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Animations Of Chemical Reactions On Second Life

Animations Of Chemical Reactions On Second Life

Aug 01 2007 | 2 comment(s)

I have previously commented on how organic chemistry can be incorporated into Second Life. Andrew Lang has created a script to generate 3D structures of molecules and shown how to represent the docking of a molecule in the receptor site of a protein (this is important for demonstrating how drugs can interfere with infectious agents like the parasite that causes malaria). I have also described how these molecules can be indexed by common search engines, like Google, so that people can discover locations in Second Lif
Carbon Credits: Green Or Not?

Carbon Credits: Green Or Not?

Jul 31 2007 | 10 comment(s)

There is so much green being bandied about that it’s practically impossible for us mere mortals to sort out the true green from the green wash. Some of the claims are indeed true, some are a pile of hocus pocus, and some are well, good in theory but too bloody bad because of unintended consequences. So in this, my new series about what’s green and what’s not, I am going to attempt to figure out just that. You and I can then vote green thumbs up, or alternatively, down. (See the thumb key at the end to see how to rate).

In this my inaugural piece, I thought I’d go straight for the jugular, and tackle that most maligned of issues… carbon credits.

Strange Climate Math - Driving Is Better For Pollution Than Walking

Strange Climate Math - Driving Is Better For Pollution Than Walking

Jul 28 2007 | 4 comment(s)

A recent UN study, Livestock's Long Shadow, basically says you can help the environment more by driving than walking.

Looking For The Energy Holy Grail: Zero Point Energy And Quantum Vacuum Engineering: An Interview With Fabrizio Pinto

Looking For The Energy Holy Grail: Zero Point Energy And Quantum Vacuum Engineering: An Interview With Fabrizio Pinto

Jul 26 2007 | 0 comment(s)

 This is the third in an on going series of interviews with some of the leading scientists and thinkers on the subject of energy.  The first was with Dennis M.
Happy Being Unhappy: Why We Like Negative Feelings

Happy Being Unhappy: Why We Like Negative Feelings

Jul 25 2007 | 2 comment(s)

A long-held belief in theories of human behavior is that people want to feel good and avoid feeling bad.

Nothing in that principle explains why people enjoy horror movies or, additionally, why they pay for the privilege of being scared.

Investigators generally use one of two theories to explain why people like horror movies:

1. It's excitement, not fear. People aren't actually afraid, they get a surge from the action and suspense.

2. Terror now brings euphoria later. Think you had a bad day at the office? Imagine being chased by zombies. It always feels better to know someone else is being chased by zombies.

It's fun to be scared, as long as there's a TV between you and him.


Stop calling it the God Particle.

Stop calling it the God Particle.

Jul 24 2007 | 0 comment(s)

Stop calling it the God Particle. Please.
Heather Piwowar On Open Notebook Science

Heather Piwowar On Open Notebook Science

Jul 24 2007 | 0 comment(s)

Heather Piwowar has collected an impressive set of notes on Open Notebook Science. From her blog post:
In anticipation of the ISMB BoF session on Open Notebook Science (ONS),I’m trying to come up to speed on ONS discourse. In between ISMBsessions, I’ve started consolidating snippets of blogposts and articles discussing ONS into a single document (in the open here).
The Compressed Air Car

The Compressed Air Car

Jul 23 2007 | 60 comment(s)

 

It is important to realize that the way we power our vehicles today is based on the legacy of energy discoveries of the 1800s.  Oil was first taken out of the ground in Pennsylvania in the 1860s.  When the automobile industry came into being some four decades later, petroleum was the first candidate for the energy source.  Even though the quintessential American inventor Thomas Edison did build an electric car, electricity was not as wide spread as it soon would be, so the power of the Rockefeller oil cartel won the day.

Which Costs You More… Nearby Expensive Gas, Or Cheaper Gas Across Town?

Which Costs You More… Nearby Expensive Gas, Or Cheaper Gas Across Town?

Jul 22 2007 | 3 comment(s)

The answer is, of course... it depends. But with gas prices as high as they are these days, it’s good to know when it’s worthwhile to drive a few miles to save five cents a gallon, or when it’s just better to fill up at the station around the corner.

To determine where you should top off your tank, it’s just a matter of running the numbers.

