Feb 28, 2006
Posted in Chemistry at 3:30 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
For those of you who didn’t know, ChemWeb’s “The Alchemist” was given a new lease of life by chemical searching company Chemindustry.com some time ago now. In fact, I’ve just compiled issue 38 of the “new” chemistry news round-up. It’s live today and covers a diverse range of chemical matter including an expose on how soil-eating microbes can be engineered to produce biodegradable plastics, more revelations on benzene in soft drinks, and the scandal surrounding …
Posted in Geek at 1:24 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Did you know that all US firms have to keep all records, including e-mails and other electronic records for at least five years under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002? Moreover, if your company is in healthcare, then you also have to hang on to a variety of emails and documents, such as contracts, policy and procedure documents, patient communications, authorizations and consumer complaints for six years! You can find out more and how to manage …
Feb 27, 2006
Posted in Bio at 10:00 pm by David Bradley -- 1 Comment
Hunger for protein and salt, and a fear of cannibalism, drives the
mass migration of Mormon crickets across western North America, says Stephen Simpson of the University of Sydney, Australia. Mormon cricket swarms, sometimes millions strong covering more than 50 miles in a season. They destroy vegetation in their path and are a severe hazard to drivers.
Locust plagues of Biblical proportions have been with mankind, since, well, Biblical …
Posted in Education at 4:03 pm by David Bradley -- 1 Comment
Although I run sections of the Sciencebase site with science experiments and lesson plans, these aren’t necessarily aimed at the busy parents of a homeschooler with an assignment to complete. For that Sciencebase offers access to some independent science fair resources. These great projects (which I’ve tried with my own young children) are perfect for completing a science fair assignment in a given time, providing a complete list of equipment needed, full instructions, and sample …
Feb 25, 2006
Posted in Science at 12:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Visitors with their own website can quickly and simply add the Sciencebase newsfeed to their site’s homepage. There are scripts and plugins available for most content management systems (CMS), blogs and wikis.
Originally, I provided a cut and paste approach based on a javascript converter that rendered XML from an RSS as html, this is no longer viable.
Feb 24, 2006
Posted in Bio at 9:12 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
According to The Register, levels of the “satisfaction” hormone prolactin do not reach as high a peak following manual stimulation in men as they do after purportedly procreational activity with a partner.
The original research published in Biological Psychology could explain what The Register describes subtly as a “niggling dissatisfaction” following the former approach to gratification. Needless to say, the remainder of their article is anything but subtle and the link above should only …
Posted in Environment at 8:00 am by David Bradley -- 2 Comments; add yours
It’s not an excuse to use more plastic cups at the office water cooler, but Irish and German researchers have discovered that the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida can eat polystyrene. This polymer, instantly recognisable in its expanded form is a key component of disposable cups, and in “plastic” plates and utensils.
Turning it into an eco-friendly plastic would significantly reduce the environmental impact of this ubiquitous, but difficult-to-recycle waste stream, according to a study scheduled to …
Feb 23, 2006
Posted in Geek at 7:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
If you’re a regular Sciencebase reader with a particular area of interest, did you know you can grab themed RSS newsfeeds for the site:
The complete feed is available with this link
http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/feed/
if you add one of the following terms to the URL immediately after the final slash - rss, rss2, atom - you can aggregate the feed with a particular flavour too, RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0, or Atom, respectively.
For themed feeds follow these examples using …
Posted in Health at 5:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Proteins involved in the inflammatory response could be used to help in brain
regeneration following cerebral stroke, according to Swedish researchers writing in the EMBO
Journal today.
