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Your Next Cancer Therapy May Be A Virus

Your Next Cancer Therapy May Be A Virus

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

Viruses aren't just disease agents any more.  Scientists now know they can be used in therapies for cancer but concerns over the safety of  'oncolytic viruses' remain because they can also damage healthy tissues.

But Mayo Clinic researchers say they have discovered a way of controlling the viruses behind potential cancer therapeutics by engineering the virus's genetic sequence, using microRNAs to restrict them to specific tissues. The microRNAs destabilize the virus's genome, making it impossible for the virus to run amok. The discovery is reported in the current issue of Nature Medicine.
Choosing Entertainment : More Than Mere Enjoyment

Choosing Entertainment : More Than Mere Enjoyment

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

Uncovering the reasons for why we as humans choose our entertainment media has plagued communication researchers for decades. In the wake of non-answered questions of how such media entertainment affect the masses and their world views, after discussions of violence, sex, news media and so forth have affected our very psychology, we are left with an alarming amount of information, and none of it extremely helpful. We affect entertainment media as it affects us. This argument is analogous to the genes vs. environment argument that has raged in the scientific community who are as equally powerless to explain the mysteries of human behavior.
Anthocyanins May Mean Outrageously Healthy Purple Tomatoes

Anthocyanins May Mean Outrageously Healthy Purple Tomatoes

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

Scientists have expressed genes from snapdragon in tomatoes to grow purple tomatoes high in health-protecting anthocyanins.  Anthocyanins are naturally occurring pigments found at particularly high levels in berries such as blackberry, cranberry and chokeberry. Scientists are investigating ways to increase the levels of health-promoting compounds in more commonly eaten fruits and vegetables.

Anthocyanins offer protection against certain cancers, cardiovascular disease and age-related degenerative diseases. There is evidence that anthocyanins also have anti-inflammatory activity, promote visual acuity and hinder obesity and diabetes.
Everything I Need To Know About Science I Learned From Watching

Everything I Need To Know About Science I Learned From Watching "The Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra"

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

It's not often you can boil down complicated abstract ideas about science or culture into simple concepts everyone can understand.  Gems like "for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction" don't come along every day.   But every time someone asks me what science is like I simply say "You've seen The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.  It's like that" and they nod knowingly.
Köhler: We Need A Comprehensive Strategy For Implementing The Idea Of Sustainability

Köhler: We Need A Comprehensive Strategy For Implementing The Idea Of Sustainability

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

ROSTOCK, Germany, October 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- The German President Presents the DBU Environmental Award to von Weizsäcker and Zinke in Rostock Today

Monica Martinez Of Toronto, Canada Crowned 2008 Yahoo! Rock Paper Scissors World Champion

Monica Martinez Of Toronto, Canada Crowned 2008 Yahoo! Rock Paper Scissors World Champion

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

TORONTO, Canada, October 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Wins First Ever All-Female Championship Final Match with a Dramatic Throw of Scissors Beating Paper to Win $10,000 Grand Prize

With Photo

Local RPS talent prevailed when Monica Martinez, a jewelry store owner from Toronto who entered for fun, with no intention of winning, won match after match to eventually seize the title and the $10,000 grand prize.

On Saturday night, Monica battled for more than five hours with spirited walk-ons, seasoned RPS veterans spanning all parts of Canada and the US, and country champs and competitors from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and Argentina.

Viagra Helps With Muscular Dystrophy Fatigue - And That May Help Us Discover Targeted Therapies

Viagra Helps With Muscular Dystrophy Fatigue - And That May Help Us Discover Targeted Therapies

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

A University of Iowa study suggests that the prolonged fatigue after mild exercise that occurs in people with many forms of muscular dystrophy is distinct from the inherent muscle weakness caused by the disease.

The research, which is published in Nature Advance Online Publication Oct. 26, identifies a faulty signaling pathway that appears to cause exercise-induced fatigue in mouse models of muscular dystrophy. Moreover, the study shows that Viagra can overcome the signaling defect and relieve the fatigue. The findings suggest that targeting the signaling pathway may lead to therapies for this type of fatigue.
The Politics of the Fruit Fly

The Politics of the Fruit Fly

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

The political fray has entered into the world of genetics, and as usual, our politicians have no real idea what they are talking about. In an October 24th speech about children with special needs, Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for Vice-President, made the following statement about funding for
IDEA, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

"Science Spore?"

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

I came across this interesting forum on Spore. I hope SpongB6F1 won't mind if I quote this posting at length, as I think it is very insightful.

"Science Spore" would be ideal.



...



I think many people will claim that although some kind of abstract commitment to science would have been nice in Spore, what they really want is just some decent, engaging and clever gameplay, instead of a rigid pattern of repetitive, simplistic grinding tasks.


