Bringing back the woolly mammoth - maybe - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON - Descendants of extinct mammals like the giant woolly mammoth might one day walk the Earth again. It isn't exactly Jurassic Park, but Japanese researchers are looking at the possibility of using sperm from frozen animals to inseminate living relatives.
So far they've succeeded with mice — some frozen as long as 15 years — and lead researcher Dr. Atsuo Ogura says he would like to try experiments in larger animals."
=====================================
Ok then. Where did they get that idea? Maybe that's what fertility doctors dream up when they are at the bar and have had a few too many bottles of sake.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
New Scientist News - Make mine a zombie vaccine
New Scientist News - Make mine a zombie vaccine: "Zombie bacteria have been created that could be used to make more stable vaccines.
Traditionally, vaccines use either 'attenuated' live bacteria, grown in conditions that disable their virulent properties, or killed bacteria. Attenuated live vaccines promote a strong immune response, but can be difficult to store and transport safely, while killed bacteria don't work as well in triggering immunity.
Now there could be a third option. Sandip Datta and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, irradiated live Listeria monocytogenes with gamma rays, breaking up their DNA so that they couldn't reproduce, but leaving enough residual metabolic activity to activate an immune response. When injected into mice, the 'zombie' bugs prevented reinfection in 80 per cent of cases (Immunity, DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2006.05.013).
Unlike most vaccines, the irradiated Listeria don't need to be kept chilled. If the approach works with other strains of bacteria, it could lead to vaccines that are cheaper and easier to store for use in developing nations."
======================================
Now, you might find the whole thing disturbing, but really it's the last two sentences that scare me. Because, you know, it always seemed like a good thing at the time.
Traditionally, vaccines use either 'attenuated' live bacteria, grown in conditions that disable their virulent properties, or killed bacteria. Attenuated live vaccines promote a strong immune response, but can be difficult to store and transport safely, while killed bacteria don't work as well in triggering immunity.
Now there could be a third option. Sandip Datta and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, irradiated live Listeria monocytogenes with gamma rays, breaking up their DNA so that they couldn't reproduce, but leaving enough residual metabolic activity to activate an immune response. When injected into mice, the 'zombie' bugs prevented reinfection in 80 per cent of cases (Immunity, DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2006.05.013).
Unlike most vaccines, the irradiated Listeria don't need to be kept chilled. If the approach works with other strains of bacteria, it could lead to vaccines that are cheaper and easier to store for use in developing nations."
======================================
Now, you might find the whole thing disturbing, but really it's the last two sentences that scare me. Because, you know, it always seemed like a good thing at the time.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
New Scientist SPACE - Breaking News - Plasma bubble could protect astronauts on Mars trip
New Scientist SPACE - Breaking News - Plasma bubble could protect astronauts on Mars trip: "A bubble of plasma could shield astronauts from radiation during long journeys through space, researchers are suggesting. If the idea proves viable, it means heavy metal protective panels could be replaced by a plasma shield of just a few grams."
====================================
Plasma shields up! Ok, maybe it isn't Star Trek...yet. The plasma would have to be contained inside a superconducting wire mesh that would surround the whole ship, but hey, you have to admit that plasma shields are cool. Come on now. Admit it. There you go.
The idea is that in space, you have all sorts of cosmic radiation that would bombard the ship and go right through the hull. Unless you make the hull really thick, e.g. several inches of aluminum. But aluminum (a.k.a. aluminium to the Brits) isn't very heavy, you say. Well, a few inches thick sheets are really heavy. I've used big chunks of aluminum for building microscopes and we aren't even in the same city as the ballpark of the stuff you put over your potato salad (assuming you don't use Saran Wrap).
If you make a ship with a hull that is thick enough to block the cosmic radiation, it will be too massive to effectively work. The more mass, the more fuel you need to burn to get it up to speed (or else you have to go really slow and the trip takes years). So a plasma shield would mean that we could make an interplanetary space ship that is a practical mass.
Accounting for the balance of mass/fuel/radiation shielding is one of those things that many SF writers conveniently ignore.
====================================
Plasma shields up! Ok, maybe it isn't Star Trek...yet. The plasma would have to be contained inside a superconducting wire mesh that would surround the whole ship, but hey, you have to admit that plasma shields are cool. Come on now. Admit it. There you go.
