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Welcome PLoGs Grant Jacobs Sep 02

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All this introducing new blogging networks is keeping me from writing about science. It has to end, I tell you, it has to end! (Either that, or I’m going to start ignoring you lot. Seriously.)

Hot on the heals of the Guardian newspaper science blogs is the announcement of an excellent science blog network at PLoS. (For non-biologists, PLoS = Public Library of Science, is an open-access publisher of a range of biology-related research journals.)

plos-blogs-banner

The in-jokes are abounding. They’re not blogs, they’re PLoGs. Jason Goldman thinks that PLoS blogs sciblings should be called PLoGsters. Sounds faintly criminal to me. (Others say plogger. I prefer PLoGster: plogging scans much too close to plodding, and these writers aren’t dull.)

The initial cast, as you might expect, is excellent.

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Major newspaper opts for science blogging Grant Jacobs Sep 01

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British newspaper, the Guardian, already home to the column of Bad Science writer Ben Goldacre, has gathered a small but very good collection of science bloggers to present as Guardian Science Blogs.

Stromatolites from Bolivia (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

Stromatolites from Bolivia (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

The science-writing internet has seen a lot of developments this year. It’s promising to see a major newspaper like the Guardian take this on.

Initially the Guardian have four blogs:

  • Punctuated equilibrium, by GrrlScientist (who also writes at several locations elsewhere). Her introductory post features her parrot, Orpheus reading, no make that eating, the Guardian. Good recycling, I suppose. (Great photo, too, well worth checking out.)
  • Political science, by Evan Harris (a former British MP), who has started out with some pretty hard-hitting stuff on MMR and religion v. science in teaching in schools. Interesting — and good! — to see a politician in the science-writing fray.
  • The Lay Scientist, by Martin Robbins, who might be familiar from those who followed Simon Singh’s case, who writes with skepticism about pretty whatever is the latest issue. (Sadly, there is always more to put right… On the bright side, this makes for more entertainment, too.)
  • Particle Physics, by Jon Butterworth, Professor of Physics at UCL who will no doubt bring some professorial clout to physics blogging, entertainingly too.

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Halt to funding new stem cell research in the USA Grant Jacobs Aug 25

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Judge rules a stay on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research in the USA.

Previously I wrote about a new twist in a law suit involving Christian groups and two scientists suing US government departments over embryonic stem cell research (ESC), based on their having to compete for funding.

Recent reports say that the judge has now issued an injunction putting a temporary stay on federal funding of human ESC research, resulting in NIH director Francis Collins freezing funding on up-coming grants. (Private funding is apparently unaffected.)

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Vitamin C, swine flu, media, lawyers Grant Jacobs Aug 23

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This article is an opinion piece. I am not lawyer or medic.

If you think my title looks like one of those lists in IQ tests were they get you to pick the odd one out, you’d be right, only this time one the question is what is missing?

If you thought ‘medical experts’, you got it right.

Peter Griffin has said quite a bit on this, so as a practical matter there is little left for me to add, but let me add my voice to express concern over the coverage given to this story in the way a (scientifically-minded) movie critic might.

My introduction to this story was John Campbell’s interview with lawyer Mai Chen, however this media story actually starts with an earlier documentary on 60 minutes which presents the case of a patient seriously ill from pneumonia from H1N1 (aka “swine ’flu”) where the family urged a medical team to use high-dose intravenous vitamin C to treat their critically-ill relative. The account of events is that the doctors were (understandably) reluctant to carry out the unorthodox procedure, but eventually relented under pressure that included correspondence from lawyer Mai Chen. The patient recovered: the program implies that this unorthodox treatment is the reason.

Whatever the motivations and reasoning in presenting it as they did, the documentary pushes a barrow rather than explores the subject.

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Opinion: Wanting to “resolve” (climate) science with legal games… Grant Jacobs Aug 15

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… is silly.

Regular readers will know that while I don’t write about climate change,* I have commented while writing on other topics** that trying to “resolve” scientific matters by flexing legal muscle is a poor tactic, to put it politely.

According to this article in the The Press, The New Zealand Climate Science Coalition (sic) has filed papers against NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) over the accuracy of it’s climate change data to the High Court.

The article states:

The coalition would ask the court to find Niwa’s New Zealand Temperature Record invalid.

Isn’t this a matter of science, not law?

Scientific matters belong in scientific literature, not the courts.

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Preserving endangered species – of gut microbes Grant Jacobs Aug 04

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A recent paper argues for the need to preserve the gut microbes found in ancient rural populations.

We talk about preserving rare species, sometimes arguing that they might have medicinal value.

BF-village-scene

Some species produce different types of venom, that when applied properly can have medicinal uses.

Certain plants have toxins that they use as part of a defences against insects.

A recent paper I strayed upon showed another class of organisms that might have useful properties that are endangered: the microbes in the gut of people from ancient rural populations.

The abstract of De Filippo and colleagues article closes with,

This study investigates and compares human intestinal microbiota from children characterized by a modern western diet and a rural diet, indicating the importance of preserving this treasure of microbial diversity from ancient rural communities worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »

Southerners should look to the sky tonight Grant Jacobs Aug 03

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Check to see if you can see the Aurora Australis, or the “Southern Lights” tonight.

Aurora Australis from Bluff, by Paul Moss