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Found: The Climate Change Trigger For Earth's Last Big Freeze

Found: The Climate Change Trigger For Earth's Last Big Freeze

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

Did the flood waters from melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in the last major cold episode on Earth about 12,900 years ago flow northwest into the Arctic firs, or east via the Gulf of St. Lawrence to weaken ocean thermohaline circulation and have a frigid effect on global climate?

It's a debate that has gone on for decades but new, high-resolution global ocean circulation models claim to have an answer/  The researchers report that the flood must have flowed north into the Arctic first down the Mackenzie River valley. They also say that if it had flowed east into the St. Lawrence River valley, Earth's climate would have remained relatively unchanged.
What Does

What Does "Well" Mean?

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

What does “Well” mean? Or, more specifically, what does ‘Well’ mean when it’s used as the first word in response to so-called ‘Wh-questions’ (which, what, who, whom, whose, where, whence, whither, when, why, whynot, wherefore, whatever etc. etc.)? Professor Gene H. Lerner and Professor Emanuel A. Schegloff offer an explanation in the April 2009 issue of the journal Research on Language&Social Interaction.

“We show that these well-prefaces operate as general alerts that indicate nonstraightforwardness in responding …”

Peptide In Genetically Engineered Mice Mimics 'Good' Cholesterol

Peptide In Genetically Engineered Mice Mimics 'Good' Cholesterol

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

At the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012, a study showed that genetically engineered tomato plants produced a peptide that mimics the actions of good cholesterol when eaten 

In the study, mice that ate the freeze-dried, ground tomatoes had less inflammation and reduced atherosclerosis, plaque build-up in the arteries. 
Has A Fish ‘Broken’ A Law Of Physics?

Has A Fish ‘Broken’ A Law Of Physics?

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

How a fish ‘broke’ a law of physics


... says a press release from Bristol University.

Did President Obama Restore Science To Its Rightful Place?

Did President Obama Restore Science To Its Rightful Place?

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

In his 2009 inaugural address, President Barack Obama promised to “restore science to its rightful place,” in addition to making the government more transparent and accountable. Millions rallied to his cause. Four years later, how has he done?

Unfortunately, not well. On a whole host of issues, Obama has placed politics before science. We will examine just three of them: vaccines, the BP oil spill, and “Cash for Clunkers.”

Obama vs. Vaccines

How Reliable Are Sniffing Dogs?

How Reliable Are Sniffing Dogs?

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

A recent article about lie detectors brought up a related topic; drug/bomb sniffing dogs or the more general use of police service dogs.  Let me begin by acknowledging a bias; I love dogs.  There seems little doubt regarding the utility of these animals in search and rescue, body recovery, and even sniffing contraband and explosives.  I want to be clear that this is not an attempt to diminish the importance and the role of these dogs in many of the activities they engage in.  Regardless of their error rates or even false positives, the assistance provided by these animals can be invaluable.

So what's the issue?
How Accurate Are Those Political Polls?

How Accurate Are Those Political Polls?

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

Nate Silver, a sports statistician, made waves when he accurately projected the results of the presidential election in 2008.  So a few days go when he predicted that President Obama was 75% likely to win when polls only showed the candidates were about even, it set atwitter those people who think statistical models of polls are meaningful.  They were vindicated, the age of scientific projections had arrived, in a baseball cap.

They thought that because they don't understands polls or statistical models.
What Would A Real Right To Know Initiative Look Like?

What Would A Real Right To Know Initiative Look Like?

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)



If California Proposition 37 is really about a "Consumer Right To Know," then why is it talking about a few words in a tiny font on the back of a package? Why are we only talking about one question (GMO or not) when there are so many more issues people could care about? Why are we talking about something that only involves selected types of food in only one state? None of this sounds like a sincere or even rational way to let people "know" something about their food. It also sounds so "last century!"  
Why Accept Minimal Information? 
No More Batteries: Piezoelectric Pacemaker Powered By The Heart

No More Batteries: Piezoelectric Pacemaker Powered By The Heart

Nov 05 2012 | comment(s)

An experimental device converts kinetic energy from beating hearts into electricity than can power a pacemaker, meaning the chance for no more batteries in the future, according to a talk at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.

The study is preliminary but a piezoelectric approach is promising for pacemakers because they require only small amounts of power to operate. Batteries must be replaced every five to seven years, which is costly and inconvenient.  Piezoelectricity might also power other implantable cardiac devices like defibrillators, which also have minimal energy needs.
Electroactive Polymers - Video Games Get Under Your Skin

Electroactive Polymers - Video Games Get Under Your Skin

Nov 04 2012 | comment(s)

ViviTouch is a kind of 'artificial muscle' that seeks to make video games feel more real. The technology behind it is electroactive polymers, developed by Bayer subsidiary Artificial Muscle of Sunnyvale, right up the road from me.

It's basically a new sort of motor that converts electrical energy into movement, to go beyond the  traditional haptic interface people expect by now.  Motor? Well, that is the CEO's terms. It's an actuator made of a thin polymer film but electroactive polymers are cooler than traditional actuators, generators and sensors because a ViviTouch-enabled device lets you 'feel' explosions, flying and even uppercuts like you were meant to, they say.  So if you like getting an uppercut, this is for you.
The Multiverse

The Multiverse

Nov 04 2012 | comment(s)

Alan Guth, the discoverer of cosmic inflation, gave a talk at MIT on November 1, which convinced me, a natural skeptic about these issues, that the multiverse may very well exist. Two routes to the multiverse were never to my liking.