The idea is that in space, you have all sorts of cosmic radiation that would bombard the ship and go right through the hull. Unless you make the hull really thick, e.g. several inches of aluminum. But aluminum (a.k.a. aluminium to the Brits) isn't very heavy, you say. Well, a few inches thick sheets are really heavy. I've used big chunks of aluminum for building microscopes and we aren't even in the same city as the ballpark of the stuff you put over your potato salad (assuming you don't use Saran Wrap).
If you make a ship with a hull that is thick enough to block the cosmic radiation, it will be too massive to effectively work. The more mass, the more fuel you need to burn to get it up to speed (or else you have to go really slow and the trip takes years). So a plasma shield would mean that we could make an interplanetary space ship that is a practical mass.
Accounting for the balance of mass/fuel/radiation shielding is one of those things that many SF writers conveniently ignore.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
ScienceDaily: Live Wires: Microbiologist Discovers Our Planet Is Hard-wired With Electricity-producing Bacteria
ScienceDaily: Live Wires: Microbiologist Discovers Our Planet Is Hard-wired With Electricity-producing Bacteria: "When Yuri Gorby discovered that a microbe which transforms toxic metals can sprout tiny electrically conductive wires from its cell membrane, he reasoned this anatomical oddity and its metal-changing physiology must be related.
A colleague who had heard Gorby’s presentation at a scientific meeting later reported that he, too, was able to coax nanowires from another so-called metal-reducing bacteria species and further suggested the wires, called pili, could be used to bioengineer electrical devices.
It now turns out that not only are the wires and their ability to alter metal connected—but that many other bacteria, including species involved in fermentation and photosynthesis, can also form wires under a variety of environmental conditions."
=====================================
How cool is that? Maybe the earth really does have a collective "intelligence". Must...fight...urge...to...start...new...story...
A colleague who had heard Gorby’s presentation at a scientific meeting later reported that he, too, was able to coax nanowires from another so-called metal-reducing bacteria species and further suggested the wires, called pili, could be used to bioengineer electrical devices.
It now turns out that not only are the wires and their ability to alter metal connected—but that many other bacteria, including species involved in fermentation and photosynthesis, can also form wires under a variety of environmental conditions."
=====================================
How cool is that? Maybe the earth really does have a collective "intelligence". Must...fight...urge...to...start...new...story...
ScienceDaily: Live Wires: Microbiologist Discovers Our Planet Is Hard-wired With Electricity-producing Bacteria
ScienceDaily: Live Wires: Microbiologist Discovers Our Planet Is Hard-wired With Electricity-producing Bacteria: "When Yuri Gorby discovered that a microbe which transforms toxic metals can sprout tiny electrically conductive wires from its cell membrane, he reasoned this anatomical oddity and its metal-changing physiology must be related.
A colleague who had heard Gorby’s presentation at a scientific meeting later reported that he, too, was able to coax nanowires from another so-called metal-reducing bacteria species and further suggested the wires, called pili, could be used to bioengineer electrical devices.
It now turns out that not only are the wires and their ability to alter metal connected—but that many other bacteria, including species involved in fermentation and photosynthesis, can also form wires under a variety of environmental conditions."
=====================================
How cool is that? Maybe the earth really does have a collective "intelligence". Must...fight...urge...to...start...new...story...
A colleague who had heard Gorby’s presentation at a scientific meeting later reported that he, too, was able to coax nanowires from another so-called metal-reducing bacteria species and further suggested the wires, called pili, could be used to bioengineer electrical devices.
It now turns out that not only are the wires and their ability to alter metal connected—but that many other bacteria, including species involved in fermentation and photosynthesis, can also form wires under a variety of environmental conditions."
=====================================
How cool is that? Maybe the earth really does have a collective "intelligence". Must...fight...urge...to...start...new...story...
Friday, July 07, 2006
New Scientist Tech - Breaking News - Flat 'ion trap' holds quantum computing promise
New Scientist Tech - Breaking News - Flat 'ion trap' holds quantum computing promise: Tom Simonite
"Quantum computers could be more easily mass produced thanks to the development of a two-dimensional ion trap - one of their key components.
