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Misperceptions Cloud Understanding Of Weather Forecasts

Misperceptions Cloud Understanding Of Weather Forecasts

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

If Mark Twain were alive today he might rephrase his frequently cited observation about everyone talking about the weather but not doing anything about it to say, "Everyone reads or watches weather forecasts, but many people don't understand them." 

He'd do that because new research indicates that only about half the population knows what a forecast means when it predicts a 20 percent chance of rain, according to researchers at the University of Washington. 
Positive Outlook On Life Impacts Cultural 'Identification'

Positive Outlook On Life Impacts Cultural 'Identification'

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

Scientists have long been interested in the interplay of emotions and identity, and some have recently focused on cultural identity. One's heritage would seem to be especially stable and impervious to change, simply because it's been passed down generation after generation and is deeply ingrained in the collective psyche.

But how deeply, exactly?
Male Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk - Clinical Trials

Male Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk - Clinical Trials

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

Three recent African trials support male circumcision for reducing the risk of contracting HIV in heterosexual men. After including new data from these trials in their review, Cochrane Researchers have changed their previous conclusions that there was insufficient evidence to recommend circumcision as an intervention to prevent HIV infection in heterosexual men.
Can Homeopathic Medicines Relieve Side-Effects Of Cancer Therapy?

Can Homeopathic Medicines Relieve Side-Effects Of Cancer Therapy?

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

Drugs and radiotherapy given for cancer can cause unpleasant side effects such as nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, dermatitis, and menopausal symptoms. Around a third of patients with cancer use complementary therapies, including homeopathic medicines, to try to reduce these side effects. In a systematic review of randomised controlled trials, Cochrane Researchers examined recent evidence for the safety and effectiveness of homeopathic medicines used in this way.
Energy Drinks Work For Endurance Sports (But So Do Tasteless Carbohydrates)

Energy Drinks Work For Endurance Sports (But So Do Tasteless Carbohydrates)

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

Runners clutching bottles of energy drink are a common sight, and it has long been known that sugary drinks and sweets can significantly improve athletes' performance in endurance events. The question is how? 

Clearly, 'sports' drinks and tablets contain calories. But this alone is not enough to explain the boost, and the benefits are felt even if the drink is spat out rather than swallowed. Nor does the sugary taste solve the riddle, as artificial sweeteners do not boost performance even when they are indistinguishable from real sugars.
Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Will Save Arctic Sea Ice - Study

Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Will Save Arctic Sea Ice - Study

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

The threat of global warming can still be greatly diminished if nations cut emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases by 70 percent this century, according to a new analysis. 

While global temperatures would rise, the most dangerous potential aspects of climate change, including massive losses of Arctic sea ice and permafrost and significant sea-level rise, could be partially avoided.

"This important study, when taken with similar efforts, will help define a major challenge for society," says Cliff Jacobs of NSF's Atmospheric Sciences Division.
Low Glycemic Breakfast Boosts Work Out, Says Study

Low Glycemic Breakfast Boosts Work Out, Says Study

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

The benefits of physical activity and a balanced diet are well documented and form the basis of many public health recommendations; this is because each of these factors can independently influence risks for many chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

Some research also suggests that exercise and diet interact to influence health. For instance, exercising after short-term fasting (such as before breakfast) may increase the amount of fat burned. Similarly, consumption of a meal eliciting a low blood glucose response prior to exercise may also boost the use of body fat (instead of glucose).
Adipogenesis - Insulin Processing, Not Genetics, Causes Obesity

Adipogenesis - Insulin Processing, Not Genetics, Causes Obesity

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

Researchers say they have uncovered new evidence suggesting factors other than genes could cause obesity, finding that genetically identical cells store widely differing amounts of fat depending on subtle variations in how cells process insulin.  Findings indicate that the faster a cell processes insulin, the more fat it stores.

Learning the precise mechanism responsible for fat storage in cells could lead to methods for controlling obesity.  
Scales Of Depravity, Part 1: The Rock Of Love

Scales Of Depravity, Part 1: The Rock Of Love

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)

I was inadvertently exposed to the filth and depravity of VH1's "Rock of Love Bus," also known as STDs on Wheels, when I turned on my TV to watch the (relatively) innocent and science-fueled Big Bang Theory.

If you feel like dropping 150 IQ points, here's the clip in all its intellectual and classy glory. If you don't have any neurons to spare, here's a quote that sums up the few minutes' worth of the show I saw (and that's all I ever want to see), as Bret Michaels expresses his heartfelt emotions with lyricism inspired by the deep wells of pure love: "You are this rocking hot centerfold, ok?"
Molecular Anthropology: The Red Headed Step Child Of Biology

Molecular Anthropology: The Red Headed Step Child Of Biology

Apr 14 2009 | comment(s)



Molecular anthropology—you probably haven’t heard of this discipline by name but I guarantee that you already find this particular field fascinating.  Therefore, I’d like to formally introduce to you the field of molecular anthropology which includes such areas of research as; genetically reconstructing man’s ancient migration from Africa to the Americas, resurrecting Neanderthal genomes and identifying ancestral origins through DNA ancestry.
An answer to a

An answer to a "what if" that's difficult to pass up...

