Featured Articles

The Ascent Of Man: Why Did Our Early Ancestors Walk Upright?

The Ascent Of Man: Why Did Our Early Ancestors Walk Upright?

May 26 2013 | comment(s)

Archaeologists think they have some responses for the hypothesis that our early forebears were forced out of the trees and onto two feet when climate change reduced tree cover.

Our earliest ancestors changed from tree dwelling quadrupeds to upright bipeds capable of walking and scrambling and the authors in Antiquity ('Complex Topography and Human Evolution: the Missing Link') say our upright gait may have its origins in the rugged landscape of East and South Africa, which was shaped during the Pliocene epoch by volcanoes and shifting tectonic plates.

Male Menopause 4X More Common In Men With Heart Failure

Male Menopause 4X More Common In Men With Heart Failure

May 26 2013 | comment(s)

As men get older they are more likely to suffer from andropausal syndrome (AS), also known as 'menopause' and by other complicated terms 'androgen deficiency in the aging male' or' late-onset hypogonadism'.

Men with andropausal syndrome have decreased levels of anabolic hormones, including testosterone, and it has been suggested that these hormone deficiencies are what cause the clinical symptoms.

The Surfing Is Great On Titan This Time Of Year

The Surfing Is Great On Titan This Time Of Year

May 25 2013 | comment(s)

Saturn's moon Titan might be in for some wild weather as it heads into its spring and summer, if two new models are correct.

Scientists think that as the seasons change in Titan's northern hemisphere, waves could ripple across the moon's hydrocarbon seas, and hurricanes could begin to swirl over these areas, too. The model predicting waves tries to explain data from the moon obtained so far by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Both models help mission team members plan when and where to look for unusual atmospheric disturbances as Titan summer approaches.
Coronal mass ejection as seen from Michigan

Coronal mass ejection as seen from Michigan

May 25 2013 | comment(s)

Last weekend,  May 18th, 2013 an aurora appeared over Marquette, Michigan in the northern USA, after coronal mass ejections from the sun made contact with Earth’s magnetic fields, funneling energy and particles into near-Earth space.

The outer solar atmosphere, the corona, is structured by strong magnetic fields and where those fields are closed, often above sunspot groups, the confined solar atmosphere can suddenly and violently release bubbles of gas and magnetic fields. We call those coronal mass ejections and they erupt from the sun with billions of tons of solar material that can impact satellites. 
Lightning

Lightning

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

I recently read an article about an individual that had been struck by lightning, while it was interesting to read about the experience it was disturbing to read some of the comments that followed and their gross misunderstanding of lightning.

In particular the following comment illustrates the problem.
Lightning happens when a really huge negative charge builds up in the ground, corresponding to a positive charge overhead, and the differential becomes sufficient to jump the gap. (and, as others are pointing out repeatedly, air is an excellent insulator, so it takes a whacking huge voltage differential to make the arc.)
How The Immune System Tolerate A Healthy Gut Flora

How The Immune System Tolerate A Healthy Gut Flora

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

The human intestinal tract is the home of a diverse array of bacterial colonies, settling in as soon as their host begins life. While these colonies were considered to merely coexist with the host for their own survival, decades of study have shown the interaction between bacteria and host is mutually beneficial.  The bacterial colonies benefit by finding their home in the host, while the host benefits from the bacteria’s ability to keep the intestinal tract healthy, specifically by aiding in the absorption of nutrients, and by preventing disease-causing bacteria from taking root.
U.S. Senate Rejects GMO Labeling Amendment

U.S. Senate Rejects GMO Labeling Amendment

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders knows that the The Food and Drug Administration will not require any special label on foods just because a competitor seeks to market its product differently.

And marketing is the only distinction between organic food and traditional food. It's a process and they don't require regular meat to have a big NON-KOSHER label on it either. Kosher food just puts a 'kosher' label on the package and has to obey truth-in-advertising laws.
Arctic 2013

Arctic 2013

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

Arctic Ice 2013

Atheists In Foxholes? Not Many - And Less The More Soldiers Dislike War

Atheists In Foxholes? Not Many - And Less The More Soldiers Dislike War

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

Ernie Pyle, the iconic embedded World War II embedded journalist killed by Japanese machine gun fire in 1945, made famous the adage, "There are no atheists in foxholes." 

He was making a point that it's better to be safe than sorry when your life is on the line - not letting the Devil get you cornered, he wrote, was the justification for a soldier who dug round foxholes. Atheists are a tiny minority anyway and there are even fewer in a war zone, Pyle felt. And he knew more soldiers than perhaps any journalist ever will.

The Importance Of The Literature

The Importance Of The Literature

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

The Importance Of The Literature

The public at large, and unfortunately too many writers, do not know how vital a properly conducted survey of the scientific literature can be.  We must remember the motto of the Royal Society - nullius in verba - do not rely on anybody's word.  If the mythical "everybody" is stating the same "fact" or citing exactly the same source: question it.  Reappraise it.  Investigate.

This article was inspired by Hontas Farmer's newest blog.  It occurred to me that I spend many a happy hour doing literature research but I do not write about it as such.
ATLAS Vs CMS Higgs Results: Which Experiment Has More Sensitivity ?

