Reader blogs
Carbon nanotubes, photovoltaics and the "hydrogen economy" -- not exactly household concepts yet. But they are technologies at the forefront of the growing worldwide demand for "green" energy and manufacturing. And lasers are critical to this global revolution.
For scientists working in the field of HIV and AIDS, discussion of denialists can be at best tiring and at worst infuriating. This isn’t because a (‘good’) scientist can’t engage in a meaningful debate about their field with an honest dissident. It is because denialists of established science are not truly interested in objective examination of evidence. This may sound harsh, but it is important to realise that we’re not talking about any issues which have real controversy. The issue that I’m particularly talking about, the fact that HIV is the causative agent of AIDS, has over 25 years of medical science behind it, and is the subject of tens of thousands (1) of peer-reviewed research papers. The evidence is as irrefutable as that demonstrating that the earth orbits the sun, albeit perhaps less accessible to your average layperson. As this article is written by Ben Vincent, the newest contributor to Blue-Genes, you should give him a grand welcome by travelling over to Blue-Genes.net and reading the rest of it there!
A common strategy to stop tumor growth is to cut the tumor's blood supply, usually by inhibiting angiogenic factors such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). However, recent evidence suggests that anti-angiogenic therapy could also enhance tumor growth and invasiveness in the long-term [1].
I've updated my Science Shelf book review archive with two interesting titles, Pluto Confidential and Rising Plague.
Waiting for a concert to begin at our local county fair, my husband and I checked out a reptile exhibit that included an animal trainer with a live alligator resting calmly on his lap. As we stroked the gator, I asked the trainer why it was so tame. "I pet it daily. If I didn't, it would quickly be wild again, and wouldn't allow this," he explained.
How'd those Frosted Flakes manage to get so high up in that cabinet? Can't...reach. Aha! Stool! Argh...still no dice. Darn these short arms. Oh oh! Broom! Almost got it...almost...almost...::crash:: NOOO!!! Game Over.
Biopesticides: The Future of Pest Control?
Have you ever marveled over the natural link among things that seem as totally disparate as stale beer, fox urine, fungi, canola oil, parasitic wasps, bacteria, garlic leaves and DDT? Well, if you said “yes” (and love doing lab work), you are all set to pursue a wonderful career in the newly budding field of “biopesticides”.
I found an interesting study by Wang et. al investigating how the current emotional state that we find ourselves in modulates the auditory response of speech early in the sensory processing stream at the cortical level. Here's their abstract.
The idealized scientist might start by questioning everything and assuming nothing. However, one usually has to make starting assumptions to get things going. For instance, David Hume proved that the notion that science works at all is founded on the un-provable assumption that the future will conform to the past (i.e., if e=mc2 yesterday, it will do so again tomorrow).
“Process” or axon outgrowth is a phenomenon well studied in neuronal cells, and is a process that requires, for the most part, a specialized structure at the tip of growing axons known as the neuronal growth cone.
According to Dick Morris, I've joined a cushy profession. Professors don't teach very much, which makes college expensive. He argues that by requiring faculty to work harder "approximating the work week the rest of us find normal" and holding down some administrative costs, the tuition can be cut in half!
It's been a month since the clamour and bustle about healthcare reform during the US Congress' summer break in August. The British blogosphere was then alight with spirited defenses of the NHS, like this piece from David Colquhoun. As Congress gets back to work, Obama is countering his critics with speeches on several of his main policy areas. Now that the dust has settled, I'd like to take a closer look at it. Please let us know what you think in the comments, either here on ScienceBlog or at Blue-Genes.net, where a spirited discussion has already started.
Scientists are people who learn from failures. No, wait, they grow from and even thrive on failures!
I'm constantly on the lookout for new research findings further substantiating sleep's significant effects on memory...perhaps in an attempt to finally convince myself that continuously misplacing my keys is NOT a normal part of young adulthood...and that 5 hours of shut-eye just isn't cutting it anymore (note to self: resist late night treks to Starbucks).