One is "Many Worlds," Hugh Everett IIIs idea that quantum events whose wave functions seem to "collapse" in our world to yield specific measurements actually never collapse but realize all other characteristics implicit in their wave functions in "other universes." Every time something happens here--of all the very large number of possibilities--all the rest of them happen in other universes.
Even The Bones Of Richard III Divide England

Even The Bones Of Richard III Divide England

Nov 04 2012 | comment(s)

What exactly should they do when a despised English monarch is found under a provincial car park?

He wasn't buried under a car park, of course.  He was buried in a monastery, which was disbanded by King Henry VIII when he created the Anglican Church so he could get a divorce.  Richard's story came at the end of the War of the Roses, he was the last Plantagenet king, so the people of York think he should be buried there.  A minority contends he should be moved to London to be with his wife but Leicester is saying they should keep him where he has been for more than 500 years.  Reburying him as a Catholic is far less controversial today than the potential tourism money.
A Discussion With George Church On His New Book Regenesis And Synthetic Biology

A Discussion With George Church On His New Book Regenesis And Synthetic Biology

Nov 04 2012 | comment(s)

In a conversation at an expo at Duke University last week, an executive with Oracle and I discussed my new project on sustainability and synthetic biology. He curiously asked if I made monsters. Honestly, I was not aware that profession even existed.

Clearly, there is a need for more education on this emerging technology. Books on synthetic biology are rare which is unfortunate. In order to fill that void, scientists and writers are providing the needed discussions to supplement the existing highly technical articles. In Rob Carlson’s Biology is Technology (2010), he argues biology has long been a technology. In Revolutions, released earlier this year, based on philosophical and historical discussions I argue that synthetic biology is the logical extension of genomics.

Has Science Been Restored To Its Rightful Place?

Has Science Been Restored To Its Rightful Place?

Nov 04 2012 | comment(s)

In 2008, I was as excited as anyone about the chance to correct some public relations mistakes made by the Bush administration in the nascent years of blogging.  Obviously some of the 'Republicans are anti-science' stuff was because when you are far left, even the middle looks like the right, but Republicans had done no favors to themselves by 'taking the bait' on topics like hESC research.  What had been a reasonable, bipartisan position on human embryonic stem cells in 2001 (traditional conservatives were actually all for it, more religious types among both Democrats and Republicans were not) became a simple partisan divide when it was revisited two more times and Bush shot it down despite Republicans overall being in favor of it.
 
Solar System Gets A Revised Birth Certificate

Solar System Gets A Revised Birth Certificate

Nov 04 2012 | comment(s)

We're not that special, says new research led by the Centre for Star and Planet Formation at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen.

About 4.567 billion years ago, our solar system's planets spawned from an expansive disc of gas and dust rotating around the sun. While similar processes are witnessed in younger solar systems throughout the Milky Way, the formative stages of our own solar system were believed to have taken twice as long to occur. It turns out that is not the case, according to a new paper.
Confessions Of An Organic-Munching Genetic Engineer (No On Prop 37 As Written)

Confessions Of An Organic-Munching Genetic Engineer (No On Prop 37 As Written)

Nov 03 2012 | comment(s)

Well here's an interesting development.  Mandatory labeling of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), the subject of CA Prop 37, has opened a rift between two of my favorite organizations.  The AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) recently released a statement opposing mandatory GMO labeling, while the UCS (Union of Concerned Scientists), remains firmly in favor.  The AAAS says mandatory labeling is reserved for potential dangers, but genetic engineering is as safe as conventional breeding.
China Faces A Looming Nitrogen Problem

China Faces A Looming Nitrogen Problem

Nov 03 2012 | comment(s)

Perhaps China could use some genetically modified food.  Otherwise, meeting the food demands of 22 percent of the world's population while maintaining their over-reliance on nitrogen-based fertilizer will continue to dramatically increase their emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) – the most potent greenhouse gas. 
Phase II All-oral Study Of Simeprevir And VX-135 For The Treatment Of Hepatitis C

Phase II All-oral Study Of Simeprevir And VX-135 For The Treatment Of Hepatitis C

Nov 03 2012 | comment(s)

Medivir AB has announced plans for a phase II proof-of-concept study of an all-oral regimen for the treatment of hepatitis C containing of Medivir/Janssen's protease inhibitor simeprevir and Vertex's nucleotide analogue hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase inhibitor VX-135. Janssen will conduct a drug-drug interaction study with simeprevir and VX-135 to support the planned initiation of a phase II proof-of-concept study in early 2013, pending discussions with regulatory authorities. 

Phase 2 Study Of Zerenex For Treatment Of Non-Dialysis Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease Initiated

Phase 2 Study Of Zerenex For Treatment Of Non-Dialysis Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease Initiated

Nov 03 2012 | comment(s)

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the initiation of a Phase 2 study of Zerenex (ferric citrate), an ferric iron-based phosphate binder drug candidate, in managing serum phosphorus and iron deficiency in anemic patients with Stage 3 to 5 non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease ("NDD-CKD").

In the United States alone, over one and a half million people suffering from Stages 3 to 5 NDD-CKD have iron deficiency anemia, however, there are currently no oral iron supplements with an FDA label in NDD-CKD. Also, there are currently no FDA approved phosphate binders in NDD-CKD.

Glybera Is First Gene Therapy Approved By European Commission

Glybera Is First Gene Therapy Approved By European Commission

Nov 03 2012 | comment(s)

Glybera is the first gene therapy approved by regulatory authorities in the Western world. niQure announced it has received approval from the European Commission for the gene therapy Glybera(R) (alipogene tiparvovec), a treatment for patients with lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD, also called familial hyperchylomicronemia) suffering from recurring acute pancreatitis.

Patients with LPLD, a very rare, inherited disease, are unable to metabolize the fat particles carried in their blood, which leads to inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), an extremely serious, painful, and potentially lethal condition. The approval makes Glybera the first gene therapy approved by regulatory authorities in the Western world.