Featured Articles

Dr. Yoshitaka Fujii Sets New World Record For Faking Data

Dr. Yoshitaka Fujii Sets New World Record For Faking Data

Jul 08 2012 | comment(s)

Dr. Yoshitaka Fujii, formerly an anesthesiologist at Toho University's medical school, has a record no published researcher can match.  He is 209 and 3.  The problem is the 3 are papers of his that are known not to be fraudulent between 1993 and 2011. 
Unions Urge Government To Keep Subsidizing Wind Energy

Unions Urge Government To Keep Subsidizing Wind Energy

Jul 08 2012 | comment(s)

When the only organization who thinks continued funding of your technology is the United Steelworkers union, you may have a business problem.

Gamesa Wind Corporation has announced a layoff of 165 workers at plants in Fairless Hills and Ebensburg, Pa.  The United Steelworkers (USW) says non-renewal of the the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which expires on December 31st, 2012, is the problem.
Soil, Organic Farming And Understanding The Nutrient Cycle

Soil, Organic Farming And Understanding The Nutrient Cycle

Jul 08 2012 | comment(s)

Today in a show on television called “Asar”, Mr. Amir Khan rightly upheld my point that it's better to eat slightly damaged or slightly infected fruits instead of eating totally shiny and infection-free fruits and vegetables and government representatives promised to check the contents of pesticides in the fruits and vegetables at a point before they are supplied to retailers in Delhi. 

Augmented Reality = Cool. Date With Hatsune Miku = Kinda Weird

Augmented Reality = Cool. Date With Hatsune Miku = Kinda Weird

Jul 08 2012 | comment(s)

If you have a Kinect and Goggles and an augmented reality program, what would you create?

Apparently a Japanese anime singer girlfriend, so you could bop her on the head.  I can't figure out any of this, but Hackaday gives it a shot so give them a read.  I just know that, weird dynamic with the virtual girlfriend aside, this is darn cool.



Dance, Hatsune Miku, dance!

The Finest Mirrors Ever Made, And Their 10-Minute Mission

The Finest Mirrors Ever Made, And Their 10-Minute Mission

Jul 08 2012 | comment(s)

On July 11, NASA scientists will launch into space the highest resolution solar telescope ever to observe the solar corona, the million degree outer solar atmosphere.

But it will only last 10 minutes. 
Atomic Gardening - The Ultimate Frankenfoods

Atomic Gardening - The Ultimate Frankenfoods

Jul 07 2012 | comment(s)

If you are not a fan of transgenic (GMO) technologies, just wait until you hear about the freakish practices scientists and big seed companies are sneaking under the radar!  Now, scientists soak seeds or tissues in toxic chemicals or subject them to high fields of radiation to cause random damage and genetic changes.  Random damage to DNA causes unknown effects that produce new proteins, leading to new plant traits.  The new plant lines are untested for safety and not assessed for environmental impact.  They want to put these on your dinner table and feed them to children! 
What's Going On Inside A Flame?

What's Going On Inside A Flame?

Jul 07 2012 | comment(s)

In a Science editorial, actor, playwright and science advocate Alan Alda challenged scientists to answer a simple-sounding question in a way that would capture the imagination of an 11-year-old.

“What is a flame? What’s going on in there? What will you tell me?”

Basically, he would like to find the next Carl Sagan. And he was inspired because he asked that question as an 11-year-old and got a nondescript answer of 'oxidation'.

Illuminated Cyanobacteria Shed Light On Biofuel Production

Illuminated Cyanobacteria Shed Light On Biofuel Production

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

Cyanobacteria are small organisms with huge importance. Ancient cyanobacteria created the oxygen atmosphere, and modern cyanobacteria produce a significant amount of the air we breathe. Now, these tiny organisms are helping us again by providing clues to improving biofuel production.

Because of their prolific photosynthesizing, cyanobacteria have great potential for solar-powered biofuel production. To tap into that potential, researchers from Queen Mary’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences recently became the first to visualize and control the “biological electrical switch” that dictates how electrons flow through the bacterium.

The Tower Of Babel Inside Us All: Switching On Metalinguistic Awareness

The Tower Of Babel Inside Us All: Switching On Metalinguistic Awareness

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

In Basque, all you have to do is look at the verb to see whether the sentence has a direct object. Why not use that to learn the syntax of Spanish? If you already know how to form conditional sentences in Basque and in Spanish, why start from scratch to learn the same thing in English?

