Just how Venus the cat—whose face is divided in two colors—got such a striking coloration is still a mystery, an expert says. (Most famous cat on the planet Venus is still a mystery. Why is she such a two-face?
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An eclectic mix of articles about our world and the universe we live in, with some political commentary
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Pamela D Lloyd
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Scooped by Pamela D Lloyd onto Science and Other Wild Affairs |
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Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Bee venom may be a key component in developing both preventative and treatment protocols to fight HIV and AIDS. Delete the scoop?
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Two researchers discover previously hidden talents of microbes that can live on electricity alone. Via Neelima Sinha
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Fascinating research into the abilities of some strains of bacteria, such as "iron-reducing" bacteria, to interact directly with electricity, either donating or receiving electrons, and in the process altering the electrical state of various elements. Delete the scoop?
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Blind tadpoles regain vision when new eyes are grafted onto their tails. Delete the scoop?
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Properly piecing together a rare early human skull (12,000 to 15,000 years old!
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
This short video provides a quick overview of how modern technology can be used to give us a better understanding of what our ancestors looked like. Delete the scoop?
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Researchers have found the link between faster ‘biological’ ageing and the development of several age-related diseases such as cancer. Delete the scoop?
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Humans don't "own" their own genes, the cellular chemicals that define who they are and what diseases they might be at risk for. Through more than 40,000 patents on DNA molecules, companies have essentially claimed the entire human genome for profit, report two researchers who analyzed the patents on human DNA.
Via Laran
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
I can't wait until some company decides to start charging people for their possession of their own genes. Delete the scoop?
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Each and every planet--and one dwarf planet--in our solar system, represented with the single best image ever take of it. Say hello to our neighbors. Delete the scoop?
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Olivier Rieppel and Jim Holstein tell the tale of the giant Lizard Eating Sovereign of the Sea (named Jim!). Touted as the T-Rex of the Sea, the Triassic sea monster…
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
The Field Museum in Chicago has released this video clip in connection with their new exhibit of the fossil remains of a four-finned icthyosaur, Thalattoarchon saurophagis, or "lizard-eating ruler of the seas." Named Jim, after its discoverer Jim Holstein (Physical Geology Collections Manager for The Field Museum), this 28-foot-long predator died roughly 244 million years ago. Jim Holstein, along with colleagues Olivier Rieppel and Martin Sander, was on an expidition funded by National Geographic, hiking in central Nevada's Augusta Mountains, when he made the discovery. Delete the scoop?
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Researchers identified several new regions of the human genome associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness. The findings may eventually lead to new treatment and prevention approaches to AMD.
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
When my late mother was diagnosed with AMD, back in the 1990s, our family was told there was no known cure. More recently, my father was diagnosed, but his opthomologist has suggested dietary measures which have resulted in a reversal of the degeneration. While I do my best to eat a diet high in those foods linked to eye health, it's encouraging to know that new treatment and prevention approaches continue to be developed. Delete the scoop?
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Climate Change May Increase Volcanic Eruptions Via Catherine Russell Delete the scoop?
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A tracer that binds to Alzheimer’s plaques and shows up on medical imaging techniques Delete the scoop?
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Researchers at MIT have discovered a new state of matter with a new kind of magnetism. This new state, called a quantum spin liquid (QSL), could lead to significant advances in data storage. Delete the scoop?
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These six scientists were snubbed for awards or robbed of credit for discoveries … because they were women.
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Sexism continues to plague us in many areas. Delete the scoop?
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The European Commission will restrict the use of pesticides linked to bee deaths by researchers, despite a split among EU states on the issue.
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Bees, unless you're a gardener, a farmer, or a bee keeper, may seem to be little more than stinging pests, but they are a crucial link in the ecosystem that supports the food crops upon which we depend, as well as many other plants. Recent far-reaching declines in bee populations have worried experts concerned with possible ecological collapses that could harm our ability to feed ourselves. With pesticides linked to the declining bee population, restrictions on these chemicals only makes sense. Delete the scoop?
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This display of natural power was captured by photographer Martin Rietze, who waits patiently for days in remote locations for the right explosive moment.
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
The phenomenon of lightning in combination with volcanic activity has not yet been completely explained, although scientists suggest (not surprisingly) that it may be due to electrically charged particles in the ash. Delete the scoop?
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President Obama on Tuesday will announce a research initiative, starting with $100 million in 2014, to invent and refine new technologies to understand the human brain.
