Featured Articles

What is Pragmatics ?

What is Pragmatics ?

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

What is Pragmatics?

This is a very brief introduction to pragmatics, intended to whet your appetite and encourage you to want to know more.

Pragmatic investigations cover the fields of both linguistics and philosophy.
I shall cover the area of linguistics, the study of how language works, first.

Pragmatics and How Language is Used.

In language studies, pragmatics is a very wide field. It examines our use and our understanding of the language we speak and hear, read and write. Pragmatics examines the importance in language studies of our general knowledge, and the importance of common-sense knowledge of our world.
Probiotics Soothe Your Irritable Bowel

Probiotics Soothe Your Irritable Bowel

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

If you are one of the many millions that suffer from unexplained abdominal cramps, bloating, constipation and diarrhea, you are not alone. According to the NIH, 1 in 5 Americans suffer from similar symptoms.

The cause? Physicians have placed all of the unexplained and irregular symptoms into the catch-all disorder irritable bowel syndrome.
A Study Of The Mind As It Relates To Vision

A Study Of The Mind As It Relates To Vision

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

In this study, I will propose, that the relationship between Mind and Vision can enable us to draw certain conclusions relevant to one aspect of what constitutes the Mind, and therefrom, we may seek a better understanding of

Walk It Off, Motor Proteins!

Walk It Off, Motor Proteins!

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

Mechanically, walking is a complicated feat.  We take for granted that a carefree cascade of one-footed falls adds up to steady rapid locomotion.

Replicating a dynamically stable foot-over-foot walk has become a holy grail for roboticists—remember the hype about ASIMO? Researchers at Penn State are taking a shortcut to nanoscale bipedal drones thanks to to motor proteins, the walking caravan molecules within our cells.
Balloons Versus Rovers: SPB Vs MER In Launch Madness

Balloons Versus Rovers: SPB Vs MER In Launch Madness

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

A shock hit NASA's Mission Madness tournament when the fight between the SPB balloon mission and the MER rovers "Spirit" and "Opportunity" escalated to unexpected levels. And now you can find out just how this happened. 'Mission Madness' is a NASA Edge-run voting contest where the public gets to vote for their favorite mission, in a series of 1-on-1 brackets leading to the final winner.
On The Prism Of The Parcelatories

On The Prism Of The Parcelatories

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

DEFINITIONS

Parcelatories, or Partitions, is a mathematical function of Combinatory Analysis which indicates how many possible forms an Whole Number can be obtained from the sum of others smaller Whole Numbers.

An example usually mentioned is the Parcelatories of the number 10.

The number 10 can be obtained from 42 different additions. The list below contains all possible counts:

The entire Parcelatories of 10

Nitrogen Trifluoride And Sulfuryl Fluoride - Two Growing Greenhouse Gases To Think About

Nitrogen Trifluoride And Sulfuryl Fluoride - Two Growing Greenhouse Gases To Think About

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

Two new greenhouse gases are accumulating in the atmosphere, according to an international research team led by scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the US and CSIRO scientist, Dr Paul Fraser, from the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research.

Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2) are powerful greenhouse gases that have recently been discovered to be growing quickly in the global background atmosphere.

These gases are used in industrial processes, partly as alternatives to other harmful greenhouse and ozone depleting gases.

Yeast Study Links Sugar Production To Life Span Longevity

Yeast Study Links Sugar Production To Life Span Longevity

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a new energy-making biochemical twist in determining the lifespan of yeast cells, one so valuable to longevity that it is likely to also functions in humans. 

Their findings, published in the March 20 issue of Cell, reveal that making glucose is highly influenced by a large enzyme complex already known to fix damaged DNA, and which apparently affects yeast life span through a common chemical process—acetylation. 

In a series of experiments, the Hopkins team showed that when continuously acetylated, the so-called NuA4 enzyme complex causes yeast cells to live longer than they would under normal conditions. 
A Design Revolution - Making Products Reliable Again

A Design Revolution - Making Products Reliable Again

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

There was once a theory in manufacturing and business; 'planned obsolescence.'  If you didn't make products with limitations, no one would ever buy new ones.

Then along came a bunch of Asian companies who made better products and American manufacturing took a dive.    Made In America became a political point of pride rather than a mark of quality.

But quality is making a comeback because warranty costs are the next big cost items, write researchers in the International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage - so manufacturers need to design for reliability.
A Biochemical Pathway For 'Unlearning' Fear?

A Biochemical Pathway For 'Unlearning' Fear?

Mar 24 2009 | comment(s)

A receptor for glutamate, the most prominent neurotransmitter in the brain, plays a key role in the process of "unlearning," report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Their findings in the Journal of Neuroscience, could eventually help scientists develop new drug therapies to treat a variety of disorders, including phobias and anxiety disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. PTSD is affecting approximately 5.2 million Americans, according to the National Institute of Health. As many as one in eight returning soldiers suffer from PTSD.
Want To Be A Successful Science Blogger?