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

That question, specifically, is: "What if a cuttlefish attacked an octopus?"

And the answer can be found here.  It's a pretty amazing video.
The Bowron Lakes: Grizzly Encounter IV

The Bowron Lakes: Grizzly Encounter IV

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

Grizzly! We reach the end of Babcock Lake, the sixth body we will cross in completing the Bowron Lake circuit, we get prepared for our next portage. After packing up, I get my camera out to take advantage of the angle of the sun and the eroded rounded hilltops of the Quesnel Highlands that stand as backdrop.

Human Slaughter or Natural Competition?

Human Slaughter or Natural Competition?

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)


A fierce debate is in progress. Human slaughter or natural demise....

Giant beavers, oversized ground sloths, and huge armadillo-like creatures all disappeared within a couple of thousand years — a mere heartbeat in geological terms. Was it just hard living on cold ice or were humans to blame for this massive loss? Scholars hotly dispute whether or not we were solely responsible for these extinctions. We certainly played a role.

What you don't know can't hurt you, brain tissue donation.

What you don't know can't hurt you, brain tissue donation.

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

This time I am going to have to declare an interest before starting. Autism Speaks is not an organisation I particularly favour, for the most part because of the nature of their publicity and advertising, which is not what I am dealing about here.

I have to acknowledge that Autism speaks do have a lot of money and influence which is why it is impossible to talk about the ethics of autism research without touching upon them somewhere.
Happy Birthday, Sweety!! (No cake for you)

Happy Birthday, Sweety!! (No cake for you)

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

Happy Birthday to you, the sweeties who don't even eat cake! I am honoring here three sweet ones. One that just turned one today. OK I don't even know her but she must be sweet like all baby girls.

The other is Barbie who is 50 this year. She surely does not eat cake. She allegedly keeps her figure by not eating.

A Fish Wash? Seriously?

A Fish Wash? Seriously?

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

Spotted Cleaner Shrimp









"Wash that for you?" If you were a fish living in the warm turquoise waters off the coast of Bonaire, you may not hear those words, but you'd see the shrimp sign language equivalent. It seems Periclimenes yucatanicus or Spotted Cleaner Shrimp is doing a booming business in the local reefs by setting up a fish washing service.

Lego Archaeology: Too much time on our hands?

Lego Archaeology: Too much time on our hands?

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

Until a few months ago, the only connection that I was aware of between archaeology and Lego was the fact that I like both of them. But apparently other people do too.

I recently played the Lego: Indiana Jones game for Wii. The point of the game is to re-enact all three classic Indiana Jones movies (please, the Crystal Skull belongs in the same place as the Star Wars episodes 1-3: in a galaxy far, far away, or in a tomb deep underground where no one can see them). Playing Lego Indiana Jones with a bunch of archaeologists is even more fun than watching the movies with a bunch of archaeologists.

In the game you get to re-live all your favourite parts of the movie, and the cinematic scenes are sometimes shot for shot reconstructions:
Dude, Where's My Laser Gun: A Brief History Of Ray Weaponry

Dude, Where's My Laser Gun: A Brief History Of Ray Weaponry

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

In honor of my daughter's first birthday, today I thought I'd write about ray weaponry.

With only a quick stop at your local box store, you can be ready to pop a conventional cap in someone’s ass; however, charring said ass to a crisp using a laser or other ray weapon is not so easy. This is because—despite many decades of government promises—laser weapons do not currently exist (despite the ubiquity of industrial cutting lasers and promises by high school tech ed teachers that one false move with a pointer will render your lab partner a cyclops).
Facebook Users Have Lower Grades, Says Pilot Study

Facebook Users Have Lower Grades, Says Pilot Study

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

Is Facebook that addictive or is a new pilot study correlating Facebook use to lower grades simple picking on the big gorilla of social media?   75 Percent of Facebook users claimed that their use of the social networking site didn't interfere with their studies but college students who use Facebook have lower grade point averages than students who have not signed up.

Don't get too alarmed.    This was a small, exploratory study but it did find that Facebook users in the study had GPAs between 3.0 and 3.5, while non-users had GPAs between 3.5 and 4.0.  And that will get some attention.   In addition, users said they averaged one to five hours a week studying, while non-users studied 11 to 15 hours per week.

Do Babies In The Womb Have Dreams?

Do Babies In The Womb Have Dreams?

Apr 13 2009 | comment(s)

After about seven months growing in the womb, a human fetus spends most of its time asleep. Its brain cycles back and forth between the frenzied activity of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and the quiet resting state of non-REM sleep. But whether the brains of younger, immature fetuses cycle with sleep or are simply inactive has remained a mystery - until now.