My favourite games

My favourite games

Oct 26 2008 | comment(s)

One of the reasons I was interested in giving some comments on the science in Spore is that I am a big fan of video games but rarely have a chance to play anymore. The discussion about Spore (which I wasn't asked to evaluate as a game per se) got me thinking back on the games I have really enjoyed playing. So, just for fun, I have come up with this list of some of my favourite games. Now, these go back to my elementary school days in the 1980s, so bear with me. It's a mix of console and computer games and is a little behind the times as I don't have much time for games anymore. Here they are largely in chronological order.
Spore - Biology For Nintendo DS Fans

Spore - Biology For Nintendo DS Fans

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

Spore was released the day before my birthday so you can bet it was on my wish list.  Wil Wright has made some great games (Sim City) and then some clunkers.  He made The Sims, which I never played, because watching myself walk around my house in a game is even less exciting than watching myself do it in real life.

But there's no question Wright had ambitious plans for this, and it's my type of game.   I am a strategy game guy more than the modern shooters and real-time tank-rush type games.   I am probably a product of my age.  I'd live my life turn-based if I could.    So Civilization and sports management games are how I spend the small amounts of gaming time I have; something I can do while watching a movie, nothing that works better on a console.
More on the importance of model organisms

More on the importance of model organisms

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

Since Palin's comments on fruit fly research are getting some commentary, it's a good time to review the value of model organisms in basic research.

One of the things budding geneticists, biochemists and cell biologists learn very quickly when they enter grad school is that studying humans is usually not the best way to successfully tackle the most interesting research questions. You can ask questions about human biology, but to answer them you generally turn to an elite club sometimes called the Security Council of biology: the bedrock group of five model organisms.
Fruit flies. I kid you not.

Fruit flies. I kid you not.

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

I have complained recently about the state of basic research support in Canada, as the current government is pushing for more short-sighted, applied, industry-oriented work. This is as nothing compared to the attitude of some politicians south of the 49th.



Here is how a recent paper of mine began*:
The Science of Spore

The Science of Spore

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

Is Spore meant to be just a game, with no suggestion that it has scientific content?
PZ Myers is coming to town.

PZ Myers is coming to town.

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

In support of my hypothesis that PZ Myers had several clones of himself produced so that he could travel all around while still teaching courses, I noted a poster on my way to the lab yesterday that indicates that he will be in Guelph on Saturday Nov. 1, speaking in Thornbrough 1200 at 2 pm. Cost will be $2 (that's a bargain -- only $1.60 US!). This time I will actually try to attend, having skipped the Evolution 2008 conference in his part of the world.
Sarah Palin: Why Are We Wasting Money on Fruit Fly Research?

Sarah Palin: Why Are We Wasting Money on Fruit Fly Research?

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

Sarah Palin is opposed to the basic model organism research that forms the bedrock of biomedical research.

Over at Pharyngula, go listen to her mock the fact that we spend money on

projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.


Don't just read the quote - you've got to hear the mocking inflection of her voice as she says "fruit fly research".
Sun Pharma Continues Strong Performance

Sun Pharma Continues Strong Performance

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

MUMBAI, India, October 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- Q2FY09: Net Sales Up 76%, Net Profit Up 135%

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Reuters: SUN.BO, Bloomberg: SUNP IN, NSE:SUNPHARMA, BSE: 524715) reported strong growth for the second quarter ending Sep 30, 2008.

There is significant one-time sales and profit component in these financials linked to the sales of products that enjoy limited duration marketing exclusivity in the US.

The Similarities In Media Coverage Of Sarah Palin And Geraldine Ferraro - 24 Years Apart

The Similarities In Media Coverage Of Sarah Palin And Geraldine Ferraro - 24 Years Apart

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

Twenty-four years, a political party and a gulf of ideology separates the first two women to share the nation’s major party tickets. But has the way the media talks about Sarah Palin and Geraldine Ferraro changed?

Not so much, according to ongoing research by members of “the Palin Watch” at The University of Alabama.  

Newspapers around North America have used similar media frames to describe these very different women, who made vice-presidential runs at different times and for different parties.

Both of these women’s candidacies were framed by the media around, 1) their questionable experience, 2) their selection as a political stunt, and 3) their selection as a gamble.
Found - First Gene For Clubfoot

Found - First Gene For Clubfoot

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

Clubfoot, one of the most common birth defects, has long been thought to have a genetic component. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have found the first gene linked to clubfoot in humans.

By studying a multi-generation family with clubfoot, the scientists traced the condition to a mutation in a gene critical for early development of lower limbs called PITX1. While other genes are also likely to be linked to clubfoot, the new finding is a first step toward improved genetic counseling and the development of novel therapies.
Neurogenesis Happens Throughout Life And New Neurons Improve Memory

Neurogenesis Happens Throughout Life And New Neurons Improve Memory

Oct 25 2008 | comment(s)

The birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) does not end completely during development but continues throughout all life in two areas of the adult nervous system, i.e. subventricular zone and hippocampus. Recent research has shown that hippocampal neurogenesis is crucial for memory formation. These studies, however, have not yet clarified how the newborn neurons are integrated in the existing circuits and thus contribute to new memories formation and to the maintenance of old ones.