fell prey to fully-grown crocodiles" were metabolized without a trace…
milhayser | February 25, 2010
The Open Laboratory 2009 is now available in print! This cutting-edge anthology of science writing includes many great ScienceBlogs posts as well as work from around the web. Editor Scicurious announces publication on Neurotopia, writing "we've got some fun stuff in there (hyenas and boobies and beer!) and some contemplative stuff in there (animal research and academia and much much more)." On A Blog Around The Clock, series editor Bora Zivkovic says "SciCurious did a fantastic job as this year's editor—and it shows." Bora also thanks Blake Stacey on Science After Sunclipse for "his…
milhayser | February 24, 2010
On Aetiology, Tara C. Smith shares some intriguing student work on the role infections play "in cancer, autoimmune disease, mental illness, and other chronic conditions." First, Ahn To investigates the causes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Smoking is not a prerequisite for this type of cancer, but risk factors include infection with Epstein-Barr virus and "consumption of 'salted fish.'" Ron Bedford explores Post Polio Syndrome, which occurs among polio survivors who experience "significant deterioration of their neuromuscular functioning" after a long period of stability. Although "the…
milhayser | February 23, 2010
Equations can hurt, although not as much as wiping out on the downhill or faceplanting in the halfpipe. On Dot Physics, Rhett Alain explains the amazing angles at which Apolo Ohno leans around the short track, writing "a skater wouldn't have to lean at all if the skater was stopped. As the angle gets smaller (approaching zero), the skater would have to be going faster and faster." On Built On Facts, Matt Springer investigates the somewhat more subdued sport of curling, where men with brooms lead forty pound stones to their targets. Crunching numbers, Matt concludes that "granite on…
milhayser | February 22, 2010
Science is knowledge, and knowledge can inspire certainty. But certainty, as much a fruit of science, can be its enemy. Whatever wonders may meet the eye, there has always been more to the world. On Oscillator, Christina Agapakis explores the frontiers of synthetic biology, where researchers hope to manufacture "altered proteins or entirely different biological polymers" by creating a "parallel genetic code" that uses four-letter codons instead of three. On Starts With A Bang!, Ethan Siegel recounts two centuries of paradigm shifts, and asks what the next "new" law of nature will be.…
milhayser | February 19, 2010
On Not Exactly Rocket Science, Ed Yong reports that two new human genomes have been sequenced: that of South African leader Desmond Tutu, and that of !Gubi, a tribal hunter-gatherer. Along with !Gubi, researchers examined the genes of three other Bushmen, and the diversity they observed was "astounding." Ed writes that there is more genetic variation between any two of these individuals than there is between "a European and an Asian," and trying "to understand human genetics without understanding Africa is like trying to learn a language by only looking at words starting with z." On Gene…
milhayser | February 18, 2010
On The Primate Diaries, Eric Michael Johnson writes "not acting our age may be the very reason why we're so successful as a species." Like the bonobo which can be seen unlocking the cage of an unrelated individual just to share food, humans may retain juvenile characteristics that help us to "cooperate and share with others." But while sharing food is laudable, telling the world how drunk you got last night can be a bit less noble. Jonah Lehrer on The Frontal Cortex calls Facebook "a perfect example of too much information" and says that despite technological platforms, "our social lives…
milhayser | February 17, 2010
On Laelaps, Brian Switek considers the fate of Smilodon, a saber-toothed hypercarnivore that roamed through ancient Los Angeles. Although textbook descriptions of such animals are usually cut-and-dried, Brian writes that "genetic, anatomical, or behavioral variations are grist for natural selection's mill," and so individuals within a species can vary considerably over space and time. On Tetrapod Zoology, Darren Naish discusses the peculiar babirusa, a beast that looks like a pig, incorporates "deer-like slender legs and a multi-chambered stomach," and has horn-like canine teeth growing…
milhayser | February 16, 2010
On Framing Science, Matthew C. Nisbet anticipates putting "an end to anonymous commenting" on his blog. Matt writes that people are "more willing and likely to be uncivil" when they don't have to face "social sanctions from others." Other ScienceBloggers disagree. On Adventures in Ethics and Science, Dr. Free-Ride appreciates the value of a pseudonym, noting that some opponents will leverage "our full names and true identities" as a way to "scuttle the dialogue before it has happened or scare us off from taking part in it." DrugMonkey writes that excluding anonymous comments is like…
milhayser | February 15, 2010
Embattled Texas nurse Anne Mitchell was readily declared innocent by a jury yesterday, proving that she didn't belong in a courtroom in the first place. After filing complaints about a doctor who sold herbal remedies in the ER and performed unorthodox surgical procedures, Anne Mitchell was charged with "misuse of official information" by a constabulary loyal to the doctor. As PalMD writes on The White Coat Underground, "reading about the actions of these local officials is like watching Blazing Saddles—it's a small town, with a few people in control of everything." Orac has more coverage…
milhayser | February 12, 2010
On Terra Sigillata, Abel Pharmboy reports on "sporadic, worldwide shortages of Arimidex," a drug officially approved by the FDA for inhibiting hormonal transitions in breast cancer patients. But up to a thousand times more men use this drug than women, as a non-FDA-approved therapy for testosterone deficiency. Pharmboy wonders if men taking Arimidex has resulted in some women "facing shortages of a drug essential for their survival." On Christina's LIS Rant, Christina Pikas asks if men are at a professional disadvantage in women-dominated fields such as "Nursing, Librarianship, Elementary…
milhayser | February 11, 2010
Good things are great, but too much of a good thing can be bad. Especially when you can't get enough. On The Frontal Cortex, Jonah Lehrer introduces us to ChatRoulette, a website that allows you to get "rejected, propositioned and yelled at" by other live strangers with webcams. With a single click, users can dump whomever they're looking for a new face, hopefully. Jonah says it "reminds me of Vegas, where people are willing to endure big losses for the occasional thrill of a surprising gain." Of course, if chocolate is your choice compulsion, gain is to be expected. Jessica Palmer on…