12.23.2010
12.22.2010
Stem cell therapy to heal a broken heart
Over the last decade, scientists have experimented with using stem cells to heal or replace the scarred tissue that mars the heart after a heart attack. While the cells do spur some level of repair in animals, human tests have resulted in modest or transient benefits at best. Now researchers have developed a new kind of biological sutures, made from polymer strands infused with stem cells, that might help surmount two major obstacles to using stem cells to heal the heart: getting the cells to the right spot and keeping them there long enough to trigger healing.
Flu... there's a shot for that. Broken bone...there's a shot for that too
Today, a broken hip usually means surgery and extensive rehab. But what if all you needed was an injection and a shorter recovery period? That's the vision that inspires Thomas Webster, an associate professor of engineering at Brown University.
Webster has developed a nanomaterial that quickly solidifies at body temperature into a bone-like substance. This week, Brown announced a deal with medical device maker Audax Medical of Littleton, Massachusetts, to further develop the material and launch trials in animals.
Skip the biopsy...ask for laser beams instead
Scientists at Harvard University have developed a noninvasive imaging technique that captures images at the molecular level so quickly that they can "watch" red blood cells move through the capillaries of a live mouse. The system uses two laser beams set at different frequencies to excite specific types of molecules in the skin. A custom-designed detector picks up the excited molecular signal and translates it into an image.
With such a capability, says Ji-Xin Cheng, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University, doctors may be able to identify other diseases that manifest on the surface of organs other than skin.
"Some cancers start in the epithelial layer, or the surface of tissues, like colon cancer," says Cheng. "Diagnosing such cancers could be a good application for a system like this."
People helping computers process information for a change
Most brain-computer interfaces are designed to help disabled people communicate or move around. A new project is using this type of interface to help computers perform tasks they can't manage on their own. In experiments, researchers used the interface to sort through satellite images for surface-to-air missiles faster than any machine or human analyst could manage alone.
11.24.2010
Essay writing turns into facebook browsing turns into youtube watching...
With the growing application of computers and technology in educating the youth of today, the question becomes how to focus attention on relevant tasks while filtering out the limitless stimuli provided by the internet?
11.22.2010
Yay alma mater...UBC research actually matters!
(PhysOrg.com) -- Using nanocrystals of cellulose, the main component of pulp and paper, chemistry researchers at the University of British Columbia have created glass films that have applications for energy conservation in building design because of their ability to reflect specific wavelengths of light, such as ultra violet, visible or infrared.11.18.2010
Turning skin into blood...21st century alchemy
(PhysOrg.com) -- In an important breakthrough, scientists at McMaster University have discovered how to make human blood from adult human skin.
Earthquake repair 101
A bacteria that can knit together cracks in concrete structures by producing a special 'glue' has been developed by a team of students at Newcastle University.
11.16.2010
Muscle regeneration just needs some guidance in the right direction
Researchers have repaired large muscle wounds in mice by growing and implanting "microthreads" coated with human muscle cells. The microthreads—made out of the same material that triggers the formation of blood clots—seem to help the cells grow in the proper orientation, which is vital for rebuilding working muscle tissue.
11.12.2010
11.10.2010
Who put the microchip in my benadryl?
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG is developing a pill containing an embedded microchip, which it hopes to submit for regulatory approval in Europe within 18 months.
The chip is activated by stomach acid and transmits information to a patch attached to the patient’s skin, which then sends it on to a doctor via the Internet or a smartphone.
11.04.2010
Thinking about replacing your home's windows? Go green with solar-powered ones!
A material with semiconducting abilities has been developed which also happens to be largely transparent, paving the way for potential future applications in "energy-generating solar windows, transparent solar panels, and new kinds of optical displays."
10.28.2010
10.19.2010
A Long-Lasting Universal Flu Vaccine
For decades, researchers have been doggedly pursuing a universal flu vaccine--one that would protect against the evolving influenza virus for years rather than just a single season--with little success. The bug mutates so quickly that a new vaccine must be specially formulated each year. But a relatively new strategy, targeting a rarely seen portion of the virus, is now showing some success.
While vaccines for other infections can create immunity that lasts for decades, the flu virus has proved a more challenging adversary. Because the human immune system is so adept at recognizing it, the virus has evolved the ability to modify its most recognizable protein--called hemagglutinin--from year to year. So every year, six months prior to flu season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration devises the country's annual vaccine according to its best guess for which strains will be most virulent. And every year, we need another flu shot.
