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Are We Ignoring H2N3? News Outlet Speculates About A Different Influenza In Mexican Deaths

Are We Ignoring H2N3? News Outlet Speculates About A Different Influenza In Mexican Deaths

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

 Everyone is blaming H1N1, but could a different strain of Influenza be the cause of Mexican deaths?

The Sorry Decline of Press Freedom

The Sorry Decline of Press Freedom

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

A new report on the freedom of press has been released today by freedomhouse.org. Freedom House is an independent, non-profit organization created in 1941 to monitor and defend the freedom of press in the World. The study is being presented today at the Washington News Museum, and the event can be followed via a live webcast through the organization's web site.

According to the report, freedom of press is declining everywhere, and it has been doing so for seven years in a row. The phenomenon is not just due to a few non-liberal countries:
The rollback was not confined to traditionally authoritarian states; with Israel, Italy and Hong Kong slipping from the study's Free
Avian Flu Research Sheds Light On Swine Flu - And Why Influenza A Can Never Be Eradicated

Avian Flu Research Sheds Light On Swine Flu - And Why Influenza A Can Never Be Eradicated

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought and the results also illustrate how the current H1N1 swine flu outbreak likely came about. 
Hand Sanitizers Proven To Be Effective Against H1N1 Influenza A (Swine Flu) Virus

Hand Sanitizers Proven To Be Effective Against H1N1 Influenza A (Swine Flu) Virus

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

Regular hand washing is recommended by both the WHO and the NHS as one of the most effective ways of controlling infections.   Using a hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available is also a good idea.

Influenza Pandemic Risk Index Maps Reveal Countries Most At Risk

Influenza Pandemic Risk Index Maps Reveal Countries Most At Risk

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

With swine flu topping the agenda of business around the world, global risks specialist, Maplecroft has released three new maps and indices revealing the countries most at risk from an influenza pandemic.

The Influenza Pandemic Risk Index (IPRI) consists of three categories: Risk of Emergence, Risk of Spread and Capacity to Contain. Each index generates a list of countries most at risk and that require a tailored policy response on the part of government and business. Maplecroft's research focuses on global risks to business.

The map of Risk of Spread shows the United Kingdom most at risk to the spread of an influenza pandemic, ranking number 1 out of 213 countries.

Swine Flu: Filtering Fact From Fiction About Face Masks

Swine Flu: Filtering Fact From Fiction About Face Masks

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

People who want to take extra precautions against swine flu should look for masks with built-in filters, according to Dr Robin J Harman, a pharmaceutical and regulatory expert.

There has been much debate about the benefits of wearing a mask to prevent infection with swine flu. Ordinary surgical masks provide some protection from airborne particles, but the UK Department of Health has stated that 'basic face masks don't protect people from becoming infected'.(1)

High School Biology Teachers Influence Student Views On Creationism/Intelligent Design Versus Science

High School Biology Teachers Influence Student Views On Creationism/Intelligent Design Versus Science

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

High school biology teachers may be even more important than the curriculm, according to a University of Minnesota study published in the May issue of BioScience.

Co-authors Randy Moore and Sehoya Cotner, professors in the College of Biological Sciences, surveyed 1,000 students taking introductory biology classes at the University of Minnesota to learn how biology majors view evolution compared to non-majors. Results showed that the two groups' views were similar and revealed that high school biology teachers influence whether majors and non-majors college students accept evolution or question it based on creationism.
Dolphins Only Mostly Asleep - But Vigilance Never Seems To Impair Them

Dolphins Only Mostly Asleep - But Vigilance Never Seems To Impair Them

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

Dolphins have a clever trick for overcoming sleep deprivation, according to Sam Ridgway from the US Navy Marine Mammal Program and colleagues.   They are able to send half of their brains to sleep while the other half remains conscious. What is more, the mammals seem to be able to remain continually vigilant for sounds for days on end.

Does the dolphins' unrelenting auditory vigilance tire them and take a toll on the animals' other senses? Ridgway and his team set about testing two dolphins' acoustic and visual vigilance over a 5 day period to find out how well they functioned after days without a break.
Finally - a comic strip for the nerds, geeks, and dorks

Finally - a comic strip for the nerds, geeks, and dorks

May 01 2009 | comment(s)

The Far Side is a great source for science-related humor, of course - and Josh will figure out Scott Adams' take on evolution using only Dilbert strips, I'm sure of it - but for those looking to broaden their horizons, provide reinforcement for those long days in lab, or gifts for fellow geeks/dorks/nerds, please consider another tool for the armamentarium.


Aporkalypse Now - Hurry, Get The First Ever 24/7 Swine Flu Widget Alert!

Aporkalypse Now - Hurry, Get The First Ever 24/7 Swine Flu Widget Alert!

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

Worried about how to protect yourself from swine flu (oops, Influenza A H1N1 - stop persecuting pigs!) ? Wondering what you can do to prevent spreading swine flu?  Need an up-to-the-moment break out of where the latest outbreaks have occurred, just in case deaths from swine flu exceed 1/1,000th the deaths of regular flu or 1/10,000th the deaths of malaria?

If only an internet company would capitalize on this hysteria to generate traffic!

