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Missing Link? Darwinius Masillae Transitional Fossil Has Human-Like Nails And Opposable Big Toes

Missing Link? Darwinius Masillae Transitional Fossil Has Human-Like Nails And Opposable Big Toes

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

It's always best not to go overboard but the discovery of Darwinius masillae is pretty darn exciting, because it represents the most complete fossil primate ever found;  the skeleton, soft body outline and even the stomach contents.   It is phylogenetically terrific. Or not.  In any new claim like this, there will be doubts.
Bucher CityCat H2 - A Hydrogen Vehicle Your Local Government Can Be Proud Of

Bucher CityCat H2 - A Hydrogen Vehicle Your Local Government Can Be Proud Of

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

Empa and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have, together with Bucher Schoerling, Proton Motor, BRUSA Elektronik AG und Messer Schweiz, developed a hydrogen powered municipal street cleaning vehicle which was presented to the public last week in Basel. The vehicle is named the "Bucher CityCat H2"  and is the first municipal utility vehicle in the world powered by fuel cell technology.   For the next 18 months it will be tested in everyday usage.
Dolinasorex Glyphodon - Good Luck Taming This Million Year Old Shrew

Dolinasorex Glyphodon - Good Luck Taming This Million Year Old Shrew

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

Morphometric and phylogenetic analyses of the fossilised remains of the jaws and teeth of a shrew discovered in a deposit in Gran Dolina de Atapuerca, in Burgos, a city of northern Spain at the edge of the central plateau, have shown this to be a new species (Dolinasorex glyphodon) that has not previously been described. The extinct animal had red teeth, was large in size compared with mammals of the same family, and was more closely related to Asian than European shrews.
Neanderthal Intelligence Redux

Neanderthal Intelligence Redux

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

Neanderthals/neandertals, popularly regarded as the 'stupid' cousins of modern humans, were actually capable of capturing the most impressive animals - and that takes some sense.   Dutch researcher Gerrit Dusseldorp analyzed their daily forays for food to gain insights into the complex behavior of the Neanderthal. His analysis revealed that the hunting was very knowledge intensive. 
An Air-Fuelled Battery That Lasts Ten Times As Long? Yes, Please

An Air-Fuelled Battery That Lasts Ten Times As Long? Yes, Please

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

A new type of air-fuelled battery called the STAIR (St Andrews Air) cell could give up to ten times the energy storage of designs currently available, meaning a new generation of batteries for electric cars, mobile phones and laptops.

The new design has the potential to improve the performance of portable electronic products and give a major boost to the renewable energy industry. The batteries will enable a constant electrical output from sources such as wind or solar, which stop generating when the weather changes or night falls.
Nexus TDD-9000 Liquid Cooling: Laptop Accessory Of The Year For 2009?

Nexus TDD-9000 Liquid Cooling: Laptop Accessory Of The Year For 2009?

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

Dutch firm Nexus Technology enters the market for laptop accessories with a new patented liquid cooling solution. The TDD-9000 is a soft black velvet blanket with inside a gel-like liquid. The patented liquid has unique heat dissipating characteristics and works completely passive and noiseless.

"When you put the laptop cooling pad on your lap you will feel your lap turn colder within 10 seconds," says Michael van der Jagt, CEO of Nexus Technology. "The Taiwanese testing institute SGS Taiwan has done independent tests that support these claims.

Komodo Dragon Tooth-Venom Arsenal, Not Bacteria, Makes It Deadly

Komodo Dragon Tooth-Venom Arsenal, Not Bacteria, Makes It Deadly

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

A new study has shown that the effectiveness of the Komodo Dragon bite is a combination of highly specialized serrated teeth and venom and the authors say this dismisses the widely accepted theory that prey die from septicemia caused by toxic bacteria living in the dragon's mouth.

