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1 In 3 Brits Still Struggling To Find An NHS Dentist

1 In 3 Brits Still Struggling To Find An NHS Dentist

Mar 31 2009 | comment(s)

It has been revealed that 1 in 3 people in the UK are still struggling to find an NHS dentist, according to new research from Simplyhealth.

Simplyhealth's Annual Dental Survey has revealed that alarmingly just over a third of Brits (35%) struggled to find an NHS dentist over the last year, which has increased from 23% at the same time in 2008.

Perhaps more shocking is the fact that this figure soars in certain areas of the UK, with over half of the people in Plymouth finding it difficult to get an NHS dentist, closely followed by those in Southampton and Manchester, where 45% and 43% have struggled.

The severity of the situation this year has been heightened by the economic downturn, as almost half of people across the UK have put off visiting the dentist becaus

Those Pesky Cane Toads...

Those Pesky Cane Toads...

Mar 31 2009 | comment(s)

If you don't know the story of the cane toads, here's the short version: imported to Australia in hopes of controlling the cane beetle, which came to the continent with the sugar cane when *it* was imported (are you sensing an unfortunate pattern here?), they now run amok and wreak havoc on natural Australian ecosystems.  It's one of the best invasive species horror stories that I know.
Rats 0, Mice 1

Rats 0, Mice 1

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

I  often like to watch Dog Whisperer, and am fascianated by how a very small dog can often dominate a much larger one, simply through being of higher “energy”, as Cesar Millan calls it.  Watchers of that programme can see that this works across species too, as Cesar trains owners not to let their dogs dominate them, but to take over as human “pack leader”.  Now comes an interesting example of this working between related rodent species.
The Chicken, the Egg and The Hermeneutic Circle.

The Chicken, the Egg and The Hermeneutic Circle.

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

The Chicken, the Egg and The Hermeneutic Circle.


Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

It is often difficult when analysing a problem to know where to start. Cause and effect sometimes seem to chase each other around in a circle. In the study of language, should we look first at the meaning of the words, or the sentence? This is a chicken and egg problem, the hermeneutic  circle.
Caffeine Toxicity: How Much Is Too Much?

Caffeine Toxicity: How Much Is Too Much?

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

There are four caffeine-induced psychiatric disorders recognized by the DSM-IV, the diagnosis manual of the American Psychiatric Association: caffeine intoxication, caffeine-induced anxiety disorder, caffeine-induced sleep disorder, and caffeine-related disorder not otherwise specified.

And, as you know if you have ever had to walk low-Starbucks-density wastelands, withdrawal can result in nausea, lethargy and depression. But what of the classic, washed-up-child-star-style overdose?
Math Separates Magicicadas From Regularcicadas

Math Separates Magicicadas From Regularcicadas

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

Cicadas are nature’s candy—fat meaty bugs straight out of a Temple of Doom buffet.  Though most cicadas worldwide live typical insect lives, the Magicicada genus in the eastern US has a special power move to counterbalance its deliciousness: periodicity. 
W.D. Hamilton, Selfish Herds, And Other Biological Oddities

W.D. Hamilton, Selfish Herds, And Other Biological Oddities

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

I recently saw W D Hamilton’s 1970 paper “Geometry for the Selfish Herd” described as “a classic in its own right.” As a long-time bibliophile this made it irresistible, but I was also intrigued by the incongruity of “selfish herd” and of linking geometry to animals. I have to report that the paper certainly is a classic, for all the wrong reasons, but it contains a valuable message.

The introduction to the paper began with:
This paper presents an antithesis to the view that gregarious behaviour is evolved through benefits to the population or species. Following Galton (1871) and Williams (1964) gregarious behaviour is considered as a form of cover-seeking in which each animal tries to reduce its chance of being caught by a predator.

Eaten Alive: Massive Swarm Consumes Hopes

Eaten Alive: Massive Swarm Consumes Hopes

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

 

'Holy Grail' Of Plant Biology - Gene Responsible For Global Warming Growth

'Holy Grail' Of Plant Biology - Gene Responsible For Global Warming Growth

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

Researchers at the universities of Leicester and Oxford have made a discovery about plant growth which could potentially have an enormous impact on crop production as global warming increases.

Dr Kerry Franklin, from the University of Leicester Department of Biology led the study which has identified a single gene responsible for controlling plant growth responses to elevated temperature.
Going Under The Knife To Treat Diabetes

Going Under The Knife To Treat Diabetes

Mar 30 2009 | comment(s)

As more research is conducted on the development and spread of pandemic type II diabetes, there is more evidence than ever that diabetes is intricately linked to obesity, which is spreading in the US at an alarming rate.