Palese's experimental vaccine, however, targets a part of the hemagglutinin protein that remains relatively stable over time, enabling its broad immunizing effects.
Making a Genome Quickly from Scratch
A rapid DNA-synthesis technique has been used to synthesize a complete mitochondrial genome from scratch. The new method will be used to make vaccines rapidly by a startup company called Synthetic Genomics Vaccines.
10.01.2010
Reefer Gladness
Reefer Gladness - NYTimes.com
A little insight on the upcoming vote to legalize and tax marijuana in California.
9.24.2010
9.21.2010
Yet another step towards a television free world
Miniature device could allow a cell phone to project images on a wall | KurzweilAI
A new one-cubic-centimeter projector head that can be integrated into a portable computer or mobile telephone has been developed by Lemoptix, a spin-off of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), and the Maher Kayal Laboratory.
A new one-cubic-centimeter projector head that can be integrated into a portable computer or mobile telephone has been developed by Lemoptix, a spin-off of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), and the Maher Kayal Laboratory.
The projector uses very little energy, requiring on average 30% less current than the matrix- or LED-based technology currently available on the market. It should be available in 2011 for industrial applications, and the following year for consumer electronics, according to Nicolas Abelé, Technical Director of the start-up.
Test tube babies are so 2009
Technology Review: Artificial Ovary Could Help Infertile Women
First time that a 3-dimensional environment containing the three main types of ovarian cells: theca cells, granulosa cells, and the eggs (oocytes) has been developed. Immediate importance in studying fertility, environmental and pharmaceutical impacts, contraceptive development, and ovarian cancer with future clinical potential in harvesting and maturing eggs safely for infertile women.
8.15.2010
Weekend Chuckles
Job Descriptions
1. A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.
2. An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.
3. A statistician is someone who is good with numbers but lacks the personality to be an accountant.
4. An actuary is someone who brings a fake bomb on a plane, because that decreases the chances that there will be another bomb on the plane.
5. A programmer is someone who solves a problem you didn't know you had in a way you don't understand.
6. A mathematician is like a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there.
7. A topologist is someone who doesn't know the difference between a coffee cup and doughnut.
8. A lawyer is a person who writes a 10,000-word document and calls it a "brief."
9. A psychologist is someone who watches everyone else when a beautiful girl enters the room.
10. A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep.
11. A consultant is someone who takes the watch off your wrist and tells you the time.
12. A committee is a body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
8.06.2010
Screw polysporin, give me some fibronectin for my owie
Harvard scientists have developed a fabric coated with a protein called fibronectin which has the potential for helping wounds heal quickly sans scarring or possibly as a scaffold for growing organs.
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25918/?nlid=3315
 |
| Protein pattern: This computer rendering shows ripples on fabric made from protein. Such fabrics could be used as scaffolds for growing organs. Credit: ACS/ Nano Letters |
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25918/?nlid=3315
8.04.2010
TV Reporter Bloopers
Top 10 funniest news reporter bloopers
Here are the top 5 clips from the cnet news blog by Don Reisinger
8.03.2010
I hope none of these guys are getting behind the wheel of a car
Hilarious video of animals getting drunk from fermented fruit.
Good for a chuckle
A woman went to a pet shop and immediately spotted a large, beautiful parrot. There was a sign on the cage that said $50.00.
"Why so cheap?" she asked the pet store owner.
The owner looked at her and said, "Look, I should tell you first that this bird used to live in a house of prostitution, and sometimes it says some pretty vulgar stuff."
The woman thought about this, but decided she had to have the bird anyway. She took it home and hung the bird's cage up in her living room and waited for it to say something.
The bird looked around the room, then at her, and said, "New house, new madam." The woman was a bit shocked at the implication, but then thought, "That's really not so bad."
When her two teenage daughters returned from school, the bird saw them and said, "New house, new madam, new girls."
The girls and the woman were a bit offended but then began to laugh about the situation considering how and where the parrot had been raised.
Moments later, the woman's husband Eric came home from work The bird looked at him and said, "Hi, Eric."
