From the sudden whiff of school cabbage to the pungent smell of hospital disinfectant, nothing transports people back to their childhood more than an unexpected smell.
"Simply making the most of modern technology" says the Danish government, on the introduction of the internet during educational exams. Danish schools are to give students the previlege of being able to access websites for research information, as long a they do not coverse wih others online for answers -- For the first time in my life, I would probably be tmepted to cheat; they're just asking for it!
Marijuana has been smoked for its medicinal properties for centuries. Preclinical, clinical, and anecdotal reports suggest numerous potential medical uses for marijuana. Although the indications for some conditions have been well documented, less information is available about other potential medical uses.
Additional research is needed to further clarify the therapeutic value of cannabinoids and determine optimal routes of administration. Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana, and the debate over legalization. ACP believes the science on medical marijuana should not be obscured or hindered by the debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana for general use. In this paper the College lays out a series of positions on research into, and the use of, marijuana as medicine.
Researchers of Standford University School of Medicine were able to obtain germ cells from human embryonic cells. It's an important discovery but some people, making an error, said it is the first step for an artificial baby. http://www.inaltreparole.net/en/science/ricercacellulegerminali291009.htmlResearchers of Standford University School of Medicine were able to obtain germ cells... more
German researchers have successfully transferred a fungal resisting gene found in bacteria and other plants into peas but as a result of high administrative costs and political uncertainty in Germany, they will continue field testing genetically modified peas in United States.
Human eggs and sperm have been grown in the laboratory in research which could change the face of parenthood.Human eggs and sperm have been grown in the laboratory in research which could change... more
Austrian masters graduate Sonja Bäumel presents a body of work at Design Academy Eindhoven’s Graduation Galleries exhibition this week, exploring how bacteria on human skin could be harnessed to create clothing that reacts to the environment.
(Fairs, M., 2009, October 22, par.1)
[many photos and details at the link....]Austrian masters graduate Sonja Bäumel presents a body of work at Design Academy... more
Science has, and still does, conduct some of the most extreme experiments -- some challenging the way we see the world and evolution.
Science Fiction website i09.com have compiled an indepth look at 25 of the most insane science experiments, from various mind control research projects, to the Large Hadron Collinder, to pig powder used to regrow human limbs, and the Multiple Kill Vehicle (as seen in the video)....Science has, and still does, conduct some of the most extreme experiments -- some... more
Asylum's campaign to end cancer by growing sweet mustachios.
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It's breast cancer awareness month, and chances are you cannot go through your day without encountering a pink ribbon. All we want for you to be able to say the same thing about cancer-fighting mustaches this November.
Asylum editors are joining Movember (and are already participating in Mustaches vs. Cancer), and to raise money and awareness we've recruited some of our favorite Web sites to join in: AskMen, Men's Fitness, Maxim, The Chive, Guyism, The Bachelor Guy, Switched, Fanhouse, Noise Creep, Asylum UK (duh), Urlesque, Moondog Sports, Chris Illuminati, SEC Rivals, Midwest Sports Fan, Cool Material, Dave and Thomas, Burbia, Stephen Bailey, Gear Patrol, Yep Yep, Next Round, UGO, Mediaite and, of course, The American Mustache Institute.
Why should you join in? Because testicular and prostate cancer has been threatening some of our favorite readers, bloggers, friends and family. Plus, it places your balls in danger, and while we don't know your balls personally, we're sure you'd rather not part with them.
And as your reward, you'll receive prizes, parties and (presumably) tons of women.
Want to participate? Check out Movember.com. Send us a sceenshot of your sign up confirmation to mustache@asylum.com, and if you're one of the first 25 submitters, we'll mail you a Movember T-shirt, beer cozy or an Asylum T-shirt (see the fine print below).Asylum's campaign to end cancer by growing sweet mustachios.
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It's breast... more
If you have been puzzled by Mona Lisa's smile – how she's radiant one moment and serious the next instant – then your worries are over. It happens because our eyes are sending mixed signals to the brain about her smile.
Different cells in the retina transmit different categories of information or "channels" to the brain. These channels encode data about an object's size, clarity, brightness and location in the visual field.
"Sometimes one channel wins over the other, and you see the smile, sometimes others take over and you don't see the smile," says Luis Martinez Otero, a neuroscientist at Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, who conducted the study along with Diego Alonso Pablos.
This isn't the first time scientists have deconstructed Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. In 2000, Margaret Livingstone, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School with a side interest in art history, showed that Mona Lisa's smile is more apparent in peripheral vision than dead-centre, or foveal, vision. And in 2005, an American team suggested that random noise in the path from retina to visual cortex determines whether we see a smile or not.
more info regarding Leonardo at www.leonardoshands.comIf you have been puzzled by Mona Lisa's smile – how she's radiant one moment and... more
"It is a practical step forward in techniques to produce large numbers of stem cells without using embryos.
Using three drug-like chemicals, the team made the procedure 200 times more efficient and twice as fast"
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I personally have no problem with using stem cells from embryos, but this is great for advancing our research and not pissing people off."It is a practical step forward in techniques to produce large numbers of stem cells... more
In the 13 years since California passed a law allowing for the medical use of marijuana, a dozen more states, including Washington, have followed suit. Today, all the Pacific states allow people to grow or possess marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation, as do several states in the Mountain West, a few in New England and some along the Eastern Seaboard – despite the continued insistence by the federal Food and Drug Administration that the herb is a dangerous drug with no valid medical benefits.
