Featured Articles

Technological Optimism - Robotic Cars

Technological Optimism - Robotic Cars

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

What is it about technology that makes people so optimistic?  Despite the claims of technological progress it seems that no one considers technological transitions and the impact of failures.  Instead the future is a rosy hue of nothing but perfection.

A recent comment regarding robotic cars set me thinking and I came across this interesting quote (from March 2008):

"According to the Associated Press, General Motors says they'll have driverless cars tested by 2015 and on roadways by 2018. "This is not science fiction," said Larry Burns, vice president for research and development at GM."
Quick I need a doctor! My plant is sick!
By Kyle Taylor | September 11th 2009 06:35 PM | Print | E-mail
    Imagine you went to the doctor with an infected cut on your finger.  It is bad but not that bad.  But instead of giving you an antibiotic or recommending a tetanus shot or a few stitches, what if the doctor recommended cutting off your finger so you could grow a new one!  Ok, maybe that is a bit dramatic, but it highlights fundamental differences between plant and animal immunity.
Funding Success

Funding Success

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

I'm in that awkward lull between proposals and actual cash in hand.  I call it freelancer hell.  But since I'm thinking about money, time for a look at how to fund success.

My own success record for funded projects is 100%.  When people pay me (and/or my team) for a specific project, we get it done.  This would be worth bragging about, save this is how it should be.

"Plants used in folk medicine in India believed to have medicinal potential by users of folk medicine in India".

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Some of the other  plants which are used in folk medicine are as follows :-



Bhringrajah (Eclipta prostrata (Linn.) Linn. syn. E. erecta Linn. Syn Eclipta alba(Linn.)Hassk) Ayurvedic preparation which is highly effective in rheumatoid arthritis.

Bhringrajah (Eclipta prostrata (Linn.) Linn. syn. E. erecta Linn. Syn Eclipta alba(Linn.)Hassk) Ayurvedic preparation which is highly effective in rheumatoid arthritis.

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name  Eclipta prostrata (Linn.) Linn. syn. E. erecta Linn. Syn Eclipta alba(Linn.)Hassk.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Adulterants to leaf samples of Cassia senna var. senna could be poisonous to health. Taxonomy could be of help to identify adulterants.

Adulterants to leaf samples of Cassia senna var. senna could be poisonous to health. Taxonomy could be of help to identify adulterants.

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Cassia senna  var. senna  shows considerable morphological <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />



The SENNA (Cassia sena Linn )is a well-known drug in the Unani system

The SENNA (Cassia sena Linn )is a well-known drug in the Unani system

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Scientific Name  Cassia sena Linn  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />



Memories from eight years ago

Memories from eight years ago

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

It’s a rainy morning here in the New York City area — not at all like the bright, cloudless day of eight years ago.

Of those affected, back then, by the events of the day, many were friends and co-workers of people who died. Today I want to tell a story about one of those.

Tony used to work with me at the T.J. Watson Research Center. I was his manager when, one weekend in the late ’90s, I got a message from our purchasing system that he’d ordered a book about web page design. I thought that odd, considering that our research group wasn’t working on anything related to that, and I made a mental note to ask him about it on Monday.

From non-coding to coding genes

From non-coding to coding genes

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

I sometimes get asked if non-coding elements (usually "junk DNA" is what they say) can ever evolve into genes. I usually say that transposable elements, at least, can be coopted into functional roles, and that it wouldn't be so odd if a pseudogene took on a novel function sometime through mutations. Kind of a lame answer, I know, but there haven't been too many unambiguous examples yet, so cut me some slack. Anyway, here's a story in New Scientist that describes a report of three genes unique to humans that appear to have arisen from non-coding DNA. I don't know about other researchers, but I didn't consider this "virtually impossible", just rare.
Improving Euphorbia AntiSypilitica For Bio-Fuel

Improving Euphorbia AntiSypilitica For Bio-Fuel

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Present study was aimed to increase latex yield in Euphorbia antisyphilitica. It was observed that GA3 supported maximum above ground plant height and fresh weight and biomass yield of the plant while the auxins (NAA and IAA) promoted growth and biomass yield over control and the hexane extractables and concluded that the application of growth regulators on Euphorbia antisyphilitica is beneficial to obtain raw material.