8.02.2010
Worse than an oil spill...farming
The Other Gulf Stain - Dot Earth Blog - NYTimes.com
As if the BP oil spill didn't cause enough damage to the coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico, large amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients from midwest agricultural lands has washed down the Mississippi river and entered the Gulf.
So...what are the repercussions of this?
The abundance of nutrients causes a dramatic increase in the plant life initially (e.g. algal bloom) but then creates what is known as a 'hypoxic zone' or 'dead zone' as all the oxygen dissolved in the water gets used up by the photosynthesizing plants. This has huge ramifications for the animal life in those areas, and could be costlier to the ecosystem and the Gulf fishing economy than the BP oil spill.
As if the BP oil spill didn't cause enough damage to the coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico, large amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients from midwest agricultural lands has washed down the Mississippi river and entered the Gulf.
The abundance of nutrients causes a dramatic increase in the plant life initially (e.g. algal bloom) but then creates what is known as a 'hypoxic zone' or 'dead zone' as all the oxygen dissolved in the water gets used up by the photosynthesizing plants. This has huge ramifications for the animal life in those areas, and could be costlier to the ecosystem and the Gulf fishing economy than the BP oil spill.
7.31.2010
The end of tv
I knew it was only a matter of time before televisions (even 100" plasma LCD HD ones) would go extinct and I think the beginning of the end has begun. A new portable projector from Tumi can be used on "most video-enabled MP3 players, the Apple iPhone and laptop computers." With the ever-expanding market of online viewing (Hulu, ESPN3, Netflix, etc...) it's only a matter of time before all you'll need for in-home entertainment is an internet connection, a laptop/iPhone, and a wall.
7.28.2010
Generation Kill by Evan WrightMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I started this book after having watched the HBO mini-series of the same name produced by the same guys who wrote 'The Wire'. There are a lot of characters introduced and missions undertaken by the First Recon Marines during the initial assault of Iraq and it was really helpful for me to picture the real-life men in the book with the actors who portray them so accurately.
View all my reviews >>
7.27.2010
Have humans evolved to love medicine?
Neurobiology and immunobiology of the placebo effect. Adapted from Pacheco-Lopez et al (2006).
Why do we love medicines so much?
Richard Sullivan, Isabel Behncke & Arnie Purushotham
- EMBO reports (2010) 11, 572 - 578
- doi:10.1038/embor.2010.108
Algae to energy, seems simple enough
Schematic drawing of an algae farm for the production of biofuels.
The tide turns towards microalgae
Philip Hunter- EMBO reports (2010) 11, 583 - 586
- doi:10.1038/embor.2010.103
7.21.2010
It's like the 70's all over again, tree-hugging hippies working with military veterans
Iraq War Veterans Join Environmentalists in the Oiled Gulf of Mexico
-Really interesting article written by Bryan Walsh for TIME.com connecting the wars raging in The Middle East with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
-Really interesting article written by Bryan Walsh for TIME.com connecting the wars raging in The Middle East with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Wait a second, can you repeat that?...Did you say the atmosphere almost collapsed?
NASA-funded researchers are monitoring a big event in our planet's atmosphere. High above Earth's surface where the atmosphere meets space, a rarefied layer of gas called "the thermosphere" recently collapsed and now is rebounding again. One possible explanation is carbon dioxide (CO2). When carbon dioxide gets into the thermosphere, it acts as a coolant, shedding heat via infrared radiation. It is widely-known that CO2 levels have been increasing in Earth's atmosphere. Extra CO2 in the thermosphere could have magnified the cooling action of solar minimum (Lately, solar activity has been very low. In 2008 and 2009, the sun plunged into a century-class solar minimum).
You mean stuff actually gets done at the Pentagon
US scientists working for the experimental arm of the Pentagon have developed artificial blood for use in transfusions for wounded soldiers in battlefields. The blood cells are said to be functionally indistinguishable from normal blood cells and could end forever the problem of blood donor shortages in war zones and difficulties in transporting blood to remote and inaccessible areas.http://www.physorg.com/news198221258.html
So that's why the Arizona desert is so damn hot...
Last month was the hottest June ever recorded on Earth, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday, amid global climate warming worries.http://www.physorg.com/news198434180.html
Radio waves & vibrations... what's the first thing that comes to mind? Batteries, duh
Using only radio waves for its electrical power, the SmartHat has a beeper that alerts the wearer to dangerous construction equipment nearby.
