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Alien Vision Revolution (Halloween Edition)

Alien Vision Revolution (Halloween Edition)

Oct 26 2009 | comment(s)

Later this evening I’ll be giving a talk to a group of astronomers on what its like to see like an alien. The beauty of this is that I can speculate until the cows come home without fear of any counterexamples being brought to my attention. And even if an alien were to be among the audience members and were to loudly object that he sees differently than I claim, I can always just say that the jury is out until we get more data, and then advise him not to let the door slam into his proboscis on the way out. 

Although it may seem wild-eyed to discuss the eyes of aliens, if we understand why our vision is as it is, then we may be able to intelligently guess whether aliens will have vision like ours. 
Eat Less Protein, Get The Same Muscles

Eat Less Protein, Get The Same Muscles

Oct 26 2009 | comment(s)

Body builders will tell you that protein is key to bigger, stronger muscles.   For the truly elite, that may be the case but for the all but 50 of you who are not elite muscle builders, a recent study by University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston metabolism researchers provides evidence that a more normal eating pattern is going to get you the same results as wolfing down protein shakes; something  your  commission-based, fitness-center trainer does not want you to read.

The study's results, obtained by measuring muscle synthesis rates in volunteers who consumed different amounts of lean beef, show that only about the first 30 grams (just over one ounce) of dietary protein consumed in a meal actually produce muscle.
A Solution To Biology's 'Mystery Of The Mysteries'?

A Solution To Biology's 'Mystery Of The Mysteries'?

Oct 26 2009 | comment(s)

"Speciation is one of the most fascinating, unsolved problems in biology," says Harmit Malik, Ph.D., an associate member of the Hutchinson Center's Basic Sciences Division.   The first appearance of new beings on Earth - the mystery of mysteries - is a great puzzle for scientists and philosophers alike.
Exercise May Help You Quit Smoking

Exercise May Help You Quit Smoking

Oct 26 2009 | comment(s)

Exercise makes cigarettes less attractive, says a new study from the University of Exeter.

Exercise can lessen the power of cigarettes and smoking-related images to grab the attention of smokers, the authors write in the journal Addiction.   They did a study involving 20 moderately heavy smokers who had abstained from cigarettes for 15 hours before the trial. During two visits to the laboratory participants began by being shown smoking-related and neutral images, and then spent either 15 minutes sitting or exercising on a stationary bike at a moderate intensity. Afterwards, they were again shown the images. 
Halloween Squid: The Game

Halloween Squid: The Game

Oct 26 2009 | comment(s)

I started looking for a seasonally appropriate squid cartoon, and found this cute little flash game called Halloween Squid.

"Mr. Squidly" follows your cursor around an underseacape littered with pumpkins, candy, and dead costumed children (really). When it swims over things, it picks them up--implying that those eight arms are all covered with suction cups, as they should be. The goal is to keep the candy and avoid the kids.



The squid is cute, but missing its tentacles. Being able to shoot out two tentacles would greatly aid in candy capture! But greatly tax the game's physics engine, I fear.
Jatropha curcus L. A potential plant for biofuel and medicine

Jatropha curcus L. A potential plant for biofuel and medicine

Oct 26 2009 | comment(s)

Jatropha curcus General introduction Jatropha is bush that grows in the warm regions of the world as it is sensitive to colder climates. Once it’s planted it grows and produces nuts that contain oil within a few years, and produces these annually for up to 50 years. Climate requirement for the plant is as altitude: 0-500 meters above sea level. mild-annual temperature: 20-28 °C.annual rainfall: 300-1000 mm., or more. Jatropha has been grown in developing countries for many years it’s been used locally for production of oil that was used in local village based industries for soap production. Since the plants are toxic they have also been used to plant hedges and to keep animals out of areas of land. Botany
Commiphora mukul(Hook. ex Stocks) Engl. syn. Balsamodendron mukul Hook. ex Stocks syn Commiphora wightii (Arn.)Bhandari

Commiphora mukul(Hook. ex Stocks) Engl. syn. Balsamodendron mukul Hook. ex Stocks syn Commiphora wightii (Arn.)Bhandari

Oct 26 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name Commiphora mukul(Hook. ex Stocks) Engl. syn. Balsamodendron mukul Hook. ex Stocks syn Commiphora wightii (Arn.)Bhandari Family Burseraceae Used Part Gum Distribution Area A small tree or shrub with spinescent branches occurring in the arid rocky tracts of Rajputana, Khandesh, Berar, Mysore, Sind, and Baluchistan.
Mantis Shrimp Eyes Could Lead To Movies Of The Future

Mantis Shrimp Eyes Could Lead To Movies Of The Future

Oct 25 2009 | comment(s)

A marine crustacean could inspire the next generation of DVD and CD players, says a new study in Nature Photonics.

Mantis shrimps found on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia have the most complex vision systems known to science. They can see in twelve colors (humans see in only three) and can distinguish between different forms of polarized light.

Special light-sensitive cells in mantis shrimp eyes act as quarter-wave plates; they can rotate the plane of the oscillations (the polarization) of a light wave as it travels through it. This capability makes it possible for mantis shrimps to convert linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light and vice versa.
Females Choose For Themselves, Not Offspring, Says Study

Females Choose For Themselves, Not Offspring, Says Study

Oct 25 2009 | comment(s)

The great diversity of male sexual traits, ranging from peacock's elaborate train to formidable genitalia of male seed beetles, is the result of female choice, say researchers from Uppsala University, but why do females choose among males? In a new Current Biology study they found no support for the theory that the female choice is connected to "good genes".

