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tqa | March 13, 2007
Warning:
This post contains commentary on an issue raised at another of the blogs on this network. The topic material involves pedophiles and first amendment rights, and is not suitable for all audiences. I know for a fact that it makes me feel pretty damn uncomfortable.
A couple of days ago, Shelley Batts put up a post discussing Barack Obama's attempts to take legal action against a self-professed pedophile who put a press release photo of Obama's kids up on his website, along with commentary handicapping the 2008 presidential election based on the "cuteness" of the candidates underage…
zooillogix | March 13, 2007For the last 50 years, zoo animals around the world have been tricked into painting. In many cases, the "art" has fetched big bucks: up to $25,000 for Chimp and Orangutan work. It's time for a comprehensive art show to compare styles:
Maggie, Sea Lion, Pittsburgh Zoo
Congo, Chimpanzee, London (1950's)
"Make Me Fly" by Seng Wong, Indian Elephant, Bali, Indonesia
Nonja, Orangutan, Schoenbrunn Zoo, Vienna, Austria
Lomako, Bonobo, Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee WI, USA
Anonymous Great Ape, Mefou Forest Reserve, Camaroon
moleculeoftheday | March 13, 2007Seroquel antagonizes serotonin, dopamine, and histamine, but it doesn't look a whole lot like any of these:
The benzothiazepene (benzene fused to the seven-membered ring containing nitrogen and sulfur) ring system bears a little resemblance to the benzodiazepines, the class to which Valium belongs, but sulfur and nitrogen are completely different kettles of fish from almost every standpoint - not to mention the rest of the ligand, particularly the piperazine (six-membered ring containing two nitrogens) moiety.
Seroquel finds use as an antipsychotic, along with numerous off-label uses.
tqa | March 13, 2007
One of the perennial favorite targets of anti-evolutionists is the field of molecular systematics. Molecular systematics, for those of you who are not familiar with the term, refers to the practice of using biological molecules - things like proteins, DNA, and RNA - to study the evolutionary history of groups of organisms. Molecular systematics is yet another one of those areas of evolutionary biology that is easy to misrepresent, and hard to understand. I'm going to (slowly) try to get posts up explaining the field in basic terms, starting with the basic vocabulary. This post is the first…
petnoyer | March 13, 2007National Geographic explorer-in-residence Dr. Robert Ballard led a team of scientists to explore the "twilight zone" near 100m depth around the Flower Garden Banks region in the Gulf of Mexico last week. Every cabin, van, and workspace on the support vessel SSV Carolyn Chouest seemed to be wired for communication to the shore via dedicated satellite and microwave feeds. The entire Secrets of the Gulf (SOG) expedition was broadcast live over the web through an emerging exploration technology Ballard calls telepresence.
Ballard coined the term telepresence to describe part of his mission at the…
tqa | March 12, 2007
As I mentioned earlier, both Mike the Mad Biologist and Josh Rosenau of Thoughts from Kansas have commented on a recent Salon article that features accusations that medically unfit troops are being deployed. The situation, if true, is unacceptable. However, judging from my wife's experiences as a brigade surgeon prior to deployment, the situation is likely to be a bit more complex than the article would make it appear.
Before I get into the specifics of the article, it might be good to start off with some basic facts about the operational medicine side of health care in the Army. For most…
grrlscientist | March 12, 2007Emma (Wedgwood) Darwin, who was Darwin's cousin and wife, kept a diary from the time she was 16 years old, throughout her marriage and until the last year of her life. These 60 pocket books have events recorded in them such as appointments, family visits and illnesses. Previously acessible only to scholars, these diaries have been scanned and are accessible on the internet.
tqa | March 12, 2007
There are a couple of posts up here at Scienceblogs about the situation in Iraq. Both Mike the Mad Biologist and Josh Rosenau discuss a recent Salon article that features soldiers who claim that they are being sent back to Iraq despite being medically unfit for duty. Josh also discusses another Salon article that discusses women in the military. Both articles touch on things that I pay attention to. My wife is currently a deployed battalion surgeon, and spent most of the year before deployment in the brigade surgeon job for her unit.
I'll comment on the deployment health article in a…
grrlscientist | March 12, 2007What is it about girl scout cookies that can transform an otherwise mundane day into something extraordinary? Is it their seasonal character, like bird migration .. the fact that, like unusual bird sightings, I cannot have them anytime I want them? But what makes them so perfect in every way? For those who care, I had a samoa, several tagalongs -- only because everyone else ate most of them before I got there -- and a bunch of little brownies, and I am still thinking about them, just as I think about the birds I see after I have been out birding.
tqa | March 12, 2007
According to AP reports, Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley has announced his resignation as Surgeon General and his retirement from the military. Kiley joins Army Secretary Francis Harvey and Walter Reed commander Maj. Gen. George Weightman in the growing pool of individuals who have lost their jobs as a direct result of the Walter Reed crisis. Until a permanent replacement is named, his job will be filled by his deputy, Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock.