Vibration-powered Generators Replace AA, AAA Batteries
For example, when the generator, which the company calls "Vibration-powered Generating Battery," is set inside a remote control, it is possible to use the remote by shaking it to generate power.
7.20.2010
Petition to my senators
I get e-mail newsletters from some groups who petitition for government action and sometimes I'll add my name to the cause if I agree with it. The other day I sent in a petition to the 2 Arizona senators John McCain III (the one who ran for president)and Jon Kyl urging them to pass a comprehensive clean energy plan (I may be Canadian, but I pay Arizona taxes so they better listen to what I have to say).
I filled out my name and info and was about to submit, but then for some reason hesitated. My eyes were drawn down to the part of the petition that you can personalize and for some reason I decided to write a few of my thoughts down.note: I've recently read magazine articles in The Atlantic (Here Comes the Neighborhood) and Time (All Aboard) about the environmental and economic benefits in building light-rail networks connecting suburbs to urban centres and utilizing high-speed trains for potential daily commuters.
Here is a bit of that petition:
For the past three months oil has gushed into our Gulf, yet the Senate has not taken up a comprehensive energy bill that will hold polluters accountable and create a clean, sustainable energy plan that breaks our addiction to oil and other dirty fuels.
-- Develop and support a comprehensive clean energy policy at home -- wind, solar, geothermal and other sustainable energy that we can use this decade. Provide incentives and mandates for increased production of clean, safe energy.
-- Hold polluters fully accountable and require them to meet reasonable targets to reduce their greenhouse gas pollution -- or be penalized.
-- Ensure companies pay their fair share of cleaning up their acts and not just lay it off on customers. Revenues generated from making polluters pay should be invested in clean energy and efficiency, and returned to consumers through rebates and incentives to be energy efficient.
-- Prioritize energy efficiency. The cheapest form of energy is energy that's not used. Incentives for weatherization, strong building energy codes and appliance standards improve our standard of living while cutting costs for consumers and reducing the need for more power plants.
*-- Create jobs and Connect the country. The development of a high-speed rail network connecting the major economic centres of the country would:
A) Reduce the high carbon emissions of the current transportation sector (I'll get a little shut-eye on my bed for the overnight train from Seattle to New York City),
B) Create jobs statewide in constructing (will the next John Henry please stand-up) and designing (will the next Frank Lloyd Wright please stand-up) the rail infrastructure, and all the new private businesses running the rail-system afterwards (future commuter: "I'm gonna ride Southwest 'train'lines, bags ride free with them),
C) Create a new transportation industry with entirely domestic profits (Unless the Russian billionaire who now owns the New Jersey Nets wants to stretch his pockets a little further),
D) Hawaii can work on a superlongoceanspanning-bridge or a sweet under-ocean tunnel connecting it to California (I don't even know if those are possible).
E) Raise property values in areas near stops (Phoenix AZ, Las Vegas NV, anywhereUSA),
F) 0%, the chances of any emergency landings in the Hudson River due to Migrating Canadian Geese(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28678669/)
G) 100%, the chances Steven Seagal (the only person known to have ever knocked-down Chuck Norris) would thwart any terrorist plot against the train system.
-Resume: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
-plot: Casey Ryback (The throat-chopping master) is traveling with his niece on a train, which is hijacked by terrorists.
The terrorists need a moving headquarters, so they can take over a satellite capable of vaporizing anything in its path (you know Osama Bin Laden has one of these lying in the back closet of his cave).
The government can't stop them from destroying Washington and also rupturing a nuclear reactor, killing millions.
Casey Ryback uses his Navy-Seal training, primarily the throat-chop, to take out all of the terrorists in an action-packed ride.
H) It's win, win, win for The Economy, The Global Warming Crisis, and Joe The Average Railroad Worker.
*My personalized message
The Gulf oil-spill nightmare is a national tragedy, but it also can be a catalyst for changing how America develops and uses energy. For too long Washington has ignored our growing problem of dependence on foreign oil and dirty energy production. The time has come to take up and pass a comprehensive energy bill now and I urge you as my Senator to do all you can to make that happen.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
7.16.2010
Ever wonder how to dig a hole at the bottom of the ocean...
Dot Earth: BP, Shell and the Design of Deep Wells As the gulf gusher stops, an opportunity to compare how different companies do deep drilling.