There is no consensus among biologists over the key question why females choose among males but the heart of this debate has two preferred possibilities - that female choosiness is beneficial to the females themselves or that female choice traits are favored because of 'good genes' that males contribute to female's offspring. 
Biofuels - A Dumb 1990 Idea That Is Getting Dumber

Biofuels - A Dumb 1990 Idea That Is Getting Dumber

Oct 25 2009 | comment(s)

A report examining the impact of biofuels on greenhouse gas emissions during the 21st century has found that carbon loss stemming from the displacement of food crops and pastures for biofuels crops may be twice as much as the CO2 emissions from land dedicated to biofuels production.

The Science Express study also predicts that increased fertilizer use for biofuels production will cause nitrous oxide emissions (N2O) to become more important than carbon losses, in terms of warming potential, by the end of the century. 
Hyperspectral Remote Sensor - Sensing Disasters From Space Before They Happen

Hyperspectral Remote Sensor - Sensing Disasters From Space Before They Happen

Oct 25 2009 | comment(s)

One small step for mankind, one giant leap for ... averting natural and man-made disasters?

A new Tel Aviv University technology combines sensors in orbit with sensors on the ground and in the air to create what they call a "Hyperspectral Remote Sensor" (HRS) which will provide advance warnings about water contamination after a forest fire, alert authorities of a pollution spill long before a red flag is raised on earth - or even tell people in China where a monsoon will strike. 

The HRS simultaneously acquires hundreds of optical images, each from a different frequency, that enable a "spectral assessment" from distances high in the air via airplanes and in orbit using satellites. This raw data is then processed to yield sophisticated thematic maps.
A Squid Fishing Haiku, Because I Am Tired

A Squid Fishing Haiku, Because I Am Tired

Oct 25 2009 | comment(s)

Skunked again today.
Squid are here--but so are storms.
It's not called "catching."
Acorus calamus Linn. posseses antispasmodic activity in Ayurvedic medicine

Acorus calamus Linn. posseses antispasmodic activity in Ayurvedic medicine

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name Acorus calamus Linn. Family Zingiberaceae Used Part Rhizome Distribution Area A semi-aquatic, perennial, aromatic herb with creeping rhizomes, growing wild and also cultivated throughout India, ascending to an altitude of 2,200m in the Himalayas.
Solanum surattense Burm. f. syn. S. xanthocarpum Schrad. & Wendl. is useful in cough

Solanum surattense Burm. f. syn. S. xanthocarpum Schrad. & Wendl. is useful in cough

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name Solanum surattense Burm. f. syn. S. xanthocarpum Schrad. & Wendl. Family Solanaceae Used Part Seeds and fruits Distribution Area Throughout India, in dry situtations as weed on roadside and wastelands
Alpina calcarata Rosc is nervine tonic

Alpina calcarata Rosc is nervine tonic

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name Alpina calcarata Rosc.Family Zingiberaceae Used Part Rhizome. Distribution Area Often cultivated in gardens in eastern and southern India.
Paris polyphylla Smith a plant for health

Paris polyphylla Smith a plant for health

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name Paris polyphylla Smith Family Liliaceae Used Part Tuber Distribution Area A glabrous erect herb, 30-45 cm. high, with thick, creeping rootstock found in the temperate Himalayas at altitudes of 1,500-3,000m. from Simla to Bhutan, and in Lushai and Aka hills. Common Uses . The rhizome possesses anthelmintic properties; its powder taken with hot water is used as a tonic. The plants of P. polyphylla var. chinensis and var. yunnanensis are credited with sedative and analgesic properties and form one of the constituents of the Chinese medicine `Chonglou'.. Chemical Constituent A glycoside, pennogenin, has been isolated from the seeds of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis.
A Simple Explanation of What Is To Come

A Simple Explanation of What Is To Come

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)

For my initial article, I would like to talk about what I intend for this blog to accomplish as well as who I am and what interest I have in science as a whole and physics in general.

My name is Kari Wolfe and you can find me in other locales such as my personal blog, Imperfect Clarity, articles on eHow.com for various assorted subjects and more.  I am a freelance writer and a stay-at-home mother of an autistic three-year-old who is quite the handful.
Guest Post: Marco Cardin,

Guest Post: Marco Cardin, "Imaging Venus In Violet Light"

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)

I have known Marco Cardin for a couple of years because besides being an accomplished amateur astro-imager he is also an avid visual observer. His encyclopedic knowledge of the night sky wonders is a great help on the field during the monthly night-long observations in dark, moonless nights we spend on the eastern Alps, trying to squeeze the most out of the 16" Dobson telescopes we carry with us. These instruments have no fancy "go-to" features, but with Marco's help and organization we can frame close to 100 rarely seen objects per night.
Bioengineering Crops For Biofuels And Energy

Bioengineering Crops For Biofuels And Energy

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)


There is nothing to stop biodiesel making an immediate impact in reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. Using biodiesel requires no major changes to either existing diesel engines or to the current distribution infrastructure of storage tanks and petrol stations that delivers diesel fuel to consumers.



Petroleum diesel produces high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming. But burning biodiesel produces only a marginal increase in CO2 emissions, because the crops from which it is produced capture CO2 as they grow.


Vote for Your Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

Vote for Your Favorite Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

Oct 24 2009 | comment(s)

Everyone's got a book idea kicking around somewhere in their heads, even though most of us won't admit it. For some time now I've been working on an idea for what I call an inverse post-apocalyptic book, that is, a book that falls squarely in the post-apocalyptic genre in terms of themes and style, but it takes place in humanity's deep past. To put it another way, since post-holocaust novels often feature reversions to a primitive lifestyle, why not view the primitive life of the deep human past (we're talking 20,000+ years ago) as equivalent to a post-apocalyptic setting?