Nature is one of the world's two premier science journals, the other being... Science. Sadly, their review of this year's science developments is, to this observer at least, simply underwhelming. Oh, they mention Perelman's work on the Poincaré conjecture,...
Science's top 10 "breakthroughs" of 2006
Science Magazine's selection of the top scientific developments of the year is basically the grand prix of scientific competition. And the editors usually make pretty good calls, though in truth there are many, many important scientific developments...
Beautiful politicians win more votes
This is sort of in the same vein as a recent post here:Beautiful politicians win more votes: studyBeautiful politicians win more votes, according to Australian National University research released today that asked an independent group of ‘beauty raters’...
Do carbon nanotubes present a health hazard?
Perhaps not:Nanotubes Tracked In Blood And Liver: Study Finds No Adverse EffectsIn the first experiments of their kind, researchers at Rice University and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have determined that carbon nanotubes injected...
Is pot a gateway drug?
Apparently not: No 'Smoking' Gun: Research Indicates Teen Marijuana Use Does Not Predict Drug, Alcohol AbuseMarijuana is not a “gateway” drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. Moreover,...
Top 10 Health Stories of 2006
Having recently posted a note on physics stories of 2006, I guess I should do health/medicine news next. So there's this: The Top 10 Health Stories of 2006.I won't quibble with inclusion of any of the choices, but I do have comments on some of them (numbers...
Holiday gifts for science folks
Sorry to mention these so late, but I just came across this site – Bathsheba Sculpture – from a talented artist. I won't violate the artist's copyright by putting some pictures here or hotlink them – just have a look at the site. The artist, Bathsheba...
Animal Behavior in the City
People make many distinctions between City life and Rural life. So it seems that birds do, too - at the the Great Tit does. Great tits are small birds that live in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout the U.S. Science Magazine's online service...
Physics Story of the Year
'Tis the season for articles with titles like "Story of the year," "Notable achievements of 2006," and so forth. Here's the first one I've seen so far. And with almost 4 weeks to go (from when it was posted), it's jumping the gun a little. Who knows...
A starburst galaxy
VLT Image of Starburst Galaxy NGC 1313 (11/23/06)This FORS image of the central parts of NGC 1313 shows a stunning natural beauty. The galaxy bears some resemblance to some of the Milky Way's closest neighbours, the Magellanic Clouds. NGC 1313 has a...
Philosophia Naturalis #4 has been published
Daniel Collins at Down to Earth has posted the 4th edition of Philosophia Naturalis. It's your gateway to interesting science reading, right he...
RNA activation of genes
The subject of RNA has come up in a number of scientific developments recently. It seems that RNA occurs in more forms and plays more roles within cells than scientists have previously supposed. Some of the important forms that RNA can take have been...
Stuff I forgot to mention about memory
And speaking of memory here and here, there's recent research I forgot to mention. Oh, the irony. (Damn! I sure hope someone comes up with a memory pill, and fast.)First up is a gene named Kibra. It's expressed in the hippocampus, and has been found...
Folate and cancer
I must admit I don't really understand all the hubbub about folate and cancer. First we have this strange business where some say that low levels of folate in one's diet either increase the risk of colon cancer, or else decrease it. Take your pick.And...
High energy cosmic rays
Astrophysicists have wondered for a long time where cosmic rays come from, especially the most energetic ones.A couple of recent research reports identify two different sources. The first of these is our old friend, Cassiopeia A:Chandra discovers relativistic...
Biological basis of aggression
Is it typical in animal species that there are significant, genetic differences between males and females in common behavior? The answer is yes, apparently, for fruit flies. And there is even a single gene whose slightly different forms in males and...
NASA's Spitzer Peels Back Layers of Star's Explosion
NASA's Spitzer Peels Back Layers of Star's ExplosionAstronomers using NASA's infrared Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered that an exploded star, named Cassiopeia A, blew up in a somewhat orderly fashion, retaining much of its original onion-like...
This is pathetic
Snap judgments about candidates are the best way to pick winners, study suggestsAfter watching ten-second silent video clips of competing gubernatorial candidates, participants in the study were able to pick the winning candidate at a rate significantly...
Online Activity for Kids
The Saint Louis Zoo has an online activity to help kids learn more about animals and conservation efforts around the world.Introducing Club ConservationClub Conservation is a new a way for kids to become part of the solution and make a tangible difference...
Alternative splicing
Not so very long ago it used to be that molecular biologists thought that for every protein in the body there was a specific gene, and every gene contained the instructions for making just one protein. Then, when the human genome was completely mapped...
Improving your memory
Who wouldn't like to have a better memory? Probably nobody, except maybe Solomon Shereshevskii or the fictional Ireneo Funes.Neuroscientists are coming up with various small steps towards better memory:Scientists Use Gene Therapy To Improve Memory And...
Hacking Video
The video tutorials section that Remote Exploit has is great, but it seems that some of the links are down now (like CrimeMachine). My buddy Reid snagged some of the old videos with Bittorent when someone posted them, I mirror them here to keep them...
Importance of Scientific Literacy. Part 2
I am a member of the world's largest Scientific Society, AAAS. AAAS is the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator,...
Hubble Finds Evidence for Dark Energy in the Young Universe
NASA's Hubble Finds Evidence for Dark Energy in the Young UniverseScientists using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered that dark energy is not a new constituent of space, but rather has been present for most of the universe's history. Dark...
George & Martha - the nation's first couple (of bald eagles)
Enjoying urban wildlife is for everyone, not just scientists. Visit the links that detail public interaction with a pair of bald Eagles in the Washngton, D.C. Area.The Washington Post featured several stories about the pair this summer.(April 2006-October...
What makes humans smarter than chimps?
Why have geneticists considered complete sequencing of the genomes of a variety of species so important? One reason (of many) is what we learn by comparing these other genomes with the human genome. And if you consider the genome of a close relative...
Low folate diets and colorectal cancer - WTF?
Folates are a type of B vitamin. Some studies show that a deficiency of folates is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer:Low folate diets found to increase risk of colorectal cancerInterestingly enough, a deficiency of folates also decreases...
Beyond Einstein
Here's the second article in a series I'm going to do on NASA's advanced astrophysics and cosmology science program, which they've called "Beyond Einstein". The first in the series is here. It provides background on the Bush administration's lamentable...
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