The video is a presentation from a Shell engineer describing how exactly deep sea oil drilling works and why their system is safer than BP's. It's pretty long but you can skip ahead to around 13:00 where he describes how this concept is humanly possible and why BP sucks.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/bp-shell-and-the-design-of-deep-wells/
The video is a presentation from a Shell engineer describing how exactly deep sea oil drilling works and why their system is safer than BP's. It's pretty long but you can skip ahead to around 13:00 where he describes how this concept is humanly possible and why BP sucks.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/bp-shell-and-the-design-of-deep-wells/
7.13.2010
A chemical to make brain cells grow: Mental decline thwarted in aging rats
Scientists have discovered a compound that restores the capacity to form new memories in aging rats, likely by improving the survival of newborn neurons in the brain's memory hub. The research, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, has turned up clues to a neuroprotective mechanism that could lead to a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
LOL
These gave me a good chuckle.
Quotes of things people actually said in U.S. courts from a book titled, Disorder in the American Courts, published by court reporters.
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about 20, medium height, and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town, I'm going with male.
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
A Friendly Rivalry
A Kiwi ventriloquist visiting Australia walks into a small village and sees a local sitting on his veranda patting his dog.
He figures he'll have a little fun, so he says to the local, “G'day, mind if I talk to your dog?”
Villager: “The dog doesn't talk, you stupid Kiwi.”
Ventriloquist: “Hello dog, how's it going, mate?”
Dog: “Yeah, doin' all right.”
Aussie (look of extreme shock)
Ventriloquist: “Is this villager your owner?” (pointing at the villager)
Dog: “Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Dog: “Yeah, real good. He walks me twice a day, feeds me great food, and takes me to the lake now and again to play.”
Aussie: (look of utter disbelief)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your horse?”
Aussie: “Uh, the horse doesn't talk either... I think.”
Ventriloquist: “Hey horse, how's it going?”
Horse: “Cool.”
Aussie: (absolutely dumbfounded)
Ventriloquist: “Is this your owner?” (Pointing at the villager)
Horse: ”Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Horse: ”Pretty good, thanks for asking. He rides me regularly, brushes me down often, and keeps me in the shed to protect me from the elements.”
Aussie: (total look of amazement)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your sheep?”
Aussie (in a panic): “The sheep's a compulsive liar.”
http://www.caseyresearch.com/displayCdd.php?id=479
Quotes of things people actually said in U.S. courts from a book titled, Disorder in the American Courts, published by court reporters.
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about 20, medium height, and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town, I'm going with male.
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
A Friendly Rivalry
A Kiwi ventriloquist visiting Australia walks into a small village and sees a local sitting on his veranda patting his dog.
He figures he'll have a little fun, so he says to the local, “G'day, mind if I talk to your dog?”
Villager: “The dog doesn't talk, you stupid Kiwi.”
Ventriloquist: “Hello dog, how's it going, mate?”
Dog: “Yeah, doin' all right.”
Aussie (look of extreme shock)
Ventriloquist: “Is this villager your owner?” (pointing at the villager)
Dog: “Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Dog: “Yeah, real good. He walks me twice a day, feeds me great food, and takes me to the lake now and again to play.”
Aussie: (look of utter disbelief)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your horse?”
Aussie: “Uh, the horse doesn't talk either... I think.”
Ventriloquist: “Hey horse, how's it going?”
Horse: “Cool.”
Aussie: (absolutely dumbfounded)
Ventriloquist: “Is this your owner?” (Pointing at the villager)
Horse: ”Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Horse: ”Pretty good, thanks for asking. He rides me regularly, brushes me down often, and keeps me in the shed to protect me from the elements.”
Aussie: (total look of amazement)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your sheep?”
Aussie (in a panic): “The sheep's a compulsive liar.”
http://www.caseyresearch.com/displayCdd.php?id=479
7.09.2010
7.08.2010
Outliers by Malcolm GladwellMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gladwell uses several stories to support his hypothesis that a person's innate abilities do not solely determine their success in life. He argues that it is also, if not more, important to understand the situations and circumstances throughout a person's life to pick out a true "Outlier."
View all my reviews >>
Battling global warming...with whale poop
6.07.2010
Come on med schools, pick up the slack
Until recently, most medical schools provided little information on financial factors, like how the insurance system works and how treatment costs affect patients’ behavior.
