Jun 29, 2009
World Conference of Science Journalists in London this week, so here’s a sneak preview of the July 1 issue of SpectroscopyNOW from the David Bradley segments in celebration. Wish me luck in defending my corner against those who would smite the science writers from our midst…
Iron proteins cast in surprising role – Iron is the most abundant transition metal in the human body. Its intriguing reduction-oxidation properties endow it with the active …
Jun 26, 2009
The Alchemist learns of a scalable cat this week as well as how the matrix is all important when it comes to identifying metabolites in a single drop of blood.
A small follow-up trial for prostate drug abiraterone demonstrates quality of life improvements in patients with the aggressive form of the disease, the same drug might also be used in treating breast cancer.
German researchers “working at close to absolute zero” have formulated …
Jun 24, 2009
Archaeologists were out in force in our village once again, this past weekend. This time their mini dig was part of our four-day Fen Edge Family Festival, for which I was one of the team of official photographers.
A metre-square hole was dug on the edge of Cottenham Village Green and it was quickly discovered just what a near-history find this site is. Apparently, in the 1920s when one of …
Jun 22, 2009
To predict the height of crests and the depths of troughs of ocean waves, scientists can turn to the well-known work of German mathematician and scientist Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss. The so-called Gaussian function provides a mathematical formula from which one can determine the normal distribution of wave heights based on probability theory and statistics.
Gauss works very well in theory. But, don’t mention wave theory and normal distributions to workers on a …
Jun 19, 2009
In May, I reported that Russian scientists at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics in Pushchino and the Institute of High-Energy Physics in Protvino, had investigated the chronic effects of the radiation to which we are exposed every time we fly in high altitude aircraft. They wanted to know if any putative damage to one’s DNA might be passed on to your future offspring. It’s an issue that girds …
Jun 17, 2009
The latest science news with an analytical bent from yours truly, now available in the SpectroscopyNOW ezines:
Cannabis blow back – A highly sensitive new chemical test has allowed European scientists to obtain “convincing evidence” that marijuana smoke damages DNA in ways that could increase the risk of cancer.
Toxic shock – Researchers in Spain are evaluating the “ecotoxic” properties of hazardous and toxic wastes for the aquatic environment. They suggest that …
Jun 15, 2009
Natural quasicrystals, graphene interconnects, and photo-powered nanomotors all come into view through The Alchemist’s eyeglass this week.
Also in view, is the finding that hydrogen peroxide is more than a bleach, it’s a marshal for white blood cells to flood to the body’s injury sites. Solar-powered humidity on tap might help solve pure water shortages in some arid parts of the world.
Finally, the ACS has named its Washington DC headquarters after Clifford …
Jun 12, 2009
Cloud appreciation…it doesn’t quite have the same image as other hobbies, rock climbing, sky diving, fell walking, fly fishing.
Cloud spotting is almost on a par with training spotting or stamp collecting, you might think, but just a single hour spent on your back almost anywhere in the world staring up at a cloudy sky can be so good for the …
Jun 10, 2009
Many virologists, including Vincent Racaniello, have suggested that the threat of avian influenza (H5N1) was greatly overestimated and so distracted us from more serious threats. Back in early 2005, he suggested that another strain might underpin a pandemic, such as H2N2, it may yet do just that. In the meantime, he was essentially right in that H1N1, previously known as “swine flu” emerged in March this year in Mexico (not Asia). He suggests …
Jun 8, 2009
I was interviewed by Faith Hayden for this week’s Chemical & Engineering News on the subject of, you guessed it, science on Twitter. This link is now free to view.
Here’s a transcript of my interview:
How long have you been Tweeting?
I joined Twitter in June 2007 under the pseudonym “@sciencebase“, which is the name of my website. I made a few sporadic tweets until I discovered twitterfeeder, which automates the …
Jun 5, 2009
A case study
Few people like to dwell on the subject of death, but it’s up there alongside taxes with life’s inevitabilities. But, consider it we must, for the sake of the environment.
At some point in our primordial past the dead were left to the scavenging dogs, the vultures, the flies, and the microbes. There were no ritual burials, no funeral pyres, no floating out to sea on a burning boat. Ida and …
Jun 3, 2009
None of the new science books on my desk this morning are more than an inch thick, so they should make great lighweight packing for a summer holiday read.
First up, It Takes a Genome by Greg Gibson, Professor of Genetics at North Carolina State University at Raleigh, explains why a clash between our genes and modern life is making us sick. Gibson provides new insights into why we are facing new …
Jun 1, 2009
This week, The Alchemist learns of encapsulated capsules that could emulate cells, a new glassy material for preventing debilitating leaks in solid oxide fuel cells, and a computer model that might help us develop a vaccine for H1N1 type A influenza. Also, under his gaze are ionic liquids developed to dissolve wood and the cancer drug that worryingly wipes away travelers’ fingerprints. Finally, a reminder that the RSC has …
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