Complement proteins participate in the inflammatory response and scientists have suggested that under abnormal circumstances, following stroke for instance, their role in inflammation could contribute to tissue damage in the brain. This new research, by Marcela Pekna and colleagues of the Sahlgrenska Academy at Goeteborg University, reveals surprisingly that complement proteins …
Posted in Geek at 9:30 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Computerworld is a weekly publication delivering late-breaking news from, as you’d expect, the world of computers. If you need analysis of this area in a national and international context, then the magazine’s in-depth coverage of Windows 2000, Government regulation, ERP, E-commerce and much more is essential reading. Most importantly, for sciencebase readers in the industry though is that you can find out how your peers are applying technology to further corporate goals…what they’ve learned, what …
Posted in Chemistry at 12:01 am by David Bradley -- 2 Comments; add yours
Integrating stiff carbon nanotubes into more traditional materials, such as polycarbonates, can dramatically improve the material’s ability to absorb vibrations, especially at high temperatures, according to US researchers. The discovery could lead to new composites for aerospace and automobile engineering applications as well as improving golf clubs and other sports equipment. You can read the complete story in this month’s Reactive Reports
Feb 22, 2006
Posted in Geek at 9:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
A search engine spun out from the Australian research organisation CSIRO is already powering the Australian Government Information
Management Office, Westpac Banking Corporation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the University of Sydney, National Research Council of Canada, University of Staffordshire, and the Scottish Care Commission and could soon offer users from multinational down to SOHOs a way to search their websites, intranets, file-shares and databases that side-steps the security risks associated with other desktop search engine software …
Posted in Health at 3:40 pm by David Bradley -- 19 Comments; add yours
Sodium benzoate (E211) is a public health issue that has been bubbling for fifteen years and could soon come to a head and have the fizzy drinks industry frothing at the mouth.
Sodium benzoate is a preservative added to carbonated beverages, but those drinks that also have added citric or ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300) can be susceptible to the formation of benzene as a degradation product. At least that’s the theory.
The US Food & …
Posted in Chemistry at 9:01 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Chemical corrosion impacts on global commercial turnover significantly as equipment, buildings, and transportation systems have to be continually maintained to combat its effects. Chemists ever looking for the silver lining, however, have recognized that chemical attack of metal surfaces is not all bad and might be exploited to produce useful nanoscale surface features with potential technological applications in catalysis, sensors, and other areas. Read on in the latest issue of Reactive Reports
Posted in Bio at 12:01 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Differences in immune response between males and females appear at puberty, according to a study published today in the journal BMC Immunology.
The differences in the male and female immune responses, which make females more prone to autoimmune disease and males more subject to infection, are established during puberty, report US scientists who have identified one of the mechanisms responsible for the difference in immune response between male and female mice. They show that this sexual …
Feb 21, 2006
Posted in Chemistry at 1:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Tiny slivers of gel formed into microscopic lens shapes could be used in biosensors for chemical analysis and medical diagnostics, according to US researchers. The team has developed a new material that can be shaped into such a microlens but then changes shape, and so its focal length, when a target substance is present. Read on…
Posted in Science at 9:00 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
In the latest issue of the Reactive Reports chemistry webzine, we interview NMR expert Gary Martin about his experiences with this powerful analytical technique and his views on the future of the technology and novel applications.
Martin spent the first 14 years of his career at the University of Houston before moving to Burroughs Wellcome, Co., in 1989, and then to Upjohn in 1996, which, through a series of mergers and acquisitions, left him working …
Posted in Health at 5:00 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
According to a report published today in the International Journal of Obesity, childhood depression is linked to adult onset of asthma and obesity. Gregor Hasler and colleagues analysed data on 4,547 subjects at six time points over a 25 year period from 1978. The study reveals for the first time an additional link to depression alongside the other conditions.
The authors investigated how many of the people suffered from childhood depression and compared this with those …
Feb 20, 2006
Posted in Geek at 9:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Regular sciencebase visitors will be well aware of my interest in what keywords visitors use to either find the site or to search the site once they’re here. Four hits on the site this month were after Novel Prize controversy, again and again. I’m not sure what they hoped to find by adding that phrase “again and again”, but more to the point, I’m not aware of any Novel Prize. If they’re after the Nobel …
Posted in Bird Flu at 5:35 pm by David Bradley -- 2 Comments; add yours
As Britain braces itself for the arrival of avian influenza from Continental Europe, I thought it would be timely to remind Sciencebase readers of a bird flu FAQ I wrote towards the end of last year to try and separate the facts from the fiction regarding H5N1 and the threat of a global bird flu pandemic.