Kiley's retirement is certainly overdue. His performance as commander of Walter Reed from 2002-2004 has been called into question as…
cmcclain | March 12, 2007 [OceansWide is a new nonprofit based in Maine dedicated to giving the opportunity of deep-sea exploration to youth. The program brings together students, the community, research scientists, and ROV pilots to educate youth through actual ongoing research. A wonderful program that is looking for donations for the purchase of equipment for the program (picture above and below). The statement below is from OceanWide's President, Buzz Scott. PLEASE LINK TO THIS POST ON YOUR BLOG TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD!]
We've done it now! We started an educational/scientific program called OceansWide and it is…
nisbetmc | March 12, 2007Over at The Intersection, Chris Mooney elaborates on a recent post to his blog that hits on many of the themes first explored at Framing Science, as well as in several of my recent studies (here and here) and lectures.
There's a basic paradox worth noting. As I've often described, every audience member is a "cognitive miser." Faced with an extraordinary amount of issues to track on a daily basis, it is actually quite reasonable for citizens to rely heavily on short cuts such as values and media frames to reach a decision about a policy debate. This natural human tendency leads to a complex…
cmcclain | March 11, 2007
"I was in here the whole time!" Says Giant Squid.
Most Giant Squid remains have been found in the stomachs of Sperm Whales. This has led some of the stupider Marine Biologists to theorize that the belly of the Sperm Whale is in fact the natural habitat of the Giant Squid.
grrlscientist | March 11, 2007A policeman found an abandoned rental truck -- its engine still warm -- sitting by the side of the road, the back stuffed with plastic-wrapped bundles of marijuana.
"Somebody's going be in some major trouble for walking away and leaving that quantity sitting on the side of the freeway," said Sgt Telfinues Preszler Jnr of the California Highway Patrol.
"I'm glad I'm not him."
A recent report estimates that despite intensive eradication plans, $35 billion of marijuana is produced every year in the US, making it this country's top cash crop.
Of course, this makes me ask the obvious question;…
tqa | March 9, 2007
If making pina coladas, first make extra certain that you have fully cleaned out all traces of the salsa you made yesterday from the blender.
tqa | March 9, 2007
In a major victory for Democratic netroots activists, the Nevada Democratic Party has reportedly pulled out of the August Democratic Presidential debate that they were co-sponsoring with the Fox "News" Channel. The move comes after extensive pressure from a wide range of activist groups, after John Edwards announced that he would boycott, and after Bill Richardson announced that he had changed his mind and was no longer planning to participate.
The final straw in this debacle probably came with yesterday's speech by Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. Ailes spoke while accepting a "First…
cmcclain | March 9, 2007 Why bother collecting samples at depth, bring them to the surface, preserve them, bring them into the lab, and then sequence them when you can just do it on the ocean bottom?
MBARI researchers perform first DNA analysis in the deep sea
In a culmination of seven years of work, MBARI researchers this week performed the first automated analysis of DNA in the deep sea. Using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ventana, they carried an automated DNA laboratory called the Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) down to a depth of 1,000 meters in Monterey Bay. The ESP has been used previously…
grrlscientist | March 9, 2007So far, I have 13 submissions for the upcoming issue of Tangled Bank, so obviously I am seeking more. I know you all are having fun with PZ's birthday, but don't forget about our blog carnival!
tqa | March 9, 2007
As almost everyone has already mentioned (there are perils to living in one of the last timezones before the dateline), today is P Zed Myers 50th birthday. Some, like Richard Dawkins) have done poems to celebrate the event, but I think a better present from me, given my talents, would be to write no poem - so here it is:
Now that I've got that taken care of, I thought I'd join John Lynch in using the opportunity to call people's attention to an article that is quite possibly PZ's single greatest bit of writing: The Proper Reverence Due to Those Who Have Gone Before. Take a few minutes to…
cmcclain | March 9, 2007Paula Moore is quite unhappy about the colossal squid capture.
None of this is necessary. Leaving fish (and other animals) off our plates is the most humane choice--and the best way to help replenish the world's fragile oceans. It is the only way to ensure that spectacular animals like the colossal squid, surely one of the most mysterious beings of the deep ocean, are spared the indignity of being violently hauled out of their watery homes and turned into the butt of cheap jokes.
The dialogue on vegetarianism and reducing fishing does not really bother me. My wife and I were vegetarian for…