Basically, because languages are screwy. But they don't have to be. The DREAM group (Donostia Research group on Education And Multilingualism) is seeking to revolutionize language education using synergy: taking advantage of the features that languages share in order to educate truly multilingual students in schools. 
And Now For Something Completely Different

And Now For Something Completely Different

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

Given all the Higgsmania, I thought it appropriate to draw attention to another topic on which much energy [excuse the pun] had been spent previously; Fukushima.  The English version of the accident report by the appointed commission (NAIIC) has been released and unfortunately its conclusions were all too expected.
Mohammed El Naschie Vs Nature Publishing: The Truth Wins

Mohammed El Naschie Vs Nature Publishing: The Truth Wins

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

Mohammed El Naschie brought a libel suit against Nature Publishing Group and a journalist there and at Bristol Crown Court today the judgment stated, "My conclusions are that the Article is substantially true, whether one considers the meanings complained of by the Claimant or justified by the Defendants, that it contains comments which are defensible as honest comment, and that it was the product of responsible journalism, so that the defence of Reynolds privilege succeeds."

In other words, the truth is still defense against libel. 
 
Craziest Higgs Stories

Craziest Higgs Stories

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

When I wrote about watching the Higgs discovery, I chided scientists on Twitter for over-reaching regarding what was being said and lauded science journalists for showing some moderation, but that does not mean all journalists could resist being silly.  And it doesn't mean all scientists were over-reaching.
China Trounces US In Yet Another Area: Childhood Diabetes

China Trounces US In Yet Another Area: Childhood Diabetes

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

The Chinese are determined to be number one in the world at everything - including things that are not very healthy.

China has experienced unprecedented economic growth in the past two decades and with that have come equally dramatic changes in the weight, diets and physical activity levels of its people. A new analysis used data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), the longest ongoing study of its kind in China. Between 1989 and 2011, the study followed more than 29,000 people in 300 communities throughout China, with surveys conducted in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2011. 
My Two Pieces On The Higgs

My Two Pieces On The Higgs

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

Yesterday the Italian newspaper "Il Manifesto" featured two pieces written by yours truly on the discovery of the Higgs boson. I was delighted to have a chance to write for that newspaper, which has an illustrious history and is totally independent (and on the verge of being shut down). By the way, I must thank Peter Woit who suggested the reporters of the newspaper to contact me for the piece.

The articles are in Italian, but I can make an effort at translating them for you here.
Seeing the Higgs Everywhere

Seeing the Higgs Everywhere

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

I am seeing H everywhere this morning ! The picture below was taken yesterday near CERN,



but today, upon walking to my department, I see H reflected on the front windows too...

Eurartesim Anti-Malaria Drug Begins Roll Out

Eurartesim Anti-Malaria Drug Begins Roll Out

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

Eurartesim(R) - dihydroartemisinin piperaquine (DHA-PQP) - the first artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria. Eurartesim was developed collaboratively by Sigma Tau Group, Italy, and the not-for-profit research foundation Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). 

 Eurartesim is now ready for delivery to Cambodia, the first malaria endemic country to place an order for the newly approved treatment. Cambodia prioritized the use of DHA-PQP as a first line drug and was awaiting EMA approval to allow procurement of this product using international donor funds. 

Lupin Receives FDA Approval For Generic LYRICA(R)

Lupin Receives FDA Approval For Generic LYRICA(R)

Jul 06 2012 | comment(s)

Dark Matter Filaments Detected In Abell 222 And Abel 223 Supercluster

Dark Matter Filaments Detected In Abell 222 And Abel 223 Supercluster

Jul 05 2012 | comment(s)

Dark matter and dark energy is thought to account for up to 80% of the matter in the universe. Does it exist? Well, it has to, we just can't see it. So what is it? We better know what it isn't.
Science Journalism: Not Buying The Higgs Hype

Science Journalism: Not Buying The Higgs Hype

Jul 05 2012 | comment(s)

I stayed up late (California) to watch the Higgs announcement and posted various thoughts of my own, and comments from the presentations, on my Twitter feed. 
Photorhabdus Luminescens: Bacteria's Version Of Jekyll And Hyde

Photorhabdus Luminescens: Bacteria's Version Of Jekyll And Hyde

Jul 05 2012 | comment(s)

Living in the guts of worms are seemingly innocuous Photorhabdus luminescens bacteria that contribute to the worms' survival. Yet with a flip of a genetic switch, those same bacteria transform from harmless microbes into deadly insecticides.

How the photorhabdus bacteria  and a single promoter inversion switches it from an upstanding community member in the gut microbiome to deadly killer in insect blood is the subject of a new study. The bacteria in question are bioluminescent insect pathogens. In their mutualistic state, they reside in the intestines of worms, growing slowly and performing other functions that aid nematode's survival, even contributing to reproduction.