Featured Articles

X-ray structure helps us understand Chikungunya virus glycoproteins

X-ray structure helps us understand Chikungunya virus glycoproteins

Dec 06 2010 | comment(s)

Chikungunya virus has been terrorizing some parts of the world by causing disease in humans through Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

They belong to a family called alpha virus. Virulence can be attributed to the glycoproteins, E1 and E2 which also line the shell of the virus. Glycoprotein E1 is responsible for membrane fusion and E2 ( a product of cleavage of p62 by Furin, E3 being the second product) is responsible for receptor recognition. p62 and E1 exist as a precursor before Furin cleaves p62 into E2 and E3.
Another Titanic Mystery - Brand New Bacterial Species Discovered

Another Titanic Mystery - Brand New Bacterial Species Discovered

Dec 06 2010 | comment(s)

The RMS Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 and then was found by searchers in 1977, still has a few mysteries left.   

A brand-new bacterial species dubbed Halomonas titanicae by scientists from Dalhousie University in Halifax and the University of Sevilla, was found aboard the Titanic and is contributing to its deterioration. 

The researchers isolated the Halomonas titanicae micro-organisms from a 'rusticle' collected from the Titanic, 3.8 km below the ocean surface.
Intentional Claus

Intentional Claus

Dec 06 2010 | comment(s)

Near the end of my book, Anti-Social Engineering the Hyper-Manipulated Self, I discuss twenty-two interesting intentions. Some of these intentions had, as their sole purpose, a control beside which other, more pressing, relevant intentions could be measured. Such is it that I came to discuss Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas.

Intention: If you're good, Santa Claus will bring you a Christmas Present.

Why There Is Something Instead Of Nothing

Why There Is Something Instead Of Nothing

Dec 06 2010 | comment(s)

Why is there anything? It is kind of conceivable that there could be no thing 'existing' at all – no world, no universes, no consciousness. However, there is at least something.

The opposite of “there is something” is “there isn’t anything (e.g. observed)” but not “there is (e.g. observed) some nothing”. This is important to avoid much ado about nothing. “Nothing” refers to the absence of anything. “Nothing” is not another something.

Squid: Nutritional Supplement

Squid: Nutritional Supplement

Dec 06 2010 | comment(s)

Almost nothing in the ocean can resist eating squid. That includes the macaroni penguin, which "live almost entirely on krill" but "do supplement their krill diet with up to five percent squid."

I wonder if they get specific nutrients from squid that are lacking in krill? Someday when I have more time I'll have to pursue that . . .
The End of a Semester and Thoughts on Critical Thinking

The End of a Semester and Thoughts on Critical Thinking

Dec 05 2010 | comment(s)

The semester is all over except for finals week, so this weekend and next week will have me busy grading all the papers I assigned. It's good work, busy work, and nice to see how much stronger writers and thinkers my students have become through the course of the semester.
Empathy: evolution's latest trend?

Empathy: evolution's latest trend?

Dec 05 2010 | comment(s)

Our body is a constant reminder of the fact that we share our origins with many other species, as Neil Shubin describes it so well in his book “Your inner fish”.

The basic plan for members has remained the same in all existing species and this ever since a strange kind of fish called tiktaalik was literally doing pushups with his proto-forelegs in shallow waters. The common plan for members has since been the following: First one bone, corresponding to our thigh or arm, then two bones corresponding to our leg or forearm, then a bunch of small bones corresponding to our ankle or wrist, to finish with a variable number of “fingers”.
Your next hard drive - bacteria

Your next hard drive - bacteria

Dec 05 2010 | comment(s)

DNA computing and storage has been on the horizon for most of this decade but never gone beyond the intellectual exercise stage.   Storage limitations were far too small to merit applied science efforts so it was clever but that was the extent of it.

That may not be the situation for much longer.   GenomeWeb reports that a research team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong has encrypted and stored a hefty 90GB of data in one gram of bacteria, creating what they are calling a "massively parallel bacterial storage system."
3-D Map Of Fly Brain Is Like A Genome For Neuroscience

3-D Map Of Fly Brain Is Like A Genome For Neuroscience

Dec 05 2010 | comment(s)

Researchers have created the first brain-wide wiring map of a fruit fly, a breakthrough that is being compared to the genome for geneticists, and they say it paves the way for a comprehensive analysis of information processing within and between neurons and ultimately a deeper understanding of control and causality in fly behavior. 
Why Name That Arsenic Microbe GFAJ-1?