Oh wait, here's one.   Internet News Distribution Channel "Feedzilla", which updates news and information around the clock, says they can help you get the latest info while the pandemic panic lasts - namely until the next kid gets kidnapped or Nancy Grace convicts someone of murder on her TV show.  

Science 2.0's Lesser Used Logos

Science 2.0's Lesser Used Logos

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

As long-time readers know, we like to celebrate various holidays and events by making subtle changes to the site.    Sure, sometimes it involve ninjas taking over and writing our science but mostly it is more like sneaking in a logo and seeing who notices.

That doesn't mean all of them get used.    Our first logo, for example, was just something thrown together as a mockup so we knew where it would have to go.   It looked like something a programmer/me would put together:


Then we had a few revisions, by someone who knows what they are doing, and arrived at the one that eventually remained on the home page for some 18 months:
What is a Fudge Factor ?

What is a Fudge Factor ?

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

What is a Fudge Factor ?

It is a most unfortunate fact that, however beautiful a theory is, the data plots just don't want to fit the nicely drawn curve.  It is a problem in all fields of investigation.  The solution is easy.  Just take the function that defines the curve, determine the correction necessary to bring outliers into the curve and - voila! - the theory works!

All that remains is to invent a new name for the correction that must be applied.  There is no universal standard for this.  One person's dark energy is another person's epicycle.
The Large Hadron Collider is Back Together

The Large Hadron Collider is Back Together

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

2008 was a horrible year for the Large Hadron Collider. Just nine days after an extremely successful, highly publicized start-up on September 10th, when hundreds of reporters gathered at CERN to follow the protons as they ventured sector by sector to manage a full turn of the 27 km ring, a stupidly crafted electrical connection failed in sector 3-4 of the machine. This brought above criticality a superconducting solenoid, vaporized six tons of liquid helium, and damaged 53 expensive magnets in the sector with a powerful blast.
Dancing with the birds

Dancing with the birds

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

The number of species who can dance - actually get down, shake their groove thing, etc - has jumped from one (humans) to three. The other two? Parrots and elephants.

Unlike other animals, according to this NPR article, parrots and elephants are vocal mimics and can imitate sounds. Dancing, then, could be a byproduct of the ability to learn and imitate vocally.

Two papers in today's online Current Biology discuss the dancing parrot:
 
Swine Flu Psychology

Swine Flu Psychology

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

Stanford Psychologist, Marcel Selathe, is looking for volunteers for a study on the way people are responding to the spread of Swine Flu.

As you have heard in the news, there has been an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and the United States. There is a possibility that this situation might develop into a pandemic if the virus continues to spread around the globe. The news media report excessively about this threat, and while health officials urge people to stay calm, there is an increased level of anxiety in the population.
My response is to eat more bacon.
Kokanee: Hitler's DNA Used In Genetic Experiment

Kokanee: Hitler's DNA Used In Genetic Experiment

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)



Kidding, Fresh Kokanee: The Pathways of Salmon just seemed so bland. Just testing out a wee hypothesis. Human with an opposable thumb and all that? Still reading this? Good.

Thanks for that commercial break. And now back to Kokanee.

Arrayit To Mass Produce Rapid H1N1 Swine Flu Test Chip

Arrayit To Mass Produce Rapid H1N1 Swine Flu Test Chip

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

Arrayit Corporation, a manufacturer of products and services for disease prevention, treatment and cure, announced today that it is developing a microarray-based diagnostic test to detect the H1N1 swine flu virus.

The Arrayit test will allow researchers and clinicians to detect the presence of the virus in infected patients and livestock and to distinguish the threatening mutated strain from less harmful variants in humans and swine. Using its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, Arrayit plans to begin mass production of its test kits over the next several weeks.

Calculating The Odds That Life Could Begin By Chance

Calculating The Odds That Life Could Begin By Chance

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

Many people, perhaps most, hate the idea that life might depend on chance processes. It is a human tendency to search for meaning, and what could be more meaningful than the belief that our lives have a greater purpose, that all life in fact is guided by a supreme intelligence which manifests itself even at the level of individual molecules? 

'Rembrandt Basin' - Landform The Size Of DC Boston Corridor Discovered On Mercury

'Rembrandt Basin' - Landform The Size Of DC Boston Corridor Discovered On Mercury

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

A previously unknown, large impact basin has been discovered by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft during its second flyby of Mercury in October 2008. The impact basin, now named Rembrandt, more than 700 kilometers (430 miles) in diameter.

If the Rembrandt basin had formed on the east coast of the United States, it would span the distance between Washington, D.C., and Boston.

Native Americans Descended From A Single Ancestral Group (Which Includes Greenlanders) - Study

Native Americans Descended From A Single Ancestral Group (Which Includes Greenlanders) - Study

Apr 30 2009 | comment(s)

Did ancestors of Native Americans migrate to the New World in one wave or successive waves, from one ancestral Asian population or a number of different populations?   The topic has been debated for decades but after comparing DNA samples from people in dozens of modern-day Native American and Eurasian groups, an international team of scientists thinks it can put the matter to rest: Virtually without exception the new evidence supports the single ancestral population theory, according to the study  published in the May issue of the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.