Want To Be A Successful Science Blogger?

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

Discover jumped into science blogging on a national scale last year when they hired the awesome Phil Plait, our favorite Bad Astronomer, to be their anchor and then boosted their credibility when they lured respected journalist Carl Zimmer from Seed Media's Scienceblogs.com property, along with the Cosmic Variance folks and others.

Ban on brazilians? NJ in hairy mess

Ban on brazilians? NJ in hairy mess

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

Rejoice, swimsuit-wearing masses - New Jersey officials decided to scrap plans to ban brazilian bikini waxes in the state.

The initial idea for a ban on genital waxing was proposed by the Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling after two women reported being hospitalized for infections following brazilians; one of the women filed a lawsuit. 
A Scientific Approach To Science Education - Reducing Cognitive Load

A Scientific Approach To Science Education - Reducing Cognitive Load

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

Continued from Part 2, A Scientific Approach to Science Education - Research On Learning

On average, students have more novicelike beliefs after they have completed an introductory physics course than they had when they started; this was found for nearly every introductory course measured. More recently, my group started looking at beliefs about chemistry. If anything, the effect of taking an introductory college chemistry course is even worse than for taking physics.
The Schtory Of Schmeat: Vladimir Mironov's Lab-Grown Chicken

The Schtory Of Schmeat: Vladimir Mironov's Lab-Grown Chicken

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

“Let’s say tomorrow some crazy guy bombs America or poisons all your river or puts a lot of nuclear radiation out and all your livestock is poisoned.  What you will eat?”

“Vegetables!” I answered.
Finding Racism Somewhere, Anywhere

Finding Racism Somewhere, Anywhere

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

If you're in the racism industry, an icy chill has gone down your spine in 2009, with an African-American president and both major political parties run by black people.    

As always, a psychologist will find an answer for how society can do those things and still be racist; it turns out you will be less biased against people of other races in your social group but you will still be prejudiced against people of other races you don't have beer with.    Likewise, if you voted for Obama he is not the black person you automatically dislike the way you automatically dislike all other black people.
Socially Stunted by Facebook?

Socially Stunted by Facebook?

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

I was listening to a presentation being given by futurist David Houle a few days ago.  He began to talk about how technology is changing the way that people communicate and work, particularly with the exponential global growth in cell phone subscribers.  As he relayed stats, he discussed implications for how society works.  This made me begin to think of something that had been pestering the back of my mind for a while, the implications of the rapid adoption of Facebook.
A Theory of Time - Part One

A Theory of Time - Part One

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

A Theory of Time - Part One

The problem of time is recognised as
a problem in physics.

What is Time?
Refraction, The Speed Of Light In Beer, And How To Pop A Cap In A Carp

Refraction, The Speed Of Light In Beer, And How To Pop A Cap In A Carp

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

If you haven’t the infinite ammo of the late Hunter S. Thompson or the lightning-fast trigger finger (and impressive spray radius) of a recent Vice President, it actually takes considerable skill to shoot a fish in a barrel (exact difficulty proportional to size of barrel and fish depth and inversely proportional to size of fish). Some of this trickiness is due to refraction, or the change in speed and thus direction of light waves as they move from air to water.

Wait a minute!? Isn’t the speed of light constant?

Yes. But only in a vacuum.
Can Prions Be Epigenetic Regulators In Humans?

Can Prions Be Epigenetic Regulators In Humans?

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

Prions first made their notorious media debut in the mid-1980’s when British cattle contracted Mad Cow disease. As a result, over 150 people in Europe were infected and died from the human form known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease—a fatal neurological disorder with similar symptoms as Mad Cow.

Although prions are infectious agents with a bad reputation, research suggests that prions also play a role in epigenetic regulation.  Recently, a Nature Cell Biology study conducted by molecular biologists at the University of Illinois at Chicago, discovered a new prion in yeast that raises further questions about the biological role of prions in gene regulation.
Rare Earth Shell Game - Some Periodic Table Mysteries Get Solved

Rare Earth Shell Game - Some Periodic Table Mysteries Get Solved

Mar 23 2009 | comment(s)

Physicists at Michigan Technological University have filled in some longtime blank spaces on the periodic table, calculating electron affinities of the lanthanides, a series of 15 elements known as rare earths.

"Electron affinity" is the amount of energy required to detach an electron from an anion, or negative ion (an atom with an extra electron orbiting around its nucleus). Elements with low electron affinities (like iron) give up that extra electron easily. Elements with high electron affinities (like chlorine) do not.

"I remember learning about electron affinities in 10th grade chemistry," said Research Associate Steven O'Malley. "When I began working as a grad student in atomic physics, I was surprised to learn that many of them were still unknown."