A quantum computer could be much faster than a conventional computer. While electronic bits can exist in one of two states – '0' or '1' – a quantum bit, or qubit, can be in both states simultaneously. Connecting lots of qubits together would allow many more calculations to be carried out simultaneously.
Ion traps have so far proved the best way to make qubits, allowing up to eight to be connected together. They work by trapping super-cooled ions in an electric field. Lasers can then be used to manipulate the ions to alter their quantum states."
=================================
Ah ha! Another piece in the quantum computing puzzle. All signs point to me writing that next science thriller...
"Quantum computers could be more easily mass produced thanks to the development of a two-dimensional ion trap - one of their key components.
A quantum computer could be much faster than a conventional computer. While electronic bits can exist in one of two states – '0' or '1' – a quantum bit, or qubit, can be in both states simultaneously. Connecting lots of qubits together would allow many more calculations to be carried out simultaneously.
Ion traps have so far proved the best way to make qubits, allowing up to eight to be connected together. They work by trapping super-cooled ions in an electric field. Lasers can then be used to manipulate the ions to alter their quantum states."
=================================
Ah ha! Another piece in the quantum computing puzzle. All signs point to me writing that next science thriller...
BIOTERRORISM: BioShield Is Slow to Build U.S. Defenses Against Bioweapons -- Kaiser 313 (5783): 28 -- Science
BIOTERRORISM: BioShield Is Slow to Build U.S. Defenses Against Bioweapons -- Kaiser 313 (5783): 28 -- Science: "BioShield Is Slow to Build U.S. Defenses Against Bioweapons
Jocelyn Kaiser
Developing vaccines against potential bioweapons such as smallpox and Marburg virus is tough going for small companies. But it's even harder when their comrade-in-arms on the front lines, a $5.6 billion federal program called BioShield, is AWOL."
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Maybe I should be editing Viral Coat and sending it out. Hmmm, two novels to edit. Which to choose?
Jocelyn Kaiser
Developing vaccines against potential bioweapons such as smallpox and Marburg virus is tough going for small companies. But it's even harder when their comrade-in-arms on the front lines, a $5.6 billion federal program called BioShield, is AWOL."
======================================
Maybe I should be editing Viral Coat and sending it out. Hmmm, two novels to edit. Which to choose?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Atari Plays a Waiting Game With Test Drive Unlimited - New York Times
Atari Plays a Waiting Game With Test Drive Unlimited - New York Times: "The second surprise is Test Drive Unlimited itself, a sprawling, sumptuous experience that seems poised to become one of the more engaging games of the year. The game models the entire Hawaiian island of Oahu and allows players to race any of 90 cars over more than 1,000 miles of roads.
Extensive testing is still needed to fine-tune the innovative online mode, but the idea is that thousands of players will cruise the island simultaneously over the Internet, challenging one another at any traffic light to lay down some rubber. On the Xbox 360, the game's main system, the graphics dazzle and the cars evoke a realistic sense of speed."
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I may have to break down and get an Xbox360 after all. This game looks like a great step forward in virtual reality world. It is an open-ended sandbox game, and they hope virtual communities form up. Like Second Life, but with an underlying game. Or like Star Wars Galaxies without the need to grind out experience points.
Extensive testing is still needed to fine-tune the innovative online mode, but the idea is that thousands of players will cruise the island simultaneously over the Internet, challenging one another at any traffic light to lay down some rubber. On the Xbox 360, the game's main system, the graphics dazzle and the cars evoke a realistic sense of speed."
=============================================
I may have to break down and get an Xbox360 after all. This game looks like a great step forward in virtual reality world. It is an open-ended sandbox game, and they hope virtual communities form up. Like Second Life, but with an underlying game. Or like Star Wars Galaxies without the need to grind out experience points.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
New Scientist News - Road crash could set off nuclear blast
New Scientist News - Road crash could set off nuclear blast
Trident nuclear warheads damaged in a vehicle pile-up or a plane crash could partially detonate and deliver a lethal radiation dose, according to a newly declassified report from the UK Ministry of Defence obtained by New Scientist. The MoD has also revealed that an attack by terrorists on a nuclear weapons convoy could produce an even more disastrous outcome. "The consequences of such an incident are likely to be considerable loss of life," says a senior MoD official.
Trident warheads are regularly transported to weapons facilities in the US and the UK, where they are inspected to make sure that ageing materials don't render them unreliable or unstable.