Using sophisticated medical imaging techniques, an international team led by Dr Bryan Fry from the University of Melbourne have revealed that the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) has the most complex venom glands yet described for any reptile, and that its close extinct relative Megalania was the largest venomous animal to have lived.
Making A Tuberculosis Vaccine That's Effective (Again)

Making A Tuberculosis Vaccine That's Effective (Again)

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

A team of Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators say they have cracked one of clinical medicine's enduring mysteries – namely, why the once-effective tuberculosis vaccine no longer prevents the bacterial lung infection that kills more than 1.7 million people worldwide each year. 

The solution could lead to an improved TB vaccine and also may offer a novel platform for vaccines against other pathogens. 

The current TB vaccine, known as BCG (bacille Calmette-Guérin), has been around since the 1920s. It was made by weakening (attenuating) a strain of bacteria that causes tuberculosis in cows and that genetically is 98 percent identical to the human TB germ. 
Proteomics And The Hunt For Disease-Causing Molecules

Proteomics And The Hunt For Disease-Causing Molecules

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

The secret to any good recipe is knowing how things happen in a system and the recipe for diseases is no different.  Many diseases have crucial proteins which change the dynamics of cells from benign to deadly. New findings from an international collaboration involving McGill University, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) just made identifying these changes one step easier. Their findings published in Nature Methods, show how to improve protein analysis to tease out relevant potential disease-causing molecules.
When Gadgets Lose Their Magic

When Gadgets Lose Their Magic

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

Over at Wired, read about gadgets losing their luster:

When Arthur C. Clarke went to the great geosynchronous orbit in the sky last year, he left behind a huge legacy, not least of which was a quote oft cited by Silicon Valley visionaries and wannabes. "Any sufficiently advanced technology," the sci-fi master wrote in 1962, "is indistinguishable from magic."

I thought of Clarke's observation recently while I was playing with a Flip MinoHD camcorder. It's a stripped-down device with a footprint smaller than an Altoids tin, yet it holds an hour of video (in high definition!) and even has 2X zoom.
Case Reports Of Hospitalized Patients With Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu In California During April And May 2009

Case Reports Of Hospitalized Patients With Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu In California During April And May 2009

May 19 2009 | comment(s)

Since April 15 and 17, 2009, when the first two cases of novel influenza A (H1N1) infection were identified from two southern California counties, novel influenza A (H1N1) cases have been documented throughout the world, with most cases occurring in the United States and Mexico.

In the United States, early reports of illnesses associated with novel influenza A (H1N1) infection indicated the disease might be similar in severity to seasonal influenza, with the majority of patients not requiring hospitalization and only rare deaths reported, generally in persons with underlying medical conditions.
Biological Meaning of Selfishness, Cooperation, and Altruism – Part 1

Biological Meaning of Selfishness, Cooperation, and Altruism – Part 1

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

It appears that there is still a bit of a controversy and disconnect between the ideas in evolution relating to selfishness, cooperation, and altruism. In this series of articles, it is my intent to explore each of these ideas and demonstrate how they may arise and the role they play in improving the evolutionary lot of various species.



Interestingly enough, all these terms are only meaningful within the context of cooperation, since a selfish individual is one that acts against the cooperative group and an altruistic individual is one that willingly acts for the cooperative group (selflessness). Given these “loaded” terms and the emotional concepts they convey, it is useful to consider the actual biology at work.


Random Noise 8 : Computer Languages

Random Noise 8 : Computer Languages

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

Anybody who wants to learn how to write a computer program is faced with a bewildering variety of programming languages.  The reasons for having so many computer languages are partly logical, partly elitist and partly historical.

Whilst researching the topic of computer languages I stumbled on a 'brief history of computer languages'.  It is so hopelessly and farcically  riddled with errors as to leave me with only one comment to make:

I wish I'd written it.  :)

A recommended read about programming languages by James Iry.
The Internet, in

The Internet, in "New Scientist", part 7

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

Part 7 of my series of comments on the New Scientist magazine series “Eight things you didn’t know about the internet” goes into the “carbon footprint” of the Internet: “Is the net hurting the environment?”, by Duncan Graham-Rowe.

