Featured Articles

Zometa(r) (Zoledronic Acid) Plus Chemotherapy Significantly Improved Overall Survival In A UK Phase III Study Of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients Compared To Oral Clodronate

Zometa(r) (Zoledronic Acid) Plus Chemotherapy Significantly Improved Overall Survival In A UK Phase III Study Of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients Compared To Oral Clodronate

Jun 05 2010 | comment(s)

Country Music Kills: Radio Airtime Ups White Suicide Rate

Country Music Kills: Radio Airtime Ups White Suicide Rate

Jun 05 2010 | comment(s)

I've been a blog slacker and for that I deserve a spanking. My vote is from the capable hands of the UCLA women's volleyball team. But that's another story. Here's the real story: country music kills.

I've long known that country music makes me want to grab a lariat and hang myself from the nearest old elm tree. And now I find I'm not alone: social psychologists Steven Stack and Jim Grundlach found that the more a city's radio stations play country music, the higher the white suicide rate(1).

Seriously.
Celestial Menagerie In The Large Magellanic Cloud

Celestial Menagerie In The Large Magellanic Cloud

Jun 05 2010 | comment(s)

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), only about 160 000 light-years from our own Milky Way, so very close on a cosmic scale, is one of the closest galaxies to our own Milky Way and in this spectacular new image from the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, a celestial menagerie of different objects and phenomena in part of the LMC is on display, ranging from vast globular clusters to the remains left by brilliant supernovae explosions. This fascinating observation provides data for a wide variety of research projects unraveling the life and death of stars and the evolution of galaxies.
Addicted to Oil

Addicted to Oil

Jun 05 2010 | comment(s)

It's a phrase that is commonly used to describe a stubborn reluctance to seriously explore alternatives.  There are many arguments, mostly economic, as to why this should be, but mostly it's due to the fact that there is too much money being made from oil.

One of the ironies of the recent oil spill was in watching the president of a Lousiana Parrish talking about how Obama's moratorium on deep water drilling would decimate the local economy.  This said in the same breath with how the Obama Administration would help those fisherman whose livelihoods have been compromised.

Schrodinger’s cat survived

Schrodinger’s cat survived

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Schrodinger’s cat survived the experiment but his new abilities were entirely unexpected.

I just had to share this.


funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures




Music - The International Language

Music - The International Language

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Music - The International Language

Peoples of all cultures love music and song.

This article addresses two urban myths: that yodelling originated in the mountains of Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland and that it evolved as a means of calling from mountain to mountain.

Yodelling is fairly universal and is independent of terrain.  The greatest variation is in the choice of musical instrument to accompany the yodelling.  Modern musicians prefer guitars and electronic instruments.  Austrians tend to favor the piano accordian and acoustic guitar.  Other cultures favor the 'thumb piano' or lamellophone.
Yoga For Scientists

Yoga For Scientists

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Last night, while gym climbing with a science manager, I found he also did outdoor climbing, hiking, and yoga.  Yoga is a great exercise system.  Scientists need healthy bodies to match our super-healthy minds.  Yet a websearch on 'Yoga for Scientists' reveals nothing about how Yoga can help Scientists!  Well, except for "Yoga-- Naked Scientists Discussion Forum" (go ahead, I know you want to look).
Veteran International Health Care Executive Appointed CEO Of BeneChill(R)

Veteran International Health Care Executive Appointed CEO Of BeneChill(R)

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Terraforming: Introduction

Terraforming: Introduction

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

NOTE: This is just an introduction, for the body of this paper (theories on terraforming Venus and Mars), click here.


Eventually, the Earth will no longer be fit for human existence. In approximately 5 to 6 billion years the sun will exhaust its hydrogen supply. In the next 10 million years a comet will likely strike Earth, or the planet will be doused in supernova radiation. Within the next 100 thousand to 1 million years an asteroid similar to the one that created the Chicxulub crater and caused a mass extinction event will likely collide with Earth.
Robots For Therapy And The Lack Of Empathy Myth

Robots For Therapy And The Lack Of Empathy Myth

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

"Empathy is one of those ski
The Science Of Fiction

The Science Of Fiction

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

The Science Of Fiction

Tip of the hat to Eric Diaz for reminding me of the muse.