6.03.2010
Technology's smallest microscope, medicine's biggest ally
Engineer invents world's smallest, lightest telemedicine microscope
-Aydogan Ozcan, whose invention of a novel lensless imaging technology for use in telemedicine could radically transform global health care, has now taken his work a step further -- or tinier: The UCLA engineer has created a miniature microscope, the world's smallest and lightest for telemedicine applications.
-Telemedicine involves performing medical tests in the field and requires portable tools in a resource-limited environment and integration into a medical network e.g. hospital or central lab.
-This lensless microscope solves both these problems: (a) it is small & lightweight, and (b) simple to operate - anyone (not necessarily a doctor) can use it, and then upload the digital image via smart phone/computer to be analyzed by a medical professional.
-Potential to monitor diseases and water quality in 3rd world countries with limited health care facilities, and at a realistic cost.
http://www.physorg.com/news191170981.html
http://www.physorg.com/news191170981.html
Quantum mechanics drives photosynthesis - you lost me at quantum
-Everyone has heard of photosynthesis - a process used by green plants to convert sunlight into electrochemical energy at an efficiency of nearly 100%.
-Although the overall pathway and major players are known for this process, the nitty-gritty details have eluded scientists, until now.
-Physical chemists at UC Berkeley observed 'entanglement' (a distinctive property of quantum mechanical systems) in the light harvesting complex in plants.
-Importance: huge step towards developing (a) artificial photosynthesis systems as renewable, non-polluting electrical energy sources and (b) quantum-based technologies e.g. quantum computers which are potentially thousands of times faster than conventional computers.
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2010/05/10/untangling-quantum-entanglement/
It's about time windmills grew sea-legs
After nine years of review, the approval of the 130-turbine farm off the coast of Cape Cod gives a significant boost to the nascent offshore wind industry n the U.S.
6.02.2010
Nanofoods - coming soon to a grocery store near you
Dangerous tampering of the fruits of nature or the solution to ending world hunger? My-oh-my, what a future debate this is going to be.
http://food.change.org/blog/view/are_nanofoods_sustainable
http://food.change.org/blog/view/are_nanofoods_sustainable
6.01.2010
Low battery? Just plug it in...to yourself
MEMS device generates power from body heat -- In an attempt to develop a power source that is compact, environmentally friendly, and has an unlimited lifetime, a team of researchers from Singapore has fabricated an energy harvesting device that generates electricity from body heat or any environment where there is a temperature gradient. Their device, called a thermoelectric power generator, attaches to the body and generates a power output of a few microwatts, which could be useful for powering implanted medical devices and wireless sensors.
How to make a cell for dummies
Peering Over the Fortress That Is the Mighty Cell
The scientists who created a synthetic variant are in debt to nature, time and billions of years of evolution.
The scientists who created a synthetic variant are in debt to nature, time and billions of years of evolution.
Just another day in the life of a carbon nanotube
Carbon Nanotubes Boost Cancer-Fighting Cells
-One defensive strategy in the human immune system utilizes T cells, which are able to detect bad stuff in the body, replicate in lymph nodes, and then induce a strong immune response.
-Tumor cells are able to survive because they prevent tumor-specific T cells from replicating and therefore suppress any immune response.
-A technique called 'Adoptive Immunotherapy' is a treatment option, where patient's blood is drawn and T cells are stimulated and replicated in the lab before being transferred back into the patient.
-A major drawback right now is that it can take several weeks until sufficient T cells are produced.
-Yale scientists have found that carbon nanotubes mimic lymph nodes in the lab and reduce the time to produce enough tumor-fighting T cells by 1/3.
-All that is needed now is find an efficient way of removing the carbon nanotubes before re-injecting the T cells into the patient.
-One defensive strategy in the human immune system utilizes T cells, which are able to detect bad stuff in the body, replicate in lymph nodes, and then induce a strong immune response.
-Tumor cells are able to survive because they prevent tumor-specific T cells from replicating and therefore suppress any immune response.
-A technique called 'Adoptive Immunotherapy' is a treatment option, where patient's blood is drawn and T cells are stimulated and replicated in the lab before being transferred back into the patient.
-A major drawback right now is that it can take several weeks until sufficient T cells are produced.
-All that is needed now is find an efficient way of removing the carbon nanotubes before re-injecting the T cells into the patient.