It’s easy to think that the Internet can only be helpful to the environment. If you’re shopping online, you’re not driving to the store in your car. If you’re reading things online, you’re not printing the material, using paper and having trees cut down for it.

SNPs and public health and RCTs, oh my!

SNPs and public health and RCTs, oh my!

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

The recent Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco just held its annual meeting in Ireland; some fascinating research is happening all over the world.

Researchers are looking at SNPs for therapeutic targets, to predict whether patients would succeed in abstinence programs, and more. Other studies are examining the difference in response to nicotine, pleasure response, cessation and more between genders and among ethnic groups. What about using YouTube for cessation programs? There's a study for that. The impacts of banning smoking in public places, smoking and mental health, smoking and cancer? Read all about it. There's even a psycholinguistic study for Patrick!  (#PA10-4, dear Mr. Lockerby.)

One in a hundred

One in a hundred

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

The swine flu is spreading silently and slowly throughout the World, but it does not make headlines any more -or not yet again, at least. So far, a total of 8565 cases have been reported in five continents, and 73 people have died of it. The last death reported is a 55-years-old teacher in New York, who passed away after a five-day respiratory crisis.

This influenza is not as deadly as initially thought, if we look at the numbers: given the above numbers we obtain a death rate of less than one in a hundred -or, to be precise, 8.52+-0.99 per mille, where the uncertainty given is just statistical.
Morning Science Quote

Morning Science Quote

May 18 2009 | comment(s)





Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small piece of her fabric revels the organization of the entire tapestry.

- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Law, p.34








Geochemistry As Alchemy - Gas Becomes Solid At The Mountain Of God

Geochemistry As Alchemy - Gas Becomes Solid At The Mountain Of God

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

If you didn't know better, you might think the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano in Tanzania was proof of alchemy.

There, in the ancient East African Rift at a place known to local Maasai people as the Mountain of God, Oldoinyo Lengai spews forth carbon dioxide-laden lavas called carbonatites. The carbonatites line the volcano's flanks like snowballs.  Oldoinyo Lengai is the only place on Earth where carbonatites currently erupt -- and where carbon dioxide from a volcano doesn't vanish into thin air as a gas.

In a paper published this week in the journal Nature, scientists report the results of a study of Oldoinyo Lengai's volcanic gas emissions, sampled by the team during a carbonatite lava eruption.

LifeLike - EVL Lab Sets Out To Simulate Your (Evil) Twin

LifeLike - EVL Lab Sets Out To Simulate Your (Evil) Twin

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

Is "Multiplicity" your favorite movie?   Have you ever wished you could be in two places at once or create an evil twin (and name him Skippy)?   A research project called LifeLike is trying to bring that a little closer to reality.

Project LifeLike is a collaboration between the Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Intelligent Systems Laboratory (ISL) at the University of Central Florida and aims to create visualizations of people, or avatars, that are as realistic as possible. While their current results are far from perfect replications of a specific person, their work has advanced the field forward and opens up a host of possible applications in the not-too-distant future.
Children Fail To Thrive In Britain's Schools, Say Parents

Children Fail To Thrive In Britain's Schools, Say Parents

May 18 2009 | comment(s)

British parents call for a radical overhaul of the education system, saying that secondary school is not working for over a quarter (28 per cent) of children.

According to independent education foundation Edge, it is a situation that worsens with age as 40 per cent of 15-16 year olds are failing to thrive at school.

And this appears to be impacting on happiness levels as a quarter (26 per cent) of secondary school mums and dads admit they often worry their child is not happy - 23 per cent saying their offspring has not been happy since starting secondary school.

Questioning the one-size fits all approach, two fifths of parents (42 per cent) claim that only academically minded children do well at school.