Long before writing was invented, amazing stories were told through the medium of the ballad and the saga.  Those old tall tales and modern science fiction often have a few common themes - ethics,  morality, gadgets and heroic deeds.  Gadgets run the full gamut  - from the bag of wind used by Odysseus to fill his ship's sails, to the talking computers and planet busters in movies.

Urine Test for Autism Not Really Likely Despite Media Reports

Urine Test for Autism Not Really Likely Despite Media Reports

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Yap, Angley, Veselkov, Holmes, Lindon, and Nicholson (2010) have ignited a lightning storm of interest with their theoretical urine test for autism that could prevent autism, at least according to study author Nicholson, speaking to Richard Alleyne of the Telegraph:

"Professor Jeremy Nicholson, the author of the study, said: "Children with autism have very unusual gut microbes which we can test for before the full blown symptoms of the disease come through.

'If that is the case then it might become a preventable disease.'"

Yap et al. write that “Autism has been shown to have strong associations with various metabolic abnormalities, immunological function and gastrointestinal disturbances, although their mechanistic significance is unknown.5–8”
Science 2.0 - Darwinian Selection Of The Best Paper

Science 2.0 - Darwinian Selection Of The Best Paper

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Science 2.0 is Openness and transparency.  Those buzz words mean open* access to both reading and publishing and sharing ones opinion on what is published.  Transparency means a process where any editorial decisions that are made are based on known written criteria which are the minimum to keep a science 2.0 website/journal free of spam and pornography.  The only question is how open and how transparent?  In my opinion the answer is that science 2.0 has to be open to everyone who is interested in practicing science.  There should be no initial litmus test based on educational attainment, employment status, reputation, or any other such traditional criteria.  

Before I go on examples of websites that look like science 2.0 but are not quite there yet. 
Agendia Presents Broad Array Of Predictive And Prognostic Studies On Breast And Colorectal Cancers At ASCO 2010 Annual Meeting

Agendia Presents Broad Array Of Predictive And Prognostic Studies On Breast And Colorectal Cancers At ASCO 2010 Annual Meeting

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Breakthrough 3D Virtual Reality Based In-Store Research: NeuroFocus Introduces N-Matrix 3D(TM) System

Breakthrough 3D Virtual Reality Based In-Store Research: NeuroFocus Introduces N-Matrix 3D(TM) System

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Oncolytics Biotech(R) Inc. To Host Conference Call To Discuss Updated U.K. Phase I/II Trial Head And Neck Cancer Data Being Presented At The ASCO Annual Meeting

Oncolytics Biotech(R) Inc. To Host Conference Call To Discuss Updated U.K. Phase I/II Trial Head And Neck Cancer Data Being Presented At The ASCO Annual Meeting

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

All-you-can-eat Data?

All-you-can-eat Data?

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

AT&T has announced that they will end their unlimited mobile data plan next week. It doesn’t sound like the result will be bad, though: the outgoing unlimited plan is $30 per month. The new plans are $15 per month for 200 megabytes, and $25 per month for 2 gigabytes — both with reasonably priced options to add more if you exceed the limit.

This all comes with some meaningless estimates about what you might be able to do with that much data:

The lowest-priced data option is called DataPlus and will cost $15 a month.

FDA Approves New Roche Dual-PCR Target HIV-1 Test

FDA Approves New Roche Dual-PCR Target HIV-1 Test

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Scientists Give The Go-Ahead For Private Storage Of Stem Cells From Umbilical Cord Blood

Scientists Give The Go-Ahead For Private Storage Of Stem Cells From Umbilical Cord Blood

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)

Zimmer Introduces The Zimmer(R) Natural Nail(TM) Cephalomedullary Nail System

Zimmer Introduces The Zimmer(R) Natural Nail(TM) Cephalomedullary Nail System

Jun 04 2010 | comment(s)