By far, the most widespread support for the move to allow marijuana smoking for medicinal purposes has been on behalf of people with AIDS Wasting Syndrome or on cancer chemotherapy. The chief benefit noted for these patients has had to do with a reduction in nausea and the stimulation of appetite, something anyone who has experienced the “blind raving munchies” can attest to.
Proponents of medical marijuana have not stopped there, however. Advocates cite reports that marijuana can be beneficial in treating a range of illnesses, even though the FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration provide few, if any, opportunities for researchers to investigate these claims.
One of the least publicized of these claims is that cannabis can be a help for people with Multiple Sclerosis. MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other due to damage of the myelin sheath, an insulating coat around nerve cells that allow them to pass electrical signals. While theories abound for ultimate causes of MS, from genetics to environmental exposure to toxins, it is well understood to be an autoimmune disease. That is, the body’s natural defense systems attack the myelin layers in the brain. In that sense, it is like other chronic conditions, including Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus.
Recently, indirect evidence has surfaced which could go a long way in explaining the potential for marijuana to improve the outlook for MS patients. Scientists generally believe that marijuana’s high is a result of cannabinols, the active ingredients in the smoke, binding to a receptor on brain cells called CB1 receptors.
In June, Temple University physiologist Ron Tuma and his team released a report on work they have done studying a related receptor known as CB2. The Microvascular Research report reveals that selectively targeting CB2 receptors reduces injury and tissue death after a certain kind of stroke. Additionally, a New Zealand pharmacologist at the University of Auckland, Michelle Glass, recently noted that activating the CB2 receptors can shield neurons from damage, possibly by stopping immune cells in the brain, known as microglia, from triggering an inflammatory response.
Some drug researchers find this particularly exciting because binding proteins to the CB2 receptors does not result in people getting high. How much attention this gets from pharmaceutical companies may depend on how widespread the CB2 receptors are in the body, a matter of some scientific controversy. In the meantime, patients with MS will just have to put up with getting stoned.In the 13 years since California passed a law allowing for the medical use of... more
People have become significant earth movers, outpacing all sources of natural erosion. More and more of our footprint can be seen from space in many forms, including cities, reservoirs, agriculture and deforestation. Among the most impressive human scars on the planet are open-pit mines.People have become significant earth movers, outpacing all sources of natural erosion.... more
A new discovery by scientists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, however, has shed new light on one of nature's best mercury fighters: bacteria.
"Mercury pollution is a significant environmental problem," said Jeremy Smith, a UT-ORNL Governor's Chair and lead author of the new study. "That's especially true for organisms at or near the top of the food chain, such as fish, shellfish, and ultimately, humans. But some bacteria seem to know how to break down the worst forms of it. Understanding how they do this is valuable information."
The UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers, working with colleagues from the University of Georgia and University of California, San Francisco, were able to determine the mechanism -- at the most detailed level -- of how the MerB enzyme breaks apart the dangerous methylmercury moleculeA new discovery by scientists at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge... more
Citibank has released the results of a survey about small business social media use. According to Citibank, few small business owners and managers are increasingly using social networking sites.Citibank has released the results of a survey about small business social media use.... more
The birth control pill may have done more than just help liberate women, it may also have changed “the laws of attraction” between the sexes, according to a new study.
Suspecting that the Pill, which contains synthetic versions of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, might have a far-reaching impact on what modern women want, two British anthropologists went hunting for information on how big an effect a little tweak to our hormones might make. Their findings were published Wednesday in Trends in Ecology and Evolution.
Women who have their hormone levels smoothed out by the Pill tend to seek men who look like good long-term prospects, says the new report’s lead author, Alexandra Alvergne, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Sheffield. On the contrary, a woman on a normal menstrual cycle will have a burst of hormones around the time of ovulation that will drive her to lust after the hottest, sexiest guy in the room.The birth control pill may have done more than just help liberate women, it may also... more
Stem cells are now more efficient thanks to a study designed to bond the cells with blood vessels needed to promote tissue growth.
Daniel Anderson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted the study, using human bone marrow stem cells that were modified with the introduction of biodegradable nanoparticles. These nanoparticles contained the human gene for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the same gene responsible for the 'calling' of blood vessels to damaged tissue.
The modified stem cells were injected into mice with injured limbs. Anderson found that blood vessel density of the tissue that regrew, had tripled in comparision to that of mice given regular stem cells.
A month after the experiment with the mice, Anderson discovered that only 20 per cent of mice given the modified stem cells had lost limbs, while mice given regular stem cells totalled 60 per cent.
This research opens up possibilities for stem cells to be merged with other genes, thus improving the cells' efficiency for various tasks.Stem cells are now more efficient thanks to a study designed to bond the cells with... more
If Zac Efron tickles your fancy ... it could be because you're being hormonally altered. Researchers have found that the birth control pill may change women's perceptions of men, namely making them more attracted to girlier guys. This could very well explain why today's heart throbs follow more of an Orlando Bloom than, say a chiseled Kirk DouglasIf Zac Efron tickles your fancy ... it could be because you're being hormonally... more
The wisdom of screening all hospital patients for MRSA in England is being questioned by a leading expert.The wisdom of screening all hospital patients for MRSA in England is being questioned... more
