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Carnival of Evolution #8 at Biochemical Soul

Carnival of Evolution #8 at Biochemical Soul

Jan 31 2009 | comment(s)

Looking for more evolution blogging? Check out the eighth edition of Carnival of Evolution at Biochemical Soul. There is great stuff on fossils, genes, parasites, antibiotics, and Darwin, so head on over for a visit.
Kelley Winters, Gender Madness in American Psychiatry: A disappointing read.

Kelley Winters, Gender Madness in American Psychiatry: A disappointing read.

Jan 31 2009 | comment(s)

I had high hopes for "Gender Madness in American Psychiatry: Essays from the Struggle for Dignity", Kelley Winters. ( ISBN-10: 1-4392-2388-2, ISBN-13: 9781439223888 ) I write for Wikipedia on the issues related to Blanchard's theory.  I was looking for something that would meet wikipedia's criteria for a reliable source, written by a transsexual, on this topic.  I thought maybe this book would meet that standard.


UV Tooth Bleaching Dangerous And No Better For Your Teeth

UV Tooth Bleaching Dangerous And No Better For Your Teeth

Jan 31 2009 | comment(s)

Want to know if you have an honest dentist?   Tell him you want to try UV tooth bleaching.   A study in Photochemical&Photobiological Sciences writes the lack of any enhanced bleaching effect is bad enough but it also damages skin and eyes up to four times as much as sunbathing.

And as with sunbathing, fair-skinned or light-sensitive people are at even greater risk, said lead author Ellen Bruzell of the Nordic Institute of Dental Materials.  

Bruzell also found that bleaching damaged teeth. She saw more exposed grooves on the enamel surface of bleached teeth than on unbleached teeth. These grooves make the teeth more vulnerable to mechanical stress.


Want skin damage?
Addressing The Growing Creationism Problem In Europe

Addressing The Growing Creationism Problem In Europe

Jan 31 2009 | comment(s)

Creationism, the rejection of the scientific basis of  evolutionary theory, is experiencing a resurgence among Europeans. The Department of Biology and Didactics of Biology at the TU Dortmund has organized an international conference addressing the issue, titled “Attitude and Knowledge concerning Evolution and Science in Europe (AKESE)”, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education.

On February 20th, researchers from different scientific backgrounds and seven European countries will meet at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology in Dortmund to discuss the scientific significance of evolutionary theory, its lack of social acceptance and the negative attitude towards science that rejection of evolution entails.
Tax Cuts Versus Goverment Spending - What Improves The Economy Most?

Tax Cuts Versus Goverment Spending - What Improves The Economy Most?

Jan 31 2009 | comment(s)

It would seem that in a bad economy, tax cuts make the most sense.    Letting people keep their money instead of letting the government spend money to collect taxes, spend money to institute government programs and then pay government employees to write checks is believed to lead to a great deal of waste.
Deciphering The Tracks Of Evolution In Our Genomes

Deciphering The Tracks Of Evolution In Our Genomes

Jan 31 2009 | comment(s)

Show Me The Science Month Day 4

How did we become human? You can ask the same question in a slightly different way: how did we become different from chimps?  Although the common ancestor that we shared with chimps 5-7 million years ago was not itself a chimp, it probably resembled modern-day chimps much more than it resembled us. Both humans and chimps have been changing under evolutionary pressure since our lineages split, but humans have obviously picked up traits that make us stand out from other modern apes, most notably our intelligence.
Using Nanowires To Grow Bone-Building Cells

Using Nanowires To Grow Bone-Building Cells

Jan 31 2009 | comment(s)

Nanotubes are often regarded as a precursor to nanocircuitry.  A group at UC San Diego has found that they work pretty well for transferring biological information, too.  Oh, et al. showed that selective differentiation of stem cells into bone cells could be achieved on titanium nanowires of approximately 70-100 nanometers in diameter.  Using smaller nanowires caused less selectivity and slower differentiation. This suggests that the shape of the nanowires provided a signal to metamorphose into bone cells.


Stem cells incubated on nanowires. Oh, et al.