Why Name That Arsenic Microbe GFAJ-1?

Dec 05 2010 | comment(s)

It was hard to miss the arsenic microbe news last week.  Heck, I was in the woods of Pennsylvania with no cell phone access much less Internet and I knew about it. The NASA hype machine and mass media's need to sell eyeballs made sure of that.
Who Are The Ancestors Of Modern Squid?

Who Are The Ancestors Of Modern Squid?

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

Some people might suggest the nautilus as the ancestor of modern squid, since they're the only "ancient-looking" cephalopods most of us have seen. But the lineage that led to modern nautiluses and the lineage that led to modern squid diverged long before there was anything that looked like a squid.

Here is a tree of evolutionary relationships within the Cephalopoda, from the magnificent Tree of Life website.

Death - Humanity's Number One Problem

Death - Humanity's Number One Problem

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

The three problems of humanity were outlined in a talk by Nick Bostrom (of Oxford University, UK) at TED in April 2009.  While I'm sure there are some that will consider these points to be quite reasonable in setting goals, I'm continuously amazed at the lack of rigor or introspection these claims aim at.  

In a nutshell, the talk identified three (3) problems that were perceived as needing to be addressed to "fix" humanity. In this article, I will discuss the first one.

Problem #1:  Death is a BIG problem.
Humanity + @ Caltech: Speaker/Organizer Contact Info

Humanity + @ Caltech: Speaker/Organizer Contact Info

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

The Humanity + @ Caltech conference kicked off this morning in Pasadena with a dynamic group of speakers, discussing how humanity is being defined by technology, media, and by us, the active participants. People were inquiring about Twitter handles and web addresses, so I thought I would compile a list, and add to it as I find them.

(I'll be blogging about the content a bit later today.)

You can find me on Twitter @AndreaKuszewski and on facebook.

Follow Humanity + on Twitter @humanityplus (Official hashtag is #hplus)

Gylne Tider, Norway's funnest show, lip syncs its way to viral success

Gylne Tider, Norway's funnest show, lip syncs its way to viral success

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

I can't make sense of the point behind this video but that's why I have a science site and not a chat show like "Gylne Tider".

They made a promotional video of people lip syncing a remake (1987) of Paul McCartney's "Let It Be" (I know, I know, it was technically The Beatles, but we all know their agreeing to list themselves as Lennon-McCartney gave John Lennon a lot more credit for Beatles work on those last few albums than he deserved - he was phoning it in) but they aren't singers - and the subtitles are fun to read.

Tonya Harding, the not Don Johnson guy from Miami Vice, Glenn Close Botox-ed into oblivion, Katarin Witt on air guitar and many others - this is a keeper.
Current Use Of Botox May Look Even Dumber To Future Generations

Current Use Of Botox May Look Even Dumber To Future Generations

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

Botulinum Toxin A is a commonly used cosmetic treatment, where the drug paralyzes small muscles in the face to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.   If you have ever seen someone who looks normal and then suddenly looks like The Joker, you have seen Botox in action.   A new study by researchers at the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, is raising questions about the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin A.
The most-read person in the world

The most-read person in the world

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

Who would you think is the most read person in the world;  Shakespeare, God, that lady who wrote the Harry Potter books?

Nope, it turns out to be Matthew Carter of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Never heard of him?  Neither had I but the Babbage blog at The Economist has.  Carter is the person who created the Georgia and Verdana fonts, which are now on practically every personal computer in existence.  He created them both in the 1990s for Microsoft, which released them with Internet Explorer and bundled them into Windows and then issued them as a free download for all PCs.
Religion In The Brain

Religion In The Brain

Dec 04 2010 | comment(s)

What happens when you die? What's right and wrong? What's the purpose of life? Aaaaarrghhh! Chill out, God has the answers. And the religious part of your brain knows it.

The anterior cingulated cortex is the human home of anxiety. And it's increasingly chill in people with religious conviction. In fact this anxiety center is quieter in people with any strong convictions that answer big questions, including conservative political ideologies. (Lest ye nail this author to the cross of liberal media bias, this is not necessarily a bad thing: it seems that many people could benefit from a chill pill shoved into their brain's anxiety center.)