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Health & Life Sciences Archive
Summer reading!
by Have some free time this summer? A few books to add to your list...
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Plight Of The Postdoc
by Is modern American science strangling its young talents in the cradle?
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After the flood--starting to assess the damage
The flooding may be nearing an end, but the clean-up and reconstruction are only just beginning.
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Journey To South Africa!
Esteemed wildlife photographer and biologist, Nicolas Devos, is back in South Africa... and he's bringing Correlations readers on the adventure!
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In 2008, Dead Zones Are Deadlier
Remember those disgusting vast areas of the ocean depleted of oxygen and devoid of fish, shrimp, and marine life? They're getting worse.
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Return of the clones!
How much would you pay for Fido v. 2.0?
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Iowa underwater
Iowa's experiencing historic flooding...
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Venter's Energy Bug
Craig Venter is out to create a bacterium that uses CO2 to create fuel. If he succeeds, it could change everything...
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SIDS: a bacterial cause?
SIDS is one of the leading causes of death for infants under the age of 1--and we know very little about why this happens. A bacterial cause has long been suspected, and new research appears to support this.
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Fate Of The Ocean
Ocean acidification is intimately connected to our changing climate and as important as global warming...
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With Honors. Without Options?
In the 21st century, we're producing more Ph.D. graduates than ever while the traditional academic trajectory affords fewer and fewer options.
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Oh My God, It's Full of Stars!
by Here's a video of some of the millions of starfish found forming a community on an underwater mountain at Macquarie Ridge, near New Zealand.
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What is "hand, foot, and mouth disease?"
As if natural disasters aren't bad enough, China is also suffering from an outbreak of an enterovirus that has killed dozens of children over the past few weeks...and it's spreading.
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The Art Of Science
Sure, Carl Zimmer's got his Science Tattoo Emporium, but I suspect I've just witnessed the creation of the coolest science tattoo this millennium...
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Tanning industry claims sun good for you; doctors just involved in "sunlight scam"
Tanning good, doctors bad? What's going on here?
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The Deadliest Storm This Millennium
Tropical Cyclone Nargis may be the world's deadliest storm since 1999's Orissa.
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How can infections in a mom-to-be affect her fetus later in life?
Can mom's influenza lead to mental illness 20 years down the road in the child? Researchers investigate...
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A Rocking Good Sunday
by As temperatures reached triple digits here in Los Angeles, I retreated to a friend’s pool to cool my heels and other parts. The heat so drained me of motivation, it was all I could do to make dinner and mix my adult beverage. But hey, who does anything worthwhile on a steamy Sunday? Turns out, scientists, that’s who.
COLOSSAL SQUID!
On Wednesday, a 30 foot long, 900-pound colossal squid hauled up from the Antarctic last January will be studied by a team of scientists... but the catch is, they'll only have FOUR hours!
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Darwin Online!
Want to have a place where you can find all things Darwin? Notebooks, diaries, books, even recipes - to download and to view? Well, the Darwin Online Collection is the place you've been waiting for. Share it with your friends and your students!
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A Bright Future
Saturday night I attended North Carolina's 'Celebration of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education.' If the ceremony reflects the future for math and science, there is certainly reason for hope in tomorrow's leaders.
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Infectious disease and the birth of the modern city
The modern city, circa 1830: where the sewers overflow with human filth, and outbreaks of water-borne disease wiped out a tenth of the city's population in a matter of weeks.
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"I'd rather be smart than be a movie star"
..says actress Natalie Portman!
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The water problem
Clean water and adequate sanitation are real problems in many areas of the world--World Water Day seeks to raise awareness of the issues surrounding this critical global health tragedy.
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Time in your Eyes
by Last night I watched a great reality-style documentary on the philosopher Derrida, and was struck by something he said; that as we age, our eyes are the only parts of our bodies that remain unchanged. I was curious about what scientific research might be out there to support the notion, so I googled "eyes & age" and came across an interesting study that was conducted recently by Danish scientists.
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The Bard of Evolution
Marine paleoecologist Geerat Vermeij is blind. And yet, he sees what others do not...
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The potential of vaccines: Uganda's experience with Haemophilus influenzae
Vaccination campaigns aren't a historical relic, and still have the potential to change the world.
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On being an outlier
by Some people can't abide broccoli. Myself, I cannot swallow a brussels sprout. I have had severe side effects from common drugs. Am I an outlier, or should I suspect that there is something wrong with the drug? What if the drug appears in the news?