====================================
They go on to say the chances are 2.4 in a billion, but hey, those are great odds for a novelist. Maybe a nice suspense as the good guys try to prevent the bad guys from doing it. Or society dealing with the after effects. Lots of ways to go with it.
Trident nuclear warheads damaged in a vehicle pile-up or a plane crash could partially detonate and deliver a lethal radiation dose, according to a newly declassified report from the UK Ministry of Defence obtained by New Scientist. The MoD has also revealed that an attack by terrorists on a nuclear weapons convoy could produce an even more disastrous outcome. "The consequences of such an incident are likely to be considerable loss of life," says a senior MoD official.
Trident warheads are regularly transported to weapons facilities in the US and the UK, where they are inspected to make sure that ageing materials don't render them unreliable or unstable.
====================================
They go on to say the chances are 2.4 in a billion, but hey, those are great odds for a novelist. Maybe a nice suspense as the good guys try to prevent the bad guys from doing it. Or society dealing with the after effects. Lots of ways to go with it.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Tropical Stonehenge may have been found - Yahoo! News
Tropical Stonehenge may have been found - Yahoo! News: SAO PAULO, Brazil - A grouping of granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of a centuries-old astronomical observatory — a find archaeologists say indicates early rainforest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.
The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet tall, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.
On the shortest day of the year — Dec. 21 — the shadow of one of the blocks, which is set at an angle, disappears.
"It is this block's alignment with the winter solstice that leads us to believe the site was once an astronomical observatory," said Mariana Petry Cabral, an archaeologist at the Amapa State Scientific and Technical Research Institute. "We may be also looking at the remnants of a sophisticated culture."
==================================
Cool! An excuse to travel to Brazil! This story reminds me of the Nan Madol ruins that James Rollins used in his thriller Deep Fathom. More info to get you started:
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461519901/Ruins_of_Nan_Madol.html
The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet tall, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.
On the shortest day of the year — Dec. 21 — the shadow of one of the blocks, which is set at an angle, disappears.
"It is this block's alignment with the winter solstice that leads us to believe the site was once an astronomical observatory," said Mariana Petry Cabral, an archaeologist at the Amapa State Scientific and Technical Research Institute. "We may be also looking at the remnants of a sophisticated culture."
==================================
Cool! An excuse to travel to Brazil! This story reminds me of the Nan Madol ruins that James Rollins used in his thriller Deep Fathom. More info to get you started:
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461519901/Ruins_of_Nan_Madol.html
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
ScienceDaily: Underwater Microscope Finds Biological Treasures In The Subtropical Ocean
ScienceDaily: Underwater Microscope Finds Biological Treasures In The Subtropical Ocean: "Underwater Microscope Finds Biological Treasures In The Subtropical Ocean
Scientists towing an underwater digital microscope across the Atlantic have found possible missing links to the global nitrogen cycle, which in turn is linked to ocean productivity.
In a recent report in the journal Science, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found abundant colonies of Trichodesmium. The multi-celled, filamentous organism is thought to play a significant role in the input of nitrogen to the upper layers of the tropical and subtropical ocean, nearly half of the Earth’s surface.
Lead author Cabell Davis, a senior scientist in the WHOI Biology Department, and co-author Dennis McGillicuddy, an associate scientist in the WHOI Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, suggest that nitrogen fixation rates for Trichodesmium may be 2.7 to 5 times higher than previously estimated from traditional sampling."
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So, these guys are out trolling the oceans with a digital microscope. Pretty sweet deal. I'd have my science thriller main character do that, but then it would be too Clive Cussler. Maybe he could troll the skies in a high performance glider or airship. Hmmmm. Then I could finally get a glider license and write it off. Excuse me a moment...
Scientists towing an underwater digital microscope across the Atlantic have found possible missing links to the global nitrogen cycle, which in turn is linked to ocean productivity.
In a recent report in the journal Science, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found abundant colonies of Trichodesmium. The multi-celled, filamentous organism is thought to play a significant role in the input of nitrogen to the upper layers of the tropical and subtropical ocean, nearly half of the Earth’s surface.
Lead author Cabell Davis, a senior scientist in the WHOI Biology Department, and co-author Dennis McGillicuddy, an associate scientist in the WHOI Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, suggest that nitrogen fixation rates for Trichodesmium may be 2.7 to 5 times higher than previously estimated from traditional sampling."