Posted in Education at 4:00 pm by David Bradley -- 1 Comment
For those of you who have previously missed the link, sciencebase now offers breaking news in the field of Science Education. Covering all aspects of K-12 and graduate education in terms of science literacy, making the grade, health issues in education and more. We’re also offering visitors in education, the chance to sign up for a free subscription to T.H.E. Journal, the must-read publication for all educators at every level. Visit the sciencebase …
Posted in Geek at 2:49 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Now that the Sciencebase tenth anniversary makeover is pretty much complete, a quick word about RSS. I’ve consolidated various feeds from the blog and main site sections, but now that I’m using a new content management system for the site it also means that you can grab the newsfeed in any of the various formats RSS 1, RSS 2, Atom, etc. You can find out how to read newsfeeds and how to add them …
Feb 18, 2006
Posted in Science at 9:00 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
Australian scientists have compared evidence obtained using infrared spectroscopy with high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a chemometrics analysis and demonstrated that this latter approach can distinguish between ballpoint pen inks much more effectively than IR alone. Read about this as well as other news with a spectroscopic bent in the latest updates from spectroscopynow.com including the A to Z of solar-powered nanomotors, and a fishy business in Croatia
Feb 17, 2006
Posted in Science at 3:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
It is on the nanometre scale where chemists, physicists, materials scientists and engineers, and even biologists will meet to create a new technology - nanotechnology. This book’s cover claims nanotech was “scarcely imagined a few decades ago”, but what about Fantastic Voyage, and, of course, Feynman’s predictions? Well, like they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Nanotech is …
Posted in Bird Flu at 11:01 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
According to the latest issue of FierceBiotech, just received in the Sciencebase office, venture capitalists are hoping to invest in bird flu. Apparently, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (they always have such long company names don’t they?) is starting a US$200 million life sciences fund to focus on new therapies against avian influenza ahead of a putative global pandemic. FierceBiotech reports that biopharma and university groups are to be steered towards this area …
Posted in Science at 9:01 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
A 75 km optical fibre that can carry a pulse of laser light without loss of power could revolutionise long-distance voice and data transmissions, according to UK researchers. The team says the fibre could span the distance between Edinburgh and Glasgow without requiring signal boosters en route. Get the complete signal in this month’s Spotlight Science News
Feb 16, 2006
Posted in Geek at 9:05 am by David Bradley -- Click to comment
I found a great site for all those gadgets that will make you the envy of the lab! Check out ThinkGeek gifts for geeks for hi-tech lights and lasers, Swiss Army USB knives, PIX Sports LED pedometer and message display, PowerSquid outlet multipliers, USB lava lamps (don’t ask!), wifi digital hotspot spotter, atomic dog tags (for supercool mutts with a penchant for retro chic), LED candles, and best of all - green laser pointers (beats …
Posted in Health at 12:01 am by David Bradley -- 1 Comment
People taking ecstasy at noisy nightclubs could be doing themselves more harm than those who imbibe 3,4 -methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) at quieter locations.
Research published on February 16, in the journal BMC Neuroscience, shows that brain activity in MDMA-taking rats due to the drug lasts up to five days if the animals are listening to loud music, says a press release from BMC, when they ingest the drug. The …
Feb 15, 2006
Posted in Science at 5:00 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
In Issue 33 of PSIgate Spotlight, I discuss new insights into the differences between the subduction zones where the Earth’s tectonic plates slide across each other. The research in questsion could help in earthquake prediction and allow seismologists to discover in advance whether an imminent earthquake will be weaker or as powerful as those that shook Indonesia in 2004, Alaska in 1964, Chile in 1960 and the Pacific Northwest United States in 1700.
Posted in Health at 2:46 pm by David Bradley -- Click to comment
I wrote a report for the UK’s Royal Society some time ago that continues to get a lot of visitors. The original report covers the mechanism of muscle contraction. Oddly though, most readers don’t bother reading parts 2 and 3 of this three-part report. Now, that’s either because they simply didn’t like my writing style or were bored by the article, but I like to think it is neither of those things and that …
Posted in Astronomy at 8:11 am by David Bradley -- 1 Comment
New measurements published earlier this month support recent claims that the planetary membership of our Solar System should be extended to include a tenth that is bigger than Pluto. 2003 UB313 was first spotted in January 2005 by Mike Brown’s team at Caltech, but recent thermal emission measurements have recently allowed German scientists to estimate its diameter at approximately 3100 km, some 700 km larger than Pluto. This makes it the …
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