5.28.2010
5.25.2010
Goodbye LOST
Bill Simmons breaks down the series finale and wonders if 'The Wire' was both the greatest and worst thing to happen to television.
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/lost-the-end-see-you-in-the-other-life-brother#
TV critic Alan Sepinwall's review of the series finale.
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/lost-the-end-see-you-in-the-other-life-brother#
TV critic Alan Sepinwall's review of the series finale.
5.24.2010
One small step for man, One giant leap for cancer treatment
(PhysOrg.com)
-'DNA -> RNA -> Protein' is the central dogma of genetics.
-A good way for me to remember complex scientific concepts is to put them in context with something simpler that I understand.
-For me the best context for this genetic concept is comparing it to opening a zip file on the computer.
-Say you have a zip file (DNA). You cannot simply open the zip file, because it is only useful for storage.
-In order to open the zip file you must first unzip it (transcription) into a readable file (RNA).
-Now, when you try and open the unzipped file (RNA) it results in something usable such as a word document, pdf, or mp3 (protein).
-Most anticancer drugs target certain proteins unique to the growth and survival of tumor cells.
-These therapeutics have some limitations because of the 3-D shapes of proteins and the possibility of mutations which 'hide' the protein from the drug without changing the protein's use for the cell.
-A new approach using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targets a type of RNA in the cell called messenger RNA (mRNA).
-Unlike protein, mRNA is linear in shape (no bends/folds to hide itself) and has fewer potential mutations.
-This therapy is very exciting because it allows for the indirect targeting of virtually every protein.
-A major hurdle of this therapy (other than getting the siRNA into the cell is targeting only the tumor cell(s).
-Solution = packing the siRNA into nanoparticles which bind only to cancerous cells, then release the siRNA into the bound tumor cell.
-Most importantly, this combined treatment was found to be effective in a human patient during a phase I clinical trial.
-This therapy is being developed for treating cancer, but I can see it being utilized for treating nearly every disease.
-'DNA -> RNA -> Protein' is the central dogma of genetics.
-A good way for me to remember complex scientific concepts is to put them in context with something simpler that I understand.
-For me the best context for this genetic concept is comparing it to opening a zip file on the computer.
-Say you have a zip file (DNA). You cannot simply open the zip file, because it is only useful for storage.
-In order to open the zip file you must first unzip it (transcription) into a readable file (RNA).
-Now, when you try and open the unzipped file (RNA) it results in something usable such as a word document, pdf, or mp3 (protein).
-These therapeutics have some limitations because of the 3-D shapes of proteins and the possibility of mutations which 'hide' the protein from the drug without changing the protein's use for the cell.
-A new approach using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targets a type of RNA in the cell called messenger RNA (mRNA).
-Unlike protein, mRNA is linear in shape (no bends/folds to hide itself) and has fewer potential mutations.
-This therapy is very exciting because it allows for the indirect targeting of virtually every protein.
-A major hurdle of this therapy (other than getting the siRNA into the cell is targeting only the tumor cell(s).
-Solution = packing the siRNA into nanoparticles which bind only to cancerous cells, then release the siRNA into the bound tumor cell.
-Most importantly, this combined treatment was found to be effective in a human patient during a phase I clinical trial.
-This therapy is being developed for treating cancer, but I can see it being utilized for treating nearly every disease.
5.21.2010
Nuclear fusion power - the ultimate clean energy
(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine if you could generate electricity using nuclear power that emitted no radioactivity: it would be the answer to the world's dream of finding a clean, sustainable energy source.
Solar cells - I think they can, I think they can
Solar cells: UQAM researcher solves two 20-year-old problems
Thanks to two technologies developed by Professor Benoit Marsan and his team at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) Chemistry Department, the scientific and commercial future of solar cells could be totally transformed. Professor Marsan has come up with solutions for two problems that, for the last twenty years, have been hampering the development of efficient and affordable solar cells.
http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/dep_chim/rindex.php?dossierprof=prof&pagehtm=marsan.htm
Thanks to two technologies developed by Professor Benoit Marsan and his team at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) Chemistry Department, the scientific and commercial future of solar cells could be totally transformed. Professor Marsan has come up with solutions for two problems that, for the last twenty years, have been hampering the development of efficient and affordable solar cells.
http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/dep_chim/rindex.php?dossierprof=prof&pagehtm=marsan.htm
How many scientists does it take to replace a light bulb? None, cause it never burns out
(PhysOrg.com) -- Light bulbs that last 100 years and fill rooms with brilliant ambiance may become a reality sooner rather than later, thanks to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory discovery.