Great Thinkers Who Met Tragicomically Gruesome Ends

Great Thinkers Who Met Tragicomically Gruesome Ends

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

  Tycho Brahe was a sixteenth-century Danish, astronomer, astrologer and alchemist, most famous as the mentor of Johannes Kepler. In 1566 after a rousing night of drinking, Tycho lost a good part of his nose in a duel. Tycho was also the patron of whom he believed to be a clairvoyant dwarf and kept a tame moose, which died after consuming an enormous quantity of beer and falling down the stairs.
What Good Is A Fence With Holes? Some Blizzard Basics

What Good Is A Fence With Holes? Some Blizzard Basics

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

If you've ever been to a windy beach or a snow-blown landscape, you may have noticed a useless-looking fence with a pile of snow or sand on one side. The fence looks useless because it's full of holes - they're usually about 50% porous - and you might wonder what on earth they could be meant to control. It turns out that in windy conditions such a fence can cause a buildup of snow (or sand) on the downwind side, and that these fences are commonly used to prevent snowdrift across roadways as well as provide a measure of control over where snow or sand might build up.
Resistant Staph Bacteria Has Met Its Match: Blue Light

Resistant Staph Bacteria Has Met Its Match: Blue Light

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

Mold is icky. However, it has yielded one of the most important advances in medicine: antibiotics. There was a time when penicillin was the cure-all antibiotic, capable of quelling almost any one-celled invader.
However, today this is not the case. Today’s bacteria are getting faster, stronger and more resistant to even our most aggressive antibiotics. This has prompted scientists to look in other nooks and crannies of our world to find the next solution to our growing resistant population of angry bacteria.
ISkin Releases Hot New Solo FX Gives The IPhone 3G A Full Fashion Makeover With Bright, Bold Color And Glamorous Style

ISkin Releases Hot New Solo FX Gives The IPhone 3G A Full Fashion Makeover With Bright, Bold Color And Glamorous Style

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

TORONTO, January 30 /PRNewswire/ --

iSkin Inc. today introduced the iSkin solo FX: a hot new iPhone 3G protector that blends glitz and glamour with fashion-forward design features.

*(PHOTO 72dpi: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/09-0130-iSkSolo_72dpi.jpg) *(Photo Caption: iSkin solo FX for iPhone 3G.)

Inspired by the successful iSkin solo, the solo FX's glamorous high-gloss bodysuit is accented with a designer pattern that adds a bold, fashionable finish to an already beautiful package. And for the ultimate on-the-go convenience, the solo FX's protective screen film doubles as a mirror when the iPhone's asleep.

Coffee Break Science Browsing

Coffee Break Science Browsing

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

It's Friday and time for a coffee break.

Looking for more Darwin reading? (If you're already sick of the Darwin Bicentennial, you're in for a loooong year.) Michael Shermer takes on common misunderstandings of evolution in Scientific American, and Matt Ridley explores Darwin's Legacy in National Geographic. Richard Dawkins has derived a formula to determine the power of a scientific theory (well, maybe not derived, just invented), and evolution fares well.
Is Fusion-Assisted Fission The Future Of Nuclear Power?

Is Fusion-Assisted Fission The Future Of Nuclear Power?

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

It's been nearly thirty years since the last application for construction of a nuclear power plant was filed in the United States. Despite the age of the reactors already operating, however, the amount of our power generated using nuclear sources is second only to coal. The energy generated by nuclear plants is also increasing steadily, as delays in refueling shorten and reactors operate for longer periods of time. However, there are still numerous environmental concerns regarding the waste products generated by American nuclear reactors - by 2010, the total amount of dangerous waste will exceed 77,000 tons. Now, researchers have found a way to reprocess that waste using new technology while still generating power.
Sun Pharma Reports Continuing Growth In Q3

Sun Pharma Reports Continuing Growth In Q3

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

MUMBAI, India, January 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- Net Sales up 14%, Net Profit up 28%, One More Site Approved by USFDA

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Reuters: SUN.BO, Bloomberg: SUNP IN, NSE: SUNPHARMA, BSE: 524715) reported continuing growth for the third quarter ending Dec 31, 2008.

