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Synthetic Sunshine And Synthetic Biology – The Future Of Humanity

Synthetic Sunshine And Synthetic Biology – The Future Of Humanity

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

Should we worry about a future with no humans? This question and many more will be answered in a public lecture at Keele University looking at new advances in science and technology – and their impact on humanity. 

Bioethicist Professor John Harris will give the second of Keele University’s 2008/2009 series of public lectures, “Synthetic Sunshine and Synthetic Biology – The Future of Humanity”, on Monday, November 17, at 6.30pm in the University’s Westminster Theatre. 

He will discuss the radical scientific approaches which could enhance our species – making us live longer and resist disease, for example – and which could result in new and improved successors to humankind. 
100,000 Saved From Tuberculosis Death - Now Let's Improve Diagnosis

100,000 Saved From Tuberculosis Death - Now Let's Improve Diagnosis

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

Asma Elsony led the tuberculosis programme in Sudan at the same time as she took her doctoral degree under the supervision of Professor Gunnar Bjune of the Department of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo in Norway. 

During her doctoral degree studies she became President of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease as the first African and the first President from south of the globe. During her presidency the Board moved with the DOTs model to other public health lung problems – one of many other achievements.

One of the problems – and this applies to very many countries – is that it takes far too long to diagnose tuberculosis.
100 Million Year Old Marine Plankton Found In Amber

100 Million Year Old Marine Plankton Found In Amber

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

Marine microorganisms have been found in amber dating from the middle of the Cretaceous period. The fossils were collected in Charente, in France. This completely unexpected discovery will deepen our understanding of these lost marine species as well as providing precious data about the coastal environment of Western France during the Cretaceous.
Genetic Cross-talk: Sicilian Enters British Genetic Language

Genetic Cross-talk: Sicilian Enters British Genetic Language

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

A scientific team from the John Innes Centre and University of St Andrews has identified a key gene that was transferred from a Sicilian plant into a close relative in Britain, showing how genetic cross-talk between species can be important for evolution. 

The researchers unravelled the remarkable history of an Italian interloper, a close relative of the common British weed Groundsel, that was first brought to the UK 300 years ago. In an amazing piece of genetic detective work, to be published in Science on Friday, they tracked down a small region of DNA in the British weed that came from its Sicilian relative. 
Afraid Of Having Blood Drawn? It May Not Be All In Your Head

Afraid Of Having Blood Drawn? It May Not Be All In Your Head

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

Psychological stress and anxiety have been shown to produce an activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis. Resulting hypercoagulability is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and could therefore contribute to an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease in anxiety patients. However, hemostasis function has not yet been studied in patients with clinically relevant anxiety disorders.
Genetics Of Aging (and Cancer Resistance Too)

Genetics Of Aging (and Cancer Resistance Too)

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

In the November 15th issue of Genes&Development, Dr. Kenneth Dorshkind and colleagues at the David Geffen School of Medicine (UCLA) have identified two genes – p16(Ink4a) and Arf – that sensitize lymphoid progenitor cells to the effects of aging, and confer resistance to leukemogenesis. 

Hematopoiesis (the development of blood cells) entails two main pathways: myelopoiesis (the formation of the red and white myeloid cells) and lymphopoiesis (the formation of B- and T-cells). While myelopoiesis remains constant throughout life, lymphopoiesis declines with age.
Tau - The Secret Behind Sharp Memories At An Old Age

Tau - The Secret Behind Sharp Memories At An Old Age

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

Maybe you have an 85-year-old grandfather who still whips through the newspaper crossword puzzle every morning or a 94-year-old aunt who never forgets a name or a face. They don't seem to suffer the ravages of memory that beset most people as they age.   Researchers at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine wondered if the brains of the elderly with still laser sharp memory -- called "super aged" -- were somehow different than everyone else's.

So instead of the usual approach in which scientists explore what goes wrong in a brain when older people lose their memory they investigated what goes right in an aging brain that stays nimble. 

Here's the preliminary answer:
Photonics Emerges From The Shadows

Photonics Emerges From The Shadows

Nov 16 2008 | comment(s)

The name has been around for four decades, but only now is a recognizable photonics community emerging in Europe. A European study has documented a fast-growing sector of more than 2100 companies and 700 research laboratories.

In 2005, Europe’s photonics sector earned €43.5 billion and was growing at 12% a year. It employed 246,000 people, accounted for 19% of world production and was already bigger than the semiconductor sector.  Yet, at the same time, the industry was hardly recognized in Europe.
When Worry Is Worthless, When Fear Is A Friend

When Worry Is Worthless, When Fear Is A Friend

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

How rational are our fears?  

In late 2007 a study discovered the word that evoked the greatest fear.  The study included the words spider, snake death, rape, murder and incest.  

“Shark” evoked the strongest reaction.

But why?  Sharks rarely come in contact with us.  Three reasons:  the seeming randomness of their strike, the lack of warning for it and the apparent lack of remorse.

Why this is especially important for women to understand?

We women worry more than men. Much more.
Embarrassing Accidents, Oversharing and Real Connection

Embarrassing Accidents, Oversharing and Real Connection

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

Those mortifying accidents. Stephen J. Dubner unleashed a pent-up flood of guilt and shame from readers of his New York Times column.