Can you hold your breath forever?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxygen may not be the staple of modern complex life that scientists once thought. Until now, the only life forms known to live exclusively in anoxic conditions were viruses, bacteria and Archaea. But in a new study, scientists have discovered three new multicellular marine species that appear to have never lived in aerobic conditions, and never metabolized oxygen.
Putting oil profits to good use
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new eco-city being built in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Masdar City, will be the world’s first clean technology city, relying entirely on renewable energy sources, and being free of cars, skyscrapers and waste.
'Organic Electronics' coming soon to a Whole Foods near you
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new technique developed by Princeton University engineers for producing electricity-conducting plastics could dramatically lower the cost of manufacturing solar panels.
Bacteria don't like getting poked
ScienceDaily (2010-03-15) -- For two decades, scientists have been pursuing a potential new way to treat bacterial infections, using naturally occurring proteins known as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Now, scientists have recorded the first microscopic images showing the deadly effects of AMPs, most of which kill by poking holes in bacterial cell membranes.
I love gooooold. But cancer sure doesn't
ScienceDaily (2010-03-16)
-"Magic Bullets" are highly targeted medical treatments which are the ultimate goal for drug development.
-Cancer has evaded these so-called bullets because of drastic changes in tumors between (1) different stages of cancer development, (2) different organs/tissues of the body, and (3) different patients.
-A new treatment developed at Washington University in St. Louis may be able to target cancer cells and selectively kill them with minimal damage to healthy cells.
-The technique is called 'Photothermal Therapy' and involves injecting gold nanocages into a patient's bloodstream (gold is inert and therefore nontoxic at low levels).
-Some of these 'golden bullet' nanocages accumulate at the tumor site (~6%) through leaky blood vessels (a commonality between tumor).
-A laser is then shone on the tumor site and the nanocages present convert light into heat which leads to the death of the tumor cells and has little/no effect on the surrounding healthy cells.
-This treatment was shown to work in a mouse model, but with the way things are currently for translating developments from the lab-to-clinic, this technology should be available in 100 years or so.
-This treatment isn't perfect yet, more research has begun on actively targeting cancer cells so fewer particles need to be injected, but is a huge tool in treating cancer which could be effective right now!
Frogs, foam and fuel: Solar energy converted to sugars
ScienceDaily (2010-03-17) -- In natural photosynthesis, plants take in solar energy and carbon dioxide and then convert it to oxygen and sugars. The oxygen is released to the air and the sugars are dispersed throughout the plant -- like that sweet corn we look for in the summer. Unfortunately, the allocation of light energy into products we use is not as efficient as we would like. Now engineering researchers are doing something about that.
Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, sort of like the Moses of chemistry
ScienceDaily (2010-03-18) -- Chemists have developed the most potent homogeneous catalyst known for water oxidation, considered a crucial component for generating clean hydrogen fuel using only water and sunlight.
5.20.2010
Primary care doctors - an endangered species
Can a patient-centered medical practice help ease the crisis in primary care?
Laser-ignited nanoparticles, oh the possibilites
ScienceDaily (2010-03-19)
-By hitting carbon nanoparticles with a relatively weak laser, University of Florida engineers could release their stored energy causing light, heat, or burning depending on the conditions.
-Potential uses:
-By hitting carbon nanoparticles with a relatively weak laser, University of Florida engineers could release their stored energy causing light, heat, or burning depending on the conditions.
-Potential uses:
- Identification and specific-killing of cancer cells without damaging normal cells.
- Ignition of powerful explosives used by mining, tunneling, or demolition crews instead of time-consuming and expensive electrical lines currently used.
- Replacing traditional sparkplugs for more efficient gasoline burning in cars.
- More than a dozen other potential applications.
'Glow-in-the-dark' sperm
ScienceDaily (2010-03-19) -- By genetically altering fruit flies so that the heads of their sperm were fluorescent green or red, biologists were able to observe in striking detail what happens to live sperm inside the female. The findings may have huge implications for the fields of reproductive biology, sexual selection and speciation.
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