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Protein Folding - Reverse Engineering Nature's Origami

Protein Folding - Reverse Engineering Nature's Origami

Mar 02 2009 | comment(s)

Sometimes known as "nature's origami", the way that proteins fold is vital to ensuring they function correctly. But researchers at the University of Leeds have discovered this is a 'hit and miss' process, with proteins potentially folding wrongly many times before they form the correct structure for their intended purpose. 

The body's proteins carry out numerous functions and play a crucial role in the growth, repair and workings of cells. Sheena Radford, Professor of Structural Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds, says: "There's a fine balance between a protein folding into the correct shape so that it can carry out its job efficiently and it folding incorrectly, which can lead to disease. Just one wrong step can tip that balance."
Estrogen Reason Why Women Store Fat More Efficiently Than Men

Estrogen Reason Why Women Store Fat More Efficiently Than Men

Mar 02 2009 | comment(s)

Women can take pride that they are more efficient than men in many ways, including one that is not so great; storing fat.

It's a paradox women have discussed for generations – their apparent ability to store fat more efficiently than men, despite eating proportionally fewer calories.   While it has long been suspected that female sex hormones are responsible, a University of New South Wales (UNSW) research review has for the first time drawn a link between one hormone – estrogen – and its impact on fat storage for childbearing.
Rambunctious Kid? It May Lead To Gambling, Drug Use And Depression, Claim Researchers

Rambunctious Kid? It May Lead To Gambling, Drug Use And Depression, Claim Researchers

Mar 02 2009 | comment(s)

Did you ever get called impulsive by a teacher?   You're lucky you don't live in Montreal.
Is Diabetes Diet High Fat & Low Carbohydrate or Low Fat & High Carbohydrate ?

Is Diabetes Diet High Fat & Low Carbohydrate or Low Fat & High Carbohydrate ?

Mar 02 2009 | comment(s)

If you are diabetic then it is more than likely that the advice you have been given revolves around maximising so-called complex or low glycemic index carbohydrates (those that cause your blood sugar to rise fast) and reducing fat in your diet.  This is because diabetics have a greatly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which is widely believed to be caused by raised cholesterol levels from fat in the diet.
The Groundhog Day Syndrome

The Groundhog Day Syndrome

Mar 02 2009 | comment(s)

This feeling is known to everyone, it does not discriminate.   Most people do however learn to adapt to the overwhelming emotions ( perhaps exclusively negative ) that are inherent in this syndrome. I am referring to the feeling of perpetual repetition in our daily lives, where no matter what you do, you cannot shake the sensation of being stuck on a muddy never-ending plateau.

To get a first hand observation of this syndrome look at people ( pedestrians ) motoring around the city, paying close attention to their expressions and aura. Or you could of course just observe yourself.
Journalists, scientists and new media

Journalists, scientists and new media

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

As a journalist I have seen many misunderstandings not only in the field of science. The relationship between journalists and other kind of professionals, for example medics professionals, is also hard. But you have to consider that it happens also because scientists and medics does not understands quite well the real nature of news and how they are produced inside the media companies. What is, after all, news in science? What kind of scientific news the generic public are looking for?

Ken Miller Responds To Massimo Pigliucci (And Vice Versa)

Ken Miller Responds To Massimo Pigliucci (And Vice Versa)

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

Below is a detailed response to my latest post, which Ken graciously sent me for publication here. After that, you will find a few additional notes from yours truly.

Dear Massimo,

Thanks, of course, for the very kind comments about my presentation at Brown. At your invitation, I’m writing a few comments to clarify and correct what I think are some mistaken impressions and also to point out a few areas of genuine disagreement. You wrote:
Mapping The Dunes Of Titan

Mapping The Dunes Of Titan

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

Titan's vast dune fields, which may act like weather vanes to determine general wind direction on Saturn's biggest moon, have been mapped by scientists who compiled four years of radar data collected by the Cassini spacecraft. 

Titan's rippled dunes are generally oriented east-west. Surprisingly, their orientation and characteristics indicate that near the surface, Titan's winds blow toward the east instead of toward the west. This means that Titan's surface winds blow opposite the direction suggested by previous global circulation models of Titan. 
ADHD Linked To Abnormal REM Sleep In Children

ADHD Linked To Abnormal REM Sleep In Children

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

A study in the March 1 issue of  SLEEP suggests the presence of an intrinsic sleep problem specific to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and supports the idea that children with ADHD may be chronically sleep deprived and have abnormal REM sleep. 

Results show that children with ADHD have a total sleep time that is significantly shorter than that of controls. Children in the ADHD group had an average total sleep time of eight hours, 19 minutes; this was 33 minutes less than the average sleep time of eight hours, 52 minutes, in controls. Children with ADHD also had an average rapid eye movement (REM) sleep time that was significantly reduced by 16 minutes. 
The Puny Crayfish Bluff Strategy - How Do They Get Away With It?

The Puny Crayfish Bluff Strategy - How Do They Get Away With It?

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

Puny Crayfish may have big claws for show but they can't really use them - their muscles are actually weaker than females with smaller claws.

So why does it work?  A group of scientists writing in The Journal of Experimental Biology set out to discover the answer.

Slender crayfish are aggressive territorial creatures, explains ecologist Robbie Wilson of the University of Queensland, Australia. When two crayfish catch sight of one another, they size each other up in a ritualistic display, which can quickly escalate from careful tapping of their opponent's chelae (enlarged front claws) to a full-blown fight.  
Psychedelica - A Fish Aging Hipsters Can Love (And You Can Too)

Psychedelica - A Fish Aging Hipsters Can Love (And You Can Too)

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

"Psychedelica" seems the perfect name for a species of fish that is a wild swirl of tan and peach zebra stripes and behaves in ways contrary to its brethren, says University of Washington’s Ted Pietsch, first to describe the new species in the scientific literature and therefore got to select the name.