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Vaccines aren't just for kids
So-called "childhood" illnesses don't end with the onset of adulthood.
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On The Importance Of Oceans
It seems nearly universal that we are drawn to oceans. Children and adults alike marvel at whales, sea turtles, manatees, dolphins and on. Our imagination runs wild wondering about all the biodiversity and mystery lurking just below the surface of the great blue. Sure, it's easy to love oceans, but let's explore what makes them so important...
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Fetal Teddy Bears & Dream Anatomy
Ever wondered where teddy bears come from? Ok, to be honest, neither had I. But felt artist Stephanie Metz has certainly given some thought to the development of animals in the womb. In her Genus Ursulus project she examines the anatomy of the imaginary
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Kitty and Fido: providing companionship, entertainment, and nasty bacteria?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) goes beyond just humans...
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Beer As A Science
It's St. Patrick's Day and what better way to celebrate than to explore the science behind your favorite brew!
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"Listeria sandwiches" in New Zealand--and potentially, in your own fridge
A bacterium that can grow over a range of 100 degrees F is a formidable opponent.
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Evolution for everyone
Free access to a new evolution education journal for a year...spread the word!
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Yellow fever causes panic in Paraguay
Yellow jack flies again.
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DIY - Care For Your Microorganisms
A compost pile is a living, breathing community of microorganisms at work converting the organic matter you supply it with into various nutritional compounds. Knowing this is key to producing and using it correctly. Taking care of your compost pile well as it is being made for you by your microscopic friends (such as not letting it get waterlogged and turn into a pile of rotting stuff) is easy if you remember a few things.
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DIY - Fun with Microorganisms
There's a lot of science to be found all around us, without the need for expensive equipment to uncover much of it. Two favourite places of mine for this are the kitchen and the garden, and in this and the next post I'll talk a bit more about the latter. The topic is not plants per se, as it was last time, but an important link in the chain of which plants are part. I'm talking about making compost, one of those often-overlooked processes in nature that are crucial for the life-cycles on which we here on earth depend.
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Mapping Oceans Reveals Our Impact
Nearly forty percent of ocean areas are strongly impacted by humans and only four percent can be considered pristine. A fascinating new study provides a snapshot of what we're are doing to our home... the implications of which we're now only beginning to understand.
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MRSA: a patient's view
A patient divulges the "ugly truth" about life with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
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How can bee deaths affect your dessert?
A die-off of honeybees has hit several states in the U.S.; how does it relate to your ice cream?
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Do-it-yourself molecular biology
Learn a low-tech way to extract DNA!
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DIY: A Presidential Debate on Science and Technology
It's official. Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Barack Obama have been invited to ScienceDebate2008. We're so close to seeing this through and now more than ever, we need your help! The time has come to get involved...
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A microbiology giant passes away
A hero in biology has died.
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Did you double-dip that chip!?
The science of Seinfeld: does double-dipping a chip really contaminate the chip dip?
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44 Orders of Magnitude
What a ridiculously large number 44 orders of magnitude is! Yet that is the span of science; the number of the smallest subatomic scale phenomena that we are interested in that span the largest cosmological scale.
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Marine Mammals... Cute, Cuddly, And In Crisis
Twenty-five marine mammal populations in the US of A are currently classified as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and thirty are listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). While these policies aim to reduce the greatest threats, we've got a long way to go. To get readers up to speed, I've outlined five of the most serious...
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An ounce of prevention...
The rabies vaccine was one of the early public health success stories. Why, then, are millions of people still infected with the rabies virus every year--with a death from the virus occurring every ten minutes?
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Science is Art.
The arts have a monumental role in culture which is, of course, at the intersection of politics, science... Life. They have always been so intricately connected, they are fundamentally aspects of the same entity. Scientists like Nicolas Devos remind me to look closer at our world now and then.
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Diagnosing disease, the old-fashioned way
Medical technology marries the old with the new to "sniff" out infections and cancer.
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Snow: A Northerner Braves The South
Snow: A type of precipitation consisting of agglomerates of snow crystals. It reflects sunlight and even changes the way sound travels. It's fun to eat, pack, throw, shovel, and watch. We humans are so fascinated with snow, we've even come up with little paper weights that imitate the falling phenomenon so we can take it with us.