To combat the struggle of managing type II diabetes, physicians have turned to unconventional methods to reduce fat and likewise combat diabetes symptoms.  Obesity reduction was the theme of the 2009 UK Diabetes Professional Conference in Glasgow, and efforts to treat and reverse diabetes through bariatric surgery was one of the most controversial topics.
James Hansen Sets The Record Straight On The New York Times Article 'The Civil Heretic'

James Hansen Sets The Record Straight On The New York Times Article 'The Civil Heretic'

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

Dr. James E. Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York and an adviser to Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” is quoted and referred to in the New York Times article "The Civil Heretic - Freeman Dyson - Profile"  - by Nicholas Dawidoff, March 29, 2009, New York Times, page MM32 and in the New York Times Magazine, March 25, 2009.

Dr. Hansen sent his response to the article to those who have subscribed to his e-mail commentaries the day before its publication in the Sunday New York Times. He has given me permission to convey his clarification in its entirety:

New York Times Magazine
 
The Science Of Baseball: What Is The Farthest Home Run (And Did Mickey Mantle Hit It)?

The Science Of Baseball: What Is The Farthest Home Run (And Did Mickey Mantle Hit It)?

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

 As I briefly laid out in The Science Of Baseball: Coefficients And Happy Haitians, people like home runs though baseball purists don't necessarily think much of them - unless their team gets one.
 
Intelligence Made Simple: Part 2

Intelligence Made Simple: Part 2

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

Intelligence Made Simple: Part 2
Please see also Part 1
Are there other intelligences in the cosmos?  
How would we know?
By what universal standard can we know intelligence when we see it?


A Universal Definition of Intelligence.

This is what I call 'square one'  analysis.  Putting aside all unanswerable questions about metaphysical entities, let us look at the basic building blocks of, not life as we know it, but the chemistry of the cosmos.
Earth Hour Photos 2009

Earth Hour Photos 2009

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

A few photos from around the world of cities that participated in Earth Hour 2009.
Nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries took part in an effort to call attention to climate change. The event, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, called on cities to dim nonessential lights from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Earth Hour 2009 - Sydney
Earth Hour Sydney
Video Games Improve Some Vision Up To 58 Percent

Video Games Improve Some Vision Up To 58 Percent

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

Video games that involve high levels of action,like first-person-shooter games, can increase real-world vision, according to research in Nature Neuroscience, including discerning slight differences in shades of gray; an attribute of the human visual system that can't be improved, it has been believed.

Daphne Bavelier, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, says that very practiced action gamers can actually become 58 percent better at perceiving fine differences in contrast.
Autism - Why Some Avoid Eyes And Stare At Mouths

Autism - Why Some Avoid Eyes And Stare At Mouths

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to stare at people's mouths rather than their eyes. A new study of 2-year-olds with the social deficit disorder suggests why they might find mouths so attractive: lip-sync—the exact match of lip motion and speech sound. Such audiovisual synchrony preoccupied toddlers who have autism, while their unaffected peers focused on socially meaningful movements of the human body, such as gestures and facial expressions. 

Stretching Molecules Atom By Atom

Stretching Molecules Atom By Atom

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

Chemists at the University of Illinois have created a simple and inexpensive molecular technique that replaces an expensive atomic force microscope for studying what happens to small molecules when they are stretched or compressed. 

The researchers use stiff stilbene, a small, inert structure, as a molecular force probe to generate well-defined forces on various molecules, atom by atom. 

"By pulling on different pairs of atoms, we can explore what happens when we stretch a molecule in different ways," said chemistry professor Roman Boulatov. "That information tells us a lot about the properties of fleeting structures called transition states that govern how, and how fast, chemical transformations occur." 
Fish Oil - The Solution To The Livestock Methane Issue?

Fish Oil - The Solution To The Livestock Methane Issue?

Mar 29 2009 | comment(s)

The benefits to animals of omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils have been well documented – helping the heart and circulatory system.   Can they also help in improving meat quality and reducing methane emissions?

Perhaps.   Methane given off by farm animals is a major contributor to greenhouse gas levels and researchers from University College Dublin have reported that by including 2% fish oil in the diet of cattle they achieved a reduction in the amount of methane released by the animals.
An open Letter to the World's Leaders

An open Letter to the World's Leaders

Mar 28 2009 | comment(s)

An open Letter to the World's Leaders

Honorable Leaders,

As our climate continues to change due to our extravagant use of fossil fuels, new sources of those fuels are being discovered in the Arctic regions.

Given that it is our own profligate use of fuels that has caused these new sources to be revealed, does it not make sense to conserve them?  Is it not blindingly obvious that burning these fuels will make climate change  worse?

And yet there is a race to be first to reach, extract, and profit by this new 'wealth'. Some of the Arctic oil and gas is already in the pipelines. Much has already been consumed.
Sparks ahoy!

Sparks ahoy!

Mar 28 2009 | comment(s)

Recently, walking through the grounds of HASYLAB at the German Synchrotron DESY (we are NOT a Daisy!) I was reminded of my favourite book on radio, namely The Science of Radio, by Paul J.