ATLAS Vs CMS Higgs Results: Which Experiment Has More Sensitivity ?

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

"Oh Wind, if Winter comes, can Spring be far behind ?"

Good old Shelley inspired me to start today's article with the above verse, taken from his magnificent "Ode to the West Wind". With the weather we are experiencing these days in Geneva and northern Italy, I found it a relieving thought...

So, winter conferences are over, and summer ones are still far away. This is therefore a nice moment to try an assessment on the quality of the results that the two competing CERN experiments have produced on the study of the Higgs boson. Why ? Because we are not going to have to change our conclusions in a short time scale caused by a result about to be published.

How to compare the results
For my readers, I am finishing my thesis.

For my readers, I am finishing my thesis.

May 24 2013 | comment(s)

My readers may wonder what I have been doing.   The answer is I have been working on my thesis is the area of astrophysics.  With much help from my advisor Dr. Anuj P. Sarma I am finally finishing. 
Is Everything You Eat A Drug?

Is Everything You Eat A Drug?

May 23 2013 | comment(s)

Did you ever have breast milk or spinach? You might as well start shooting up heroin.

If dihydrogen monoxide doesn't scare you enough, food activists have been rehashing an old term - opiates. 
Hot Coffee Enemas - The Dangers

Hot Coffee Enemas - The Dangers

May 23 2013 | comment(s)

Before continuing, please bear in mind that :

“The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the US Department of the Army, the US Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or naval services at large.”

The Power Of Evolutionary Theory

The Power Of Evolutionary Theory

May 23 2013 | comment(s)

As has been mentioned in other articles, evolution is one of the more misunderstood theories ‌in biology.  This isn't because it is complicated.  Its beauty derives from its simplicity, but often the nuances that are overlooked.  

We hear about "survival of the fittest" and many immediately think of strength.  We hear about natural selection and many immediately focus on speciation.  Yet, the first claim is simply wrong, while the second isn't the most important element of the theory.

So, if it's not about strength or how species originated, then what is important.
Women Have 40% More Mental Health Issues, But The Gender Gap Will Soon Disappear

Women Have 40% More Mental Health Issues, But The Gender Gap Will Soon Disappear

May 23 2013 | comment(s)

Dr. Daniel Freeman, professor of clinical psychology at Oxford, has good news if you believe women are more nuts than men: there is a 40% chance you are right.

We know that discussing biological differences between men and women is taboo - men and women are no different in any physical way, as former Harvard President Larry Summers will rush to agree these days. But what about in psychological ways?  
The Evolved Doubly Social Society Should Be Selfish And Deadly

The Evolved Doubly Social Society Should Be Selfish And Deadly

May 23 2013 | comment(s)

Social structure is an imposition, but by definition one that ‘should’ be imposed, meaning by the origin of the meaning of “should” in the co-evolution of the social with our language.

Helmet Laws, Not Parental Concern, Have Led To Reduced Fatalities In Bicycle-Car Collisions

Helmet Laws, Not Parental Concern, Have Led To Reduced Fatalities In Bicycle-Car Collisions

May 23 2013 | comment(s)

A 12-year study (1999 to 2010) analyzed fatality reductions in bicycle-car collisions to determine the effect of mandatory helmet laws. 16 states had bike helmet laws in the beginning or the study. The researchers identified all relevant fatalities, totaling 1612, in states with and without bike helmet laws.
  

Relevance was determined by adjusting for factors previously associated with rates of motor vehicle fatalities (elderly driver licensure laws, legal blood alcohol limit and household income) and, among those, they found that the adjusted fatality rate was significantly lower in states with helmet laws. On average, 900 people die annually in bicycle-motor vehicle collisions — three quarters of those are from head injuries. 

Gorillas And The Future Of Crop Biotechnology

Gorillas And The Future Of Crop Biotechnology

May 22 2013 | comment(s)


There are some really cool improvements coming along in several crops that have been developed using the tools of biotechnology - GMOs if you will.

Some of these innovations have consumer health benefits. Some expand ways to encourage greater produce consumption. Some reduce food waste. Some prevent crop losses through disease and reduce the need for copper sprays.

These traits represent an expansion of biotech beyond the major row crops primarily grown for animal feed or for fiber to crops like apples, oranges, tomatoes, pineapples and potatoes. Whether these new options actually make it to consumers depends a great deal on decisions that will be made by gorillas.
Kentucky Windage, For Science: Using Black Holes To Measure The Universe's Rate Of Expansion

Kentucky Windage, For Science: Using Black Holes To Measure The Universe's Rate Of Expansion

May 22 2013 | comment(s)

Calibration does not always mean fixing a device, it sometimes means adjusting to solve a problem.  In the early years of America, the famous Kentucky longrifles that conquered the frontier (and some British) had fixed sights. Since they couldn't be adjusted, frontiersmen - Kentucky was part of "The West" then - would adjust for wind, elevation and range by experience.  If their shot was hitting low and left, they aimed high and right. Inference helped them get a better result.