CALOTROPIS PROCERA : A POTENTIAL PLANT FOR HYDROCARBONS

CALOTROPIS PROCERA : A POTENTIAL PLANT FOR HYDROCARBONS

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

CALOTROPIS PROCERA : A POTENTIAL PLANT FOR HYDROCARBONS <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

FROM SEMI-ARID AND ARID REGIONS

 

The evolution of eyes

The evolution of eyes

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Some of you already will know about the special issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach on the evolution of eyes that I edited last year (see below). There is now another excellent collection of papers on this subject in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, edited by eye experts Trevor D. Lamb, Detlev Arendt, and Shaun P. Collin.
Breaking News: Evidence For Evolution Found!

Breaking News: Evidence For Evolution Found!

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

One of Doug Futuyma's great quotes is this one:
"...no biologist today would think of publishing a paper on ‘new evidence for evolution’... it simply hasn’t been an issue in scientific circles for more than a century."
- Futuyma, 1998 Evolution Biology, 3rd edition
Press officers are a different story. Here's one from the University of California, Riverside:
Molecular decay of enamel-specific gene in toothless mammals supports theory of evolution
Mendeley (And Other Free Software)

Mendeley (And Other Free Software)

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Some time ago, I posted about my search for a new reference management program for Windows that would be the rough equivalent of Papers for Mac (which is the rough equivalent of iTunes for PDFs).

I played around with Zotero, but I prefer something standalone rather than embedded within a browser. You may like it, though, so feel free to check it out.
Darwin Matrix

Darwin Matrix

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

I have updated the free Darwin Matrix wallpaper that is available at Evolver Zone. You can find it in different desktop sizes over at EZ.

Are The New Hubble Images Better ?

Are The New Hubble Images Better ?

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

New beautiful images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have been released recently, and they are, as always, a pleasure to behold. The HST was serviced in a mission by the Space Shuttle Atlantis crew last May, to replace some broken gyroscopes and drained batteries, and perform a number of additional important tasks that will allow operation to continue for many years to come.

Among the new installed instruments the new HST sports an improved wide field camera, WFC3, which promises a significant improvement of the quality of telescope's imaging capabilities.
Can Jatropha be really grown on wastelands in productive manner

Can Jatropha be really grown on wastelands in productive manner

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

While delivering a lecture at Centre for community economics and development consultants society Jaipur (www.cecbedecon.org) the orgniser Dr Alka Avasthi and participants posed some interesting questions which need answer.
Can Jatropha be grown on the sandy soils. What is its water requirement available and realtime, its nutrient requirement, pest management, and yield potential in areas other than its habit and habitat. Are there some non toxic strains available . Some of these questions need answers from experts around the globe and replies and iteractions are welcome.
Food Habits More Important In Obesity Than Obesity Gene

Food Habits More Important In Obesity Than Obesity Gene

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

You may know that correlation studies have shown that the risk of becoming obese is 2.5 times higher for those who have double copies of the best known risk gene for being overweight or obese, the FTO gene (fat mass and obesity associated).

New discoveries of that sort have led to a resurgence in concern that we may be slaves to our genes, but is that the case?  No, in every study obesity still required high calorie consumption, especially fat.   A low fat diet neutralizes the harmful effects of the gene.
'Death Stench' - A 400 Million Year Old Warning Signal

'Death Stench' - A 400 Million Year Old Warning Signal

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

The smell of 'death' that repels insects turns out to be a truly ancient signal for avoiding disease or predators, says David Rollo, professor of biology at McMaster University in the journal Evolutionary Biology.

What do the death stench of corpses of from insects to crustaceans all have in common?   A blend of specific fatty acids. 

Because insects and crustaceans diverged more than 400-million years ago it is likely that most subsequent species recognize their dead in a similar way, that the origin of such signals was likely even older, and that such behavior initially occurred in aquatic environments (few crustaceans are terrestrial). 
Fitness - Muscle Is Easier To Lose And Harder To Build As You Age, But There's New Hope

Fitness - Muscle Is Easier To Lose And Harder To Build As You Age, But There's New Hope

Sep 11 2009 | comment(s)

Older people have noticed their thinner arms and legs and perhaps you have as well.   It's no secret muscle is harder to maintain, much less build, as we age but science was unclear exactly why.    

A team of researchers the University of Nottingham Schools of Graduate Entry Medicine and Biomedical Sciences say that the suppression of muscle breakdown, which also happens during feeding, is blunted with age. 

Muscle mass is important because a loss of muscle which decreases strength and increases the likelihood of falls and fractures - and a 'double whammy' affects people aged over 65.  But weight training may 'rejuvenate' muscle blood flow and help retain muscle for older people.