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Every new science initiative of this scope is likely to produce amazing results. We've already seen a number of recent breakthroughs that show we're on the verge of understanding how our brains work; this project will help to ensure that the rate of progress in this field just keeps increasing. 
LilyGiraud's comment,
April 4, 12:03 PM
I have neuroscientific friends and colleagues directly involved in this so my hopes are high, but...
I'm skeptical. And optimistic. But this is a drop in the bucket... the NIH annual research budget is currently about $31,000,000,000 annually, so this represents a 0.3% increase on that. The science outreach and advocacy part of me is thrilled: this is a lot of money and, with the White House supporting it, means a lot of attention will be focused on neuroscience. This is a Good Thing, because figuring out this lump of mess in our heads is pretty important but very, very hard. To give a sense of the scale of the problem, each year more than 30,000 neuroscientists attend the annual Society for Neuroscience conference. If we assume that only two-thirds of those people actually do research, and if we assume that they only work a meager (for the sciences) 40 hours a week, that's around 40 million person-hours dedicated to figuring out the brain. Annually. This means that in the 10 years I've been attending that conference, more than 400 million person-hours have gone toward the pursuit of understanding the brain. Humanity built the pyramids in 30 years. The Apollo Project got us to the moon in about 8. There's a lot of work to do and the semi-coordinated backing of public support and government should help this along. Now the scientist part of me has some reservations, but I'm withholding judgment until I have more information. The reservations are regarding exactly what this projects' aims are, because so far the press releases and even the primary scientific document that sparked this are scientifically nebulous. But I'm hoping that the lack of clarity is simply because I'm not on the inside on this one and that the scientific team coordinating this actually has a coherent plan. From a funding side, I fully support technology development and information sharing. It's very hard to get technical funding from scientific grants which makes the entier neuroscientific computing infrastructure totally fractured, with most labs using their own in-house tools. Information sharing will hopefully reduce the redendancy that's rampant in science due to the paucity of published null findings. Bradley Vojtek https://twitter.com/bradleyvoytek Delete the scoop?
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Bioengineers at Stanford University have created the first biological transistor made from genetic materials: DNA and RNA. Via Maurizio [ITA]
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Amazing! Delete the scoop?
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We may never have our flying cars, but the future is here. From creating fully functioning artificial leaves to hacking the human brain, science made a lot of breakthroughs this year.
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Some amazing advances in technology are being made today. Here are a few highlights from 2012. Delete the scoop?
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Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
An examination of the frequency of the phenotypes associated with schizophrenia, autism, and epilepsy. Delete the scoop?
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There are no hospitals in space. The closest E.R. is back on Earth, and astronauts can't exactly jump in a cab to get there. So what happens if the sun burps out a massive blast of radiation while an astronaut is space-amblin' by?
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
This new bit of biomechanical hardware has multiple possible applications across a wide spectrum of medical issues. Because the technology found in the NASA Biocapsule can monitor the body's condition and respond appropriately, it may potentially be used to improve the lives of people with diabetes, cancer, hemophilia, and severe allergies (the kind that put people at risk of anaphylactic shock).
Frankly, this may become the delivery system of choice for any medication that must be taken on a regular basis or in response to an anticipated acute flare up of a long-term condition. Applications not mentioned in the article, but which seem likely candidates, could include blood pressure, asthma, and heart medications. The automated feature of this system makes it ideal for patients who might otherwise have difficulty remembering to take their medication, as well as for those whose noncompliance may be related to the condition being treated, such as patients on antipsychotics.
One question often advanced with regard to the space program is whether that money might better be spent on dealing with problems on Earth. The potential benefits of this device add one more point of reference to those like myself who believe that the space program spurs innovations which more than make up for the costs. Delete the scoop?
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If you're feeling bad about how American kids lag the world in science and math, take heart in the story of Jack Andraka, a high school freshman from Maryland.
Pamela D Lloyd's insight:
Jack Andraka's "advice for kids (and their parents) trying to figure out what to do with their creativity and imagination: 'Make sure to be passionate about whatever it is you get into, because otherwise you won’t put the right amount of work into it.' Andraka was rejected by almost 200 researchers in his search for a lab to do his nanotube strip work until one scientist at Johns Hopkins gave him the space to work. 'No one will be excited about your work if you’re not excited about it.'" Delete the scoop?
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Outflows emanating from the galactic centre of the Milky Way have been detected by a team of international researchers. Delete the scoop?
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A few months ago, physicist Harold White stunned the aeronautics world when he announced that he and his team at NASA had begun work on the development of a faster-than-light warp drive. Delete the scoop?
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