Psychedelica is perhaps even more apt given the cockamamie way the fish swim, some with so little control they look intoxicated and should be cited for DUI.
Ontogenetic Transitional Wing - A New Take On Bird Evolution?

Ontogenetic Transitional Wing - A New Take On Bird Evolution?

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

What use is half a wing?

When Charles Darwin unleashed his revolutionary theory of evolution in the mid-1800s, one of the first questions doubters nailed him with went something like ; you have the four limbs of a reptile and then a beautiful flying bird. What are the intermediary steps? Darwin, what use is half a wing?

There wasn’t much the esteemed naturalist could say with the data he had available and, during the next 150 years, scientists were largely divided into two theoretical camps regarding the evolution of flight.
Monocytes And TH1 Response - A New Path For Vaccine Science

Monocytes And TH1 Response - A New Path For Vaccine Science

Mar 01 2009 | comment(s)

An immune system response that is critical to the first stages of fighting off viruses and harmful bacteria comes from an entirely different direction than most scientists had thought, according to a finding by researchers at the Duke University Medical Center. 

Type 1 helper (TH1) T cell immune responses are critical for the control of viruses and certain bacteria. Immunologists have generally believed that TH1 responses are induced by rare immune cells, called dendritic cells. When activated by infection or vaccination, the dendritic cells were thought to move from peripheral tissues into lymph nodes to stimulate T cell responses. 
Pride And Piltdown

Pride And Piltdown

Feb 28 2009 | comment(s)

Tomorrow is Sunday, and as I prepare to mount my plastic pulpit I will take as my text the introduction to Chapter 5 (Complex Numbers) of A Survey of Modern Algebra by Birkhoff&Mac Lane.  This is a classic and accessible work, first published in 1941, which brought to the American-speaking world what was previously locked up in Van der Waerden’s Moderne Algebra (1931).  The chapter opens with the definition of a complex number and the field C [1], and then continues:
Consumer Drug Experiment A Success 95%+ of American Population Addicted to MSG!

Consumer Drug Experiment A Success 95%+ of American Population Addicted to MSG!

Feb 28 2009 | comment(s)

You are probably addicted right know, it's O.K. everyone else is also. This experiment has been on the American food consumers without prejudice to religion, status, or race. It is a complete success we have managed to slip an undetected drug like caffeine, alcohol, or heroin into the food supply by mislabeling it as a food additive. As a result you have been part of a great experiment and it will continue without your consent.

The benefits are healthy lab animals exposed to this additive consume 40% more food. The side effects are obesity. But that's not all bad there are other things also. This drug effects the neurotransmitters in your brain causing you to produce up to 150 times more histamines. Side effects can mirror an allergic reaction.
Old Cells Work Differently Than Young Ones

Old Cells Work Differently Than Young Ones

Feb 28 2009 | comment(s)

The agglutination and accumulation of proteins in nerve cells are major hallmarks of age-related neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease. Cellular survival thus depends on a controlled removal of excessive protein. Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have now discovered exactly how specific control proteins regulate protein breakdown during the ageing process.
Energy Earth - Enhanced Geothermal Methods Getting A New Look

Energy Earth - Enhanced Geothermal Methods Getting A New Look

Feb 28 2009 | comment(s)

Geothermal energy is increasingly contributing to the power supply where it is affordable and efficient. Iceland is world-leader in expanding development of geothermal utilization: in recent years the annual power supply there doubled to more than 500 MW in the supply of electricity.  Even in Germany, over 100 MW of heat are currently being provided through geothermal energy.  
Modern Living Helps Prevent Tooth Decay - Even From Sugary Treats

Modern Living Helps Prevent Tooth Decay - Even From Sugary Treats

Feb 28 2009 | comment(s)

We hear a lot from various advocacy groups that modern lifestyle is the worst thing that can happen to us.    Indeed, some won't be happy until we get back to the sustainable, renewable period of 1300AD.   But modern lifestyle has at least one friend; our teeth. 

A review of studies published in a Supplement to Obesity Review examined evidence over the past 150 years and says that the effects of fluoride toothpaste, good oral hygiene and health education has overriden the effects of food on tooth decay.
American Institute Of Physics Announces Awards For Best Science Writing

American Institute Of Physics Announces Awards For Best Science Writing

Feb 28 2009 | comment(s)

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) announced the winners of its 2008 Science Writing Awards today. The winners -- two scientists, a journalist, a children's book author, and a public television producer -- will receive four prizes of $3,000, engraved Windsor chairs, and certificates of recognition.

"These outstanding science communicators have each improved the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and related sciences through their wonderfully creative endeavors," says Catherine O'Riordan, AIP Vice President, Physics Resources.

Marte Valles: Fractured Lavas, Only Seen Before On Earth, Suggest Floods On Mars

Marte Valles: Fractured Lavas, Only Seen Before On Earth, Suggest Floods On Mars

Feb 28 2009 | comment(s)

Unique fractures in lavas on ancient Mars suggest water occasionally flooded portions of the planet's surface.   The fractures, known as "columnar joints," are the first that have been observed on a planet other than Earth. 

The characteristics of the column-like fractures can help scientists understand the role of water in geologic processes on Mars, said Moses Milazzo, a geophysicist with the U. S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Team in Flagstaff and lead author on a paper on the discovery recently published in the journal Geology.

"Columnar joints form as cooling lava contracts," said Milazzo.