Misc
amillikan | December 18, 2008Coffee grounds may be able to provide energy beyond the caffeine buzz most drinkers seek, according to a study appearing this week in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The study's authors claim that the oil contained in grounds, when extracted, could produce as much as 340 million gallons of biodiesel per year. ScienceBlogger Greg Laden ponders what will happen when coffee goes to make diesel instead of lattes.
ejohnson | December 17, 2008Getting prosthetic body parts to feel real to an amputee typically requires invasive surgery. But now, using an illusion similar to the body swap illusion, Swedish researchers have demonstrated a noninvasive way to allow hand amputees to experience rubber prosthetic hands as part of their own bodies. The sooner the technique is applied after amputation, the more convincing the illusion is.
amillikan | December 14, 2008Notable ScienceBlogs posts will now be featured daily in the Science Times section of The New York Times Online, directly below the top 10 most popular science items in the Times. Likewise, this link exchange will provide visitors to the ScienceBlogs home page one-click access to recent Science Times articles, further extending the largest conversation about science on the web.
ejohnson | December 10, 2008Give the dog a bone—or else he might not be willing to sit and shake for one again. Researchers have observed that when a dog sees another dog getting a treat for a similar task but does not receive one itself, he is less likely to cooperate in the future. This suggests that animals may have a sense of inequity aversion similar to humans. But tangible rewards aren't the only motivating forces in cooperation. A study on punishment in game theory found that "people were more likely to cooperate with one another in games when they had the option to punish cheats," wrote ScienceBlogger Ed Yong.
amillikan | December 9, 2008Former US President Jimmy Carter reported Friday that his foundation has documented a drastic decline in cases of Guinea worm disease, a repulsive illness caused by an infection of the parasitic nematode Dracunculus medinensis. The worms feed off nutrients in the body and then emerge through the skin, usually the foot. If this pattern of decline continues as medical health experts predict, Guinea worm disease could be the second disease ever eradicated through medical efforts.
apalazzo | December 8, 2008Send in your entries before the weekend using this form or by emailing me directly.
You can visit the MCB Carnival homepage by clicking on the badge/button:
amillikan | December 5, 2008This week on the new Invitrogen-sponsored ScienceBlog, "What's New in Life Science Research?" our team of experts will delve into the current issues and controversies surrounding the topic of cloning. Bloggers will address mishaps in public perception as well as the future applications of somatic nuclear cell transfer technologies and the potential benefits and risks of exploring this theoretical practice.
tqa | December 2, 2008
Blame Henry. He just twisted an old meme a little bit, and it's hard for me to resist doing the same. There's a meme that's been wandering around facebook for a while now - take the first book you see, open it to page fifty-six, transcribe the fifth sentence, and pass the meme along. Henry did that one better. He transcribed the fifth sentence on page fifty-six from ten books, and challenged his readers to guess the books.
I like that, so let's turn it into a full blown meme. Take ten books, and transcribe the fifth sentence from page fifty six.
In keeping with the 5, 56 thing, Make sure…
amillikan | December 1, 2008Life Science
This is actually a plant. From Flickr, by josef.stuefer
Celosia cristata (Amaranthaceae) to be exact.
“Tell me you're not excited about 'Pleistocene Park' becoming a reality. Saber tooth tigers, mammoths—I'd pay anything to see that! I so hope they really do clone a mammoth. Ethics be damned!“
amillikan | November 25, 2008In the October DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge, ScienceBlogs readers donated over $18,000 to benefit classrooms around the country that lack adequate science funding. Now, we are offering an opportunity to continue the giving--purchase a Seed magazine subscription at a special discounted rate, and we'll donate it to your local high school, or select a school for you. Find out more about how to donate a subscription at www.scienceblogs.com/donate-science.php.
apalazzo | November 25, 2008Scienceblogs launched a new blog featuring a few of the Scienceblog regulars and a few new bloggers including Hsien-Hsien Lei, whom you might recognize as the master mind behind Eye on DNA.
The focus of this group effort is to discuss recent developements in 4 research areas: stem cells, cloning, biodefense, and genetically modified organisms.
amillikan | November 24, 2008Technology
The evolution of iPods. From Flickr, by D'Arcy Norman
“As sciencey and research driven as this was, you can tell the guy with the remote is totally having so much fun with his new toy.“
Zelly on Scientist 'Spy' on Whales Using Tiny Helicopters
amillikan | November 23, 2008Over the next four weeks, ScienceBlogs will explore some of the most controversial and increasingly relevant issues in biotechnology on a new blog, What's New in Life Science Research. The blog is sponsored by Invitrogen and will feature writings on stem cell research, cloning, biodefense and genetically modified organisms from both experienced bloggers and biotechnology experts new to the blogging game.
amillikan | November 23, 2008Brain & Behavior
An African gray parrot. From Flickr, by The G-tastic 7
“Imagine you wake up and have a new sense. No, you can't imagine! If you try, you'll be trapped thinking in terms of your existing senses.“
Rafael C. P. on Can a blind person whose vision is restored understand what she sees?
amillikan | November 20, 2008From the well-preserved remains of a woolly mammoth that was buried by Siberian winters about 18,545 years ago, scientists were able to extract viable DNA and sequence the majority of an extinct species' genome for the first time. The mammoth's genome is currently about 70 percent sequenced, and researchers estimate the size of the genome to be 40 percent larger than the human genome—approximately the same size as the modern day elephant, which scientists could theoretically use to birth a cloned anachronistic creature.
amillikan | November 20, 2008Education & Careers
"Inspecting an optical circuit after the wafer dicing saw step. Many labor tasks - from retail to security to manufacturing - seemed to go for triple redundancy." From Flickr, by jurvetson
“The double-talk: We won't fund you if you have been around since the first ice-age, but we don't take that into account, but having a big name PI on your grant helps'.AGGHH...its enough to make your head spin.“
Dr. Zeek on Is this affirmative action for younger investigators or something else?
amillikan | November 20, 2008Politics
President and Vice President Elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden on election night. From Flickr, by Barack Obama
“The US economy is now at risk of losing between 7 and 13 million jobs by the end of 2009. This means Obama's #1, #2, and #3 priorities will have to be to stop the bleeding.“
negentropyeater on Let's see NASA change
amillikan | November 19, 2008Humanities & Social Sciences
"This image was designed and uploaded as an illustration for the flickr censorship campaign that happened globally in June 2007."From Flickr, by Mr.Enjoy
“Funny that [Creationists] are so concerned with a perceived lack of evidence when it comes to evolution, yet completely ambivalent about that complete lack of evidence for, and huge stacks of evidence against, creationism.“
Louis Irving on The root of the problem.
amillikan | November 19, 2008The FDA may soon join forces with personal genomics companies like 23andMe and CIMR in order to draw associations between genotypes and adverse drug reactions. ScienceBlogger Revere from Genetic Future posted that before such a collaborationis considered, genomics companies must recruit more—and more diverse—participants and improve methodology to gather "extremely accurate and detailed" clinical data about them and their drug regimens. "Any genome-wide association study is only as good as the clinical data it's based around," he wrote.
amillikan | November 18, 2008When hundreds of thousands of soldiers returned from the Gulf War in 1991, epidemiologists like Revere from Effect Measure insisted that the neurological and other symptoms afflicting a large number of the veterans was not due to stress—as many U.S. government departments alleged—but rather widespread exposure to toxic chemicals. Now, a federally mandated panel of independent scientists has issued a report confirming the epidemiologists' claims—not only is Gulf War Illness real, it afflicts approximately 25 percent of Gulf War veterans.