Yang Fengxia Bids To Capture Victory For Chinese Women's Team In Greatest Race On Earth 2008/09

Yang Fengxia Bids To Capture Victory For Chinese Women's Team In Greatest Race On Earth 2008/09

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

HONG KONG, January 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- Summary: Hong Kong, Sunday 8th February 2009

China's Yang Fengxia will be hoping to overturn a 40-second deficit on Australia's Billinda Schipp, and snatch victory for the Chinese Women's team in the North East Asia and Rest of The World category of The Greatest Race on Earth 2008/09 (GROE), which concludes at Sunday's Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon.

GROE is the leading international marathon relay series which sees Men's and Women's national teams of four runners competing at marathons in Nairobi, Singapore, Mumbai and Hong Kong. Each team member runs one of the marathons, with the winning teams being the ones with the quickest cumulative times.

Feeling The Cold? Cuddle Up With Mansion This February

Feeling The Cold? Cuddle Up With Mansion This February

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

GIBRALTAR, January 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Mansion will ensure online gamers will be having warm, cozy evenings this February with a variety of all-new promotions across its major casino brands; http://www.Casino.com and http://www.MansionCasino.com.

Casino.com, the cheeky new kid on the online-gaming block, toting its killer url goes absolutely slot-game crazy with the latest Super Slots Day and Slots Weekend Madness.

Super Slots Day awards players who participate in the Alien Hunter slots game, with hugely generous free spins. Players simply have to play a minimum of 20 spins at a minimum value of $20 during promotional hours and they'll receive a $20 bonus the following day. Players will be so elated they're sure to just keep spinning.

A Fresh Perspective On Salt Awareness Week

A Fresh Perspective On Salt Awareness Week

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, January 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- Everyone is Telling us to eat less salt

Yet life itself depends on salt, so why did a life giving substance became such a toxic force in the modern lifestyle? And why did one of the most complex minerals become known simply as chemical sodium chloride?

Salt for food purposes accounts for just 7% of the world's salt production, the rest goes to industrial sources. Little wonder then that salt has become one of the most desecrated, and misunderstood of our food treasures.

Some might tell you that sea salt is no different to table salt; this could not be further from the truth.

Buying A Villa In Sardinia Is Good For Your Heart, And Might Add A Few Years To Your Life Span

Buying A Villa In Sardinia Is Good For Your Heart, And Might Add A Few Years To Your Life Span

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

SARDINIA, Italy, January 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Buying a Villa in Sardinia has always been a good investment, but now you might have more reason to invest in a property and spend time there. Legend has it, and scientists have now confirmed, that in Sardinia there's an extraordinary concentration of people living way over 100 years!

Researchers of the AKEA project of the University of Sassari, have documented that one out of every 200 people in Sardinia has lived to celebrate a 100th birthday. This extraordinary figure is about 50 times the rate of the United States, where just one out of every 10,000 people lives to see 100.

The secret to longevity?

DOCDATA Has Sold Its CD And DVD Replication Activities In The United Kingdom To UK Broker Sound Performance

DOCDATA Has Sold Its CD And DVD Replication Activities In The United Kingdom To UK Broker Sound Performance

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

WAALWIJK, The Netherlands, January 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The management of DOCDATA N.V. today announces that docdata media Ltd. in Telford (UK), a part of the docdata media division, has sold its complete business activities for CD and DVD replication and Audio Cassette manufacturing to Sound Performance Manufacturing Ltd., a subsidiary of the UK based Sound Performance Ltd. This transaction includes the sale by docdata media Ltd. as per the transaction date of 30th of January 2009 of its business activities, tangible fixed assets, stocks, customer contracts, trade creditors and personnel and staff. Details on the financial characteristics of the transaction will not be further specified at the specific request of Sound Performance.

Ansell Limited Launching A New Global Website

Ansell Limited Launching A New Global Website

Jan 30 2009 | comment(s)

RED BANK, New Jersey, BRUSSELS and MELBOURNE, January 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Ansell Limited has launched a new global corporate website. With over a century of expertise, the global leader in healthcare barrier protective solutions is now rethinking its presence on the web. The new http://www.ansell.com website is now officially online with fully updated company information and a brand new Investor Centre.

The site includes corporate information with online video presentation and news, an overview of the various Ansell businesses and its core brands, and a gateway to the Ansell shareholder information.