=====================================
So, these guys are out trolling the oceans with a digital microscope. Pretty sweet deal. I'd have my science thriller main character do that, but then it would be too Clive Cussler. Maybe he could troll the skies in a high performance glider or airship. Hmmmm. Then I could finally get a glider license and write it off. Excuse me a moment...
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Microsoft sees future in robots - Yahoo! News
Microsoft sees future in robots - Yahoo! News: "Microsoft Robotics Studio"
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Software giant Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) sees the future and it is robots.
The Seattle-based company on Tuesday previewed a set of new software tools that aims to give developers a simpler way to design robots and to create and test programs that operate a wide range of machines -- from toys to floor sweepers to those used in factory production lines.
"We believe this is a key part of the future of computing," said Microsoft Robotics Group general manager Tandy Trower, who called robots the next evolution of the personal computer.
While the fragmented robotics market is now in its infancy, Trower said forecasts call for the industry to grow into a multibillion-dollar market in the next five to 10 years.
The group's first product, called Microsoft Robotics Studio, is designed for hobbyists, students or commercial developers, who have had to reinvent the wheel each time they use different hardware to build a robot.
"It's all about making it easy for everyone from beginners to advanced developers," Trower said.
Trower said the new software is meant to bootstrap the robotics industry much in the way that Microsoft's operating system helped get the personal computer industry going.
Microsoft is offering a free technical preview for download at the company's Web site. It has not set a release date or price for the final version of the product.
============================
That's how it starts. You give kids the power to program robots, and then the next thing you know, they (the robots) have taken over the world. Curse you Microsoft!
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Software giant Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) sees the future and it is robots.
The Seattle-based company on Tuesday previewed a set of new software tools that aims to give developers a simpler way to design robots and to create and test programs that operate a wide range of machines -- from toys to floor sweepers to those used in factory production lines.
"We believe this is a key part of the future of computing," said Microsoft Robotics Group general manager Tandy Trower, who called robots the next evolution of the personal computer.
While the fragmented robotics market is now in its infancy, Trower said forecasts call for the industry to grow into a multibillion-dollar market in the next five to 10 years.
The group's first product, called Microsoft Robotics Studio, is designed for hobbyists, students or commercial developers, who have had to reinvent the wheel each time they use different hardware to build a robot.
"It's all about making it easy for everyone from beginners to advanced developers," Trower said.
Trower said the new software is meant to bootstrap the robotics industry much in the way that Microsoft's operating system helped get the personal computer industry going.
Microsoft is offering a free technical preview for download at the company's Web site. It has not set a release date or price for the final version of the product.
============================
That's how it starts. You give kids the power to program robots, and then the next thing you know, they (the robots) have taken over the world. Curse you Microsoft!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Wine researchers using biotechnology - Yahoo! News
Wine researchers using biotechnology - Yahoo! News
By MARCUS KABEL, Associated Press Writer
MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. - Every season, wine makers fight the same battles to protect their grapevines they have been fighting for thousands of years.
From ancient Mesopotamia to today's vineyards, the eternal enemies include fungus and bugs, extreme heat and unseasonable cold.
Now, Missouri State University researchers hope to apply genetic technology to make cultivated wine grapes as hardy as their wild cousins.
At the newly created Center for Grapevine Biotechnology, researchers are working to identify and transplant individual genes that make native grapes resistant to funguses that plague the European and hybrid vines most wine is made from.
Unlike the traditional crossbreeding of plants, genetic modification holds the potential for transferring specific traits without changing others, like the distinctive flavor of a pinot noir or chardonnay grape. It would also be much faster than the years it takes to grow hybrids.
============================================
I really hope the CGB makes it into a novel someday. That's the sort of name that I'd make up. And regarding teh science, just remember people, we've been genetically modifying plants for ages. Ditto for animals. That's what crossbreeding is all about.
These guys want to do it in a more controlled fashion. They don't seem to be adding in genes from other species or anything whacky. I'd drink their wine.
By MARCUS KABEL, Associated Press Writer
MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. - Every season, wine makers fight the same battles to protect their grapevines they have been fighting for thousands of years.