After our Correlations meet up in LA, my sentiments on the white stuff were to change dramatically...
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Diagnosing disease--hundreds of years later
Epidemiologists investigate more than just disease in the present day. Biologic samples allow us a form of time travel, diagnosing diseases that killed their victim hundreds of years ago, and symptoms of disease allow us to speculate even on what ailed fictional characters.
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Alzheimer's disease: the viral link
Could a childhood infection predispose you to develop Alzheimer's disease many decades down the road?
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Influenza viruses--why are they such a concern?
Influenza is a major killer every year. Why don't we have it under better control? And what's the deal with "bird flu," anyway?
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The Humpbacks Are Spared... For Now
The world was up in arms last month as Japan launched its whaling fleet in the first major hunt of humpbacks since the 1960s. The move wasn't great for public relations, and would you know it... turns out all the hullabaloo has made a difference.
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The Morning After
So last night WIRED Science had its wrap party and, from what I'm told, I was in attendance. You see, the night is a little fuzzy in my memory. To be honest, the world is a little fuzzy today. I am nursing a hangover that I could sell to science. It's got me thinking - what exactly is a hangover?
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A different kind of "behind the scenes"
Teacher, public speaker, writer, lab rat...my job changes every day.
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Ebola: beyond the hype
Ebola. The name conjures mental images of death and sickness unlike any other. Much like "Black plague" or "AIDS," "Ebola" is a disease which has transcended medicine to become a part of our popular culture. And like AIDS, it has done this in a remarkably short period of time.
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I Know What You're Thinking
So we had trouble settling on a name for the segment Face Reader. The software being demonstrated in the segment is called Mind Reader. Why not name it 'Mind Reader' you ask. Or should I say, why not name it 'Mind Reader' I ask on your behalf.
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Are There Fish In Our Future... Or is 2048 the Y2K for Seafood?
We humans long believed oceans must be so enormous, the abundance of resources in the marine realm had to be limitless. We're funny about holding onto ridiculous notions like that...
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Working the graveyard shift increases your risk of developing cancer
Night owls face an additional risk of many types of cancer, according to an upcoming publication.
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How far does religious freedom extend when it conflicts with public health?
A Liberian immigrant to the U.S. argues that eating monkey meat is a critical part of her religion. Should it be allowed?
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An Easy Cell
There's been a breakthrough in stem cell research that could have profound implications for how research on the science and medicine is done, especially in the USA. This research touches on issues that continue to spark lively debate, and that changed the research landscape in the USA, compromising some competitiveness. How these new results will change things will be interesting to watch.
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Biofilms--the microscopic architecture all around you
When most people think of bacteria, the image that jumps to mind are singular cells, perhaps growing on a petri dish or swimming in a liquid of broth; one of the simplest forms of life on the planet, incapable of complex thought or organization.
They would, of course, be wrong...
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Does this microbe make me look fat?
While diet and exercise play a large role in weight, the billions of microbes that share your dinner may also contribute to your waistline.
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Does this microbe make me look fat?
While diet and exercise play a large role in weight, the billions of microbes that share your dinner may also contribute to your waistline.
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Germs....in......SPACE!
What effect does space travel have on bacteria? A recently published study investigates the question.
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'Tis the season for influenza
Influenza kills 36,000 Americans every year--so why aren't more of our health care workers getting vaccinated?
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MRSA: from hospital pathogen to community scourge
Once only a worry in hospitals and mainly among the already-ill, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now present in our schools and community centers, and has even spread to our farms.
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The Emergence of a Strange and Novel Pathogen
As I mentioned, my research focuses on emerging infectious diseases--that is, diseases that have been newly discovered, or are expanding in geographic range, or perhaps moving into new populations. Typically when we see organisms in that first group--novel to man--we think of bacterial or viral pathogens, such as SARS or E. coli O157:H7. However, sometimes things get even more weird, such as the strange case of the contagious Tasmanian devil facial cancer.
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We Don't Need Another Hero
RoboDoc is our segment about the Da Vinci Surgical System, and was selected for the obvious technophilic, Wiredness of it all. I mean, it's surgery with robots!
I could do the usual rant on the controls (motion scaling, tremor reduction, etc.) and provide a litany of superlatives regarding the robot's accomplishments (smallest patient, youngest patient, et al), but I want to tell you a story about the people involved. Here's what happened right before all that amazing footage of the Da Vinci in action was shot.
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