The Mystery Of The Man With The Tiny Brain

The Mystery Of The Man With The Tiny Brain

Jul 19 2007 | 1 comment(s)

You don't need a big brain, or a high IQ, to have a comfortable life and a good family.

Witness the case of this French civil servant, written about by Dr. Lionel Fuillet in The Lancet. At age six months he was treated for hydrocephalus (water on the brain) with a shunt in his head to drain away the fluid. At age 14 he complained of unsteadiness and left leg weakness, which cleared up after the shunt was adjusted. Beyond that his neurological development and medical history were normal.

At age 44 the leg weakness returned and he was treated by Dr. Feuillet and colleagues of the Hôpital de la Timone and Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France.

Buy USB rechargeable batteries.

Buy USB rechargeable batteries.

Jul 19 2007 | 0 comment(s)

Buy USB rechargeable batteries. I don't know how well they work but they will make you feel better.
This anthropology student talks about why he blogs and he do

This anthropology student talks about why he blogs and he do

Jul 18 2007 | 0 comment(s)

This anthropology student talks about why he blogs and he doesn't even mention our site. We don't have a featured anthropologist but I think the editors do a pretty good job making sure there is content. Someone, find us an anthropologist.
Are we creating too many species?

Are we creating too many species?

Jul 18 2007 | 0 comment(s)

Are we creating too many species?This editorial, New Taxonomy and the Origin of Species, says we are and I think they're right.
Virtual Libraries Using Open Chemistry

Virtual Libraries Using Open Chemistry

Jul 18 2007 | 0 comment(s)

This post provides an update of our CombiUgi project. From a larger perspective I think that this can be useful to people interested in how collaborative Open Science actually works. For those who have not been following the progress of the CombiUgi project on our mailing list, here is a brief update. The basic idea is to generate libraries of compounds that can be made quickly in the lab. The compounds in these virtual libraries are then prioritized according to potential usefulness (anti-malaria, anti-tumor, etc.).
Stand Down The Stand-By

Stand Down The Stand-By

Jul 17 2007 | 0 comment(s)

The new issue of PhysicsWorld is all devoted to questions of energy, which have been a prominent topic on this site, too. There are articles about the most recent developments in nuclear and solar energy, clean coal, hydrogen fuel cells and energy storage. The article I want to talk about here, though, is unfortunately not available online. It is the "Lateral thought" column entitled "Can an LED really be green?".
The Mystery Of The Lake That Triggered Global Warming

The Mystery Of The Lake That Triggered Global Warming

Jul 16 2007 | 0 comment(s)

If you've never heard of Lake Agassiz, it's no surprise. It disappeared over 8,000 years ago. Yet it may have been the global warming trigger that ended the last Ice Age.

Using remains from lakes, bogs and channels, a multi-disciplinary group of scientists recently tackled the secrets of glacial Lake Agassiz and Big Stone Moraine.

Knowing the chronology of glacier retreat, and when glacial lakes formed, is important in linking physical events on the landscape with paleoclimate records. At the close of the last ice age, glacial ice in the upper Midwest of the United States retreated very quickly, likely in response to the warming climate.


The 7 Wonders Of The Parenting World

The 7 Wonders Of The Parenting World

Jul 13 2007 | 3 comment(s)

On Saturday, 07/07/07, the New 7 Wonders of the World were announced. The announcement got me thinking about other everyday “wonders” that I rely on, and am in constant appreciation of, as a mom. Those little things that have become so ingrained in my everyday routine, that I barely notice them anymore – but that would make my day so much more difficult if I didn’t have. These are the items that make my job as a mom… heck, I’ll just say it – Wonder-ful!

First let's take a look at the Newest 7 Wonders of the World. They were selected by a global poll, where 100 million votes were cast via the Internet and cell-phone text messages.

New Gold Rush In The Desert... Shrimp!

New Gold Rush In The Desert... Shrimp!

Jul 12 2007 | 2 comment(s)

White gold. That’s what some call one of the most-eaten seafoods because it's so lucrative. A.k.a. shrimp, the new gold rush has reached landlocked desert farms in Arizona.

“What heat-stroked dummkopf came up with that insane notion?” I find myself exclaiming at the thought of all that water. “Haven’t they heard the word drought? Or sustainability?”

Well, actually, it’s not quite as certifiable as it sounds.