From ancient Mesopotamia to today's vineyards, the eternal enemies include fungus and bugs, extreme heat and unseasonable cold.
Now, Missouri State University researchers hope to apply genetic technology to make cultivated wine grapes as hardy as their wild cousins.
At the newly created Center for Grapevine Biotechnology, researchers are working to identify and transplant individual genes that make native grapes resistant to funguses that plague the European and hybrid vines most wine is made from.
Unlike the traditional crossbreeding of plants, genetic modification holds the potential for transferring specific traits without changing others, like the distinctive flavor of a pinot noir or chardonnay grape. It would also be much faster than the years it takes to grow hybrids.
============================================
I really hope the CGB makes it into a novel someday. That's the sort of name that I'd make up. And regarding teh science, just remember people, we've been genetically modifying plants for ages. Ditto for animals. That's what crossbreeding is all about.
These guys want to do it in a more controlled fashion. They don't seem to be adding in genes from other species or anything whacky. I'd drink their wine.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Hawking says humans must go into space - Yahoo! News
Hawking says humans must go into space - Yahoo! News
By SYLVIA HUI, Associated Press Writer
HONG KONG - The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday.
The British astrophysicist told a news conference in Hong Kong that humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years.
"We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system," added Hawking, who arrived to a rock star's welcome Monday. Tickets for his lecture planned for Wednesday were sold out.
He added that if humans can avoid killing themselves in the next 100 years, they should have space settlements that can continue without support from Earth.
=======================================
Probably not going to get much arguement on that claim. Also, this means that we can officially set near-term SF on Mars or the moon. That will make a nice change of pace.
By SYLVIA HUI, Associated Press Writer
HONG KONG - The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday.
The British astrophysicist told a news conference in Hong Kong that humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years.
"We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system," added Hawking, who arrived to a rock star's welcome Monday. Tickets for his lecture planned for Wednesday were sold out.
He added that if humans can avoid killing themselves in the next 100 years, they should have space settlements that can continue without support from Earth.
=======================================
Probably not going to get much arguement on that claim. Also, this means that we can officially set near-term SF on Mars or the moon. That will make a nice change of pace.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Nature: Lab Safety
Nature: Lab Safety (podcast transcript)
"Derek Thorne: OK then, as so finally this week I gather that the Nature news team has been looking into the risk associated with working in a chemistry lab. Nature 441, 560–561 (1 June 2006)
Jo Marchant: Yes, that's right. There was a very serious accident related to chemistry a few months ago at the National Institution of Higher Learning in Chemistry which is in Mulhouse in France. It actually killed a 41-year-old photochemist. And in general that kind of reminded everyone, I think, what the dangers of research can be. So we just wanted to have a look and see, is chemistry really that dangerous? Is it more risky than other fields and what are the main risks in chemistry?
Derek Thorne: And so what have you found there?
Jo Marchant: The main thing we found is that things have certainly changed a lot in the last 20 years. We spoke to a lot of safety officers and a lot of chemists who all said that compared to up to the 1960s, where you had some quite startling practices, mouth pipetting is one, washing hands with benzene, which is now known to be a carcinogen, is another. After a lot of occupational health legislation that came in in the 1970s, things are much safer. But still we were told that there are particular areas where chemistry labs could be doing a lot better. Labs are much too crowded. And waste disposal was the other big issue, most chemistry labs have open bottles where solvents are dumped and it's virtually impossible to say what could happen in those mixtures. When we spoke to the industry it sounds as though the accident rate in academia is much, much higher than in industry. In academia it's more people working alone late at night and being slightly macho even about safety glasses or following particular rules and regulations."
=======================================
I heard this on the Nature podcast (good stuff to hear in there). They are totally correct. I've been in academic, government, and industry labs. Academics are the absolute worst about safety. Government labs are a little better, and industry are the best. I guess that if you are just getting paid to do your work, you are less likely to take risks. Also it is easier to be fired for doing it wrong in industry. Academics don't usually have any regulatory group checking in on them to make sure they are safe, so other than personal risk aversion, there is nothing to encourage or enforce safety.
KIDS: LAB ACCIDENTS ARE 99% MORE LIKELY TO KILL YOU THAN TO GIVE YOU SUPER POWERS. JUST SAY NO! TO LAB ACCIDENTS.