Ever written an email, then sent it in haste … to the wrong person? Or cc’d people who shouldn’t have seen your candid message? Or mistakenly received an email that was not meant for your eyes? Within days after Dubner told his tale, 166 readers shared their stories of regret, outrage and in Marci Alboher’s case, a happy ending. Wonder what’s the proper etiquette in this new world of instantly sendable missives? Like advice on avoiding such mishaps?
How Our Tech Helps Us Get Along - or Not

How Our Tech Helps Us Get Along - or Not

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

Bluntly speaking, we are more likely to cooperate in a group when those who don’t get punished. “Darwin had a blind spot. It wasn’t that he didn’t see the role of cooperation in evolution. He just didn’t see how important it is.” Little has changed until relatively recently.

We were raised to compete because we were taught it was a matter of survival of the fittest. Yet, as David Brooks noted, even today, some believe in upfront combat and some in consensus.

Speaking of working together (or not), in many situations experts are not as accurate as a large group can be. “In fact, large groups, structured properly, can be smarter than the smartest member of a group.”
How Many Personalities Are Inside You?

How Many Personalities Are Inside You?

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

That irritating co-worker you’re stuck sitting by (again!) sees a decidedly different side of you than your best friend does. That’s because you have many people inside of you (no they’re not imaginary). That’s what veteran science writer, Rita Carter discovered as she began reading about bi-polar personalities for Mapping the Mind. Emerging research shows that several, “personalities are made and kept separate in the human brain” … of everyone. Want a glimpse of how many you have? Depending on the situation and who you’re are around, different people pop out and speak for you.
How Quickly Would You Conform?

How Quickly Would You Conform?

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

You, too, may laugh in amusement at these Candid Camera style “experiments.” Yet, ruefully, I acknowledge that I might conform within minutes… well seconds?

Also, see this other well-known (among psychologists, anyway) “people are sheep” experiment by Solomon Asch. Would you trust your eyes or an authority’s pronouncement? Afterwards, many psychologists concluded that the perceived power of the “authority” has a huge effect on our compliance.

Here’s a gratifying update.
Is Your World “Me” or “Us”- Centered? Which is More Prevalent?

Is Your World “Me” or “Us”- Centered? Which is More Prevalent?

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

We instinctively experience situations as individuals or as part of a group.  As David Brooks suggests today, the world is divided into those with an individualist or a collectivist mentality. Guess which group is larger.
Unfair! Revenge. How Women and Men Act

Unfair! Revenge. How Women and Men Act

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

Neuroscientist Tania Singer and her team recruited volunteers to play a game. Some were asked to play by the rules. Others were instructed to ignore them. To not play fair.

After all participants played the game together, they were then asked to observe each other in a second activity. Scientists measured some of the volunteers’ brain activity as they observed some of their former game opponents apparently being subjected to different levels of pain.

Result?   The brain areas that signal pain became active in all who thought they were observing pain in others. This provides neural evidence of their empathy.
Smarter Throughout History? New Fossil Says No (Ancient Humans Were Big-Headed Too!)

Smarter Throughout History? New Fossil Says No (Ancient Humans Were Big-Headed Too!)

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

The new discovery of a 2 million year old female pelvis is changing theories about how smart our ancestors really were. The analysis of the Homo erectus pelvis structure (found in Gona, Ethiopia) indicates an increased possibility of neonatal brain size as well as locomotive ability for homeostasis, two opposing aspects in birth that never previously known for that time.
Anxiety Disorder Patients Also Think They Have More Physiological Problems

Anxiety Disorder Patients Also Think They Have More Physiological Problems

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

A doctoral thesis carried out at the University of Granada has proved that patients with serious anxiety disorders (panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety disorder) think they suffer more physiological (palpitations, sweating, irregular breathing, shaking of the hands and muscular tension …) than they really have. In other words, although many patients with anxiety disorders have orally reported very intense physiological symptoms in surveys and questionaires, they are hyporeactive when real measures of such symptoms are taken through physiological tests.
Unhappy People Watch More Television

Unhappy People Watch More Television

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. The study appears in the December issue of the journal “Social Indicators Research.”

Analyzing 30-years worth of national data from time-use studies and a continuing series of social attitude surveys, the Maryland researchers report that spending time watching television may contribute to viewers’ happiness in the moment, with less positive effects in the long run.
Nanobamas: 3-D Portraits Of The President-elect That Are Smaller Than A Grain Of Salt

Nanobamas: 3-D Portraits Of The President-elect That Are Smaller Than A Grain Of Salt

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

A University of Michigan professor has created 3-D portraits of the president-elect that are smaller than a grain of salt. He calls them "nanobamas."

John Hart, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, made the mini-Barack Obama 'Nanobama' likenesses with his colleagues to raise awareness of nanotechnology and science.   Plus, Obama flowed much nicer with 'nano' than  McCain would have.   And Hart voted for Obama, not that you didn't think so already.

Each one contains about 150 million carbon nanotubes stacked vertically like trees in a forest. A carbon nanotube is an extraordinarily strong hollow cylinder about 1/50,000th the width of a human hair. 
Hadropithecus - Rare Extinct Lemur Skeleton Gets Assembled After 100 Years

Hadropithecus - Rare Extinct Lemur Skeleton Gets Assembled After 100 Years

Nov 15 2008 | comment(s)

Scientists in Madagascar, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Vienna Natural History Museum and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst now have a nearly complete skeleton of a rare species of extinct lemur to study thanks to a century-long discovery and reconstruction effort. Laurie R. Godfrey, professor of anthropology at UMass Amherst and lemur expert, played a key role in the process in which contemporary researchers were able to match newly found bones with those discovered in a cave in Madagascar in 1899 to construct much of the skeleton of a rare species of extinct lemur.

“It’s remarkable that we were able to reunite bits of the original skeleton,” Godfrey says. “This is a very big gift to science from many people.”