"Derek Thorne: OK then, as so finally this week I gather that the Nature news team has been looking into the risk associated with working in a chemistry lab. Nature 441, 560–561 (1 June 2006)
Jo Marchant: Yes, that's right. There was a very serious accident related to chemistry a few months ago at the National Institution of Higher Learning in Chemistry which is in Mulhouse in France. It actually killed a 41-year-old photochemist. And in general that kind of reminded everyone, I think, what the dangers of research can be. So we just wanted to have a look and see, is chemistry really that dangerous? Is it more risky than other fields and what are the main risks in chemistry?
Derek Thorne: And so what have you found there?
Jo Marchant: The main thing we found is that things have certainly changed a lot in the last 20 years. We spoke to a lot of safety officers and a lot of chemists who all said that compared to up to the 1960s, where you had some quite startling practices, mouth pipetting is one, washing hands with benzene, which is now known to be a carcinogen, is another. After a lot of occupational health legislation that came in in the 1970s, things are much safer. But still we were told that there are particular areas where chemistry labs could be doing a lot better. Labs are much too crowded. And waste disposal was the other big issue, most chemistry labs have open bottles where solvents are dumped and it's virtually impossible to say what could happen in those mixtures. When we spoke to the industry it sounds as though the accident rate in academia is much, much higher than in industry. In academia it's more people working alone late at night and being slightly macho even about safety glasses or following particular rules and regulations."
=======================================
I heard this on the Nature podcast (good stuff to hear in there). They are totally correct. I've been in academic, government, and industry labs. Academics are the absolute worst about safety. Government labs are a little better, and industry are the best. I guess that if you are just getting paid to do your work, you are less likely to take risks. Also it is easier to be fired for doing it wrong in industry. Academics don't usually have any regulatory group checking in on them to make sure they are safe, so other than personal risk aversion, there is nothing to encourage or enforce safety.
KIDS: LAB ACCIDENTS ARE 99% MORE LIKELY TO KILL YOU THAN TO GIVE YOU SUPER POWERS. JUST SAY NO! TO LAB ACCIDENTS.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Here’s how to make an invisibility cloak - Science - MSNBC.com
By Alan Boyle "Researchers say they are rapidly closing in on new types of materials that can throw a cloak of invisibility around objects, fulfilling a fantasy that is as old as ancient myths and as young as 'Star Trek' and the Harry Potter novels.
Unlike those tales of fictional invisibility, the real-life technologies usually have a catch. Nevertheless, limited forms of invisibility might be available to the military sooner than you think."
=============================
Interesting article. The ideas are basically to take the incoming EM radiation (light, radar, etc) on one side of a "cloak" and use conduits to bend them around the object you want to hide, then let them out on the far side. That way the viewer essentially sees through the hidden object. Right now, you can't be moving for it to work, and it is easier to see radar invisibility happening before visible light, but hey, that's now. What about in 75 years? I may have to rethink my next SF story...
By Alan Boyle "Researchers say they are rapidly closing in on new types of materials that can throw a cloak of invisibility around objects, fulfilling a fantasy that is as old as ancient myths and as young as 'Star Trek' and the Harry Potter novels.
Unlike those tales of fictional invisibility, the real-life technologies usually have a catch. Nevertheless, limited forms of invisibility might be available to the military sooner than you think."
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Interesting article. The ideas are basically to take the incoming EM radiation (light, radar, etc) on one side of a "cloak" and use conduits to bend them around the object you want to hide, then let them out on the far side. That way the viewer essentially sees through the hidden object. Right now, you can't be moving for it to work, and it is easier to see radar invisibility happening before visible light, but hey, that's now. What about in 75 years? I may have to rethink my next SF story...
China's longest river "cancerous" with pollution - Yahoo! News
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's longest river is "cancerous" with pollution and rapidly dying, threatening drinking water supplies in 186 cities along its banks, state media said on Tuesday.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's longest river is "cancerous" with pollution and rapidly dying, threatening drinking water supplies in 186 cities along its banks, state media said on Tuesday.
Chinese environmental experts fear worsening pollution could kill the Yangtze river within five years, Xinhua news agency said, calling for an urgent clean-up.
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Hmmm, water issues in China, one of the fastest growing powers as well as in the US. Perhaps the future won't be war over oil, but rather over water?
Monday, April 10, 2006
Discovery of anti-freeze gene may be boon for crops - Yahoo! News
Discovery of anti-freeze gene may be boon for crops - Yahoo! News
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian scientists have discovered an "anti-freeze gene" that allows Antarctic grass to survive at minus 30 Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), saying it could prevent multi-million-dollar crop losses from frost.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian scientists have discovered an "anti-freeze gene" that allows Antarctic grass to survive at minus 30 Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), saying it could prevent multi-million-dollar crop losses from frost.
"It's a gene from the saltgrass that managed to colonise the Antarctic peninsula called Antarctic Hairgrass," said Professor German Spangenberg from La Trobe University in Victoria state.
"We identified a novel class of a gene protein which binds twice and that prevents ice crystal growth. It has the capacity to survive being frozen rock solid and then thawing. It prevents the damage from ice crystals," Spangenberg told Reuters.
The scientists implanted the "ice recrystallisation inhibition gene" into a host plant in Australia and replicated the anti-freeze properties.
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I knew about the anti-freeze protein in fish and that one frog. The cryogenics people will soon be in business.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Sticky Ends Online: Virus-Resistant Mosquitoes Can Be Genetically Engineered
Sticky Ends Online: Virus-Resistant Mosquitoes Can Be Genetically Engineered
A study led by Colorado State University researcher Ken Olson shows that mosquitoes can be genetically engineered to be weapons against infectious diseases. Researchers triggered a naturally occurring antiviral pathway in the mosquitoes, allowing the researchers to reduce or prevent the mosquitoes’ ability to transmit the virus. The insects were made resistant to the virus, of which there are four types.
During the study, not all of the genetically engineered mosquitoes showed 100% resistance to the virus.“We could potentially replace wild repopulations of mosquitoes with similarly engineered mosquitoes over time, as the wild populations breed with the resistant strains,” Olson says. “For this purpose, the engineered mosquitoes would need to reach 100 percent resistance to the virus.”
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More cool stuff from the interface between genetic engineering and molecular parisitology. But then again, who are we to play God?
A study led by Colorado State University researcher Ken Olson shows that mosquitoes can be genetically engineered to be weapons against infectious diseases. Researchers triggered a naturally occurring antiviral pathway in the mosquitoes, allowing the researchers to reduce or prevent the mosquitoes’ ability to transmit the virus. The insects were made resistant to the virus, of which there are four types.
“The research results of this study offer promising results for halting the spread of this disease by disarming mosquito’s ability to contract and transmit the dengue type-2 virus, a cause of dengue fever,” says Olson. “It demonstrates that it’s feasible to develop a mosquito that won’t transmit the disease to people by genetically triggering their RNA interference pathway.”
Colorado State University researcher Alexander Franz manipulated the DNA of mosquito embryos by introducing the DNA of a dengue-resistant gene into the embryo. The mosquito was engineered so that it expressed an effector molecule in the mosquito’s gut as the mosquito took in blood containing virus. This effector molecule turned on the RNA interference pathway in gut cells making the cells inhospitable to dengue virus replication. The resulting mosquitoes were resistant to the virus and also were fertile, which lends hope to researchers that they could be introduced into wild mosquito populations and have a widespread impact on the spread of the disease.
During the study, not all of the genetically engineered mosquitoes showed 100% resistance to the virus.“We could potentially replace wild repopulations of mosquitoes with similarly engineered mosquitoes over time, as the wild populations breed with the resistant strains,” Olson says. “For this purpose, the engineered mosquitoes would need to reach 100 percent resistance to the virus.”
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More cool stuff from the interface between genetic engineering and molecular parisitology. But then again, who are we to play God?
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Video game therapy - a new frontier - Yahoo! News
Video game therapy - a new frontier - Yahoo! News
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Doctors pronounced Ethan Myers brain dead after a car accident dealt the 9-year-old a severe brain injury in 2002. After he miraculously awoke from a nearly month-long coma, doctors declared he would never again eat on his own, walk or talk.
Yet, thanks partly to a video game system, Myers has caught up with his peers in school and even read a speech to a large group of students.
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I got to try some neural feedback software once. It was just about the coolest thing ever. They strap a bunch of sensors on your head and then you think one way or another to make the cursor move left/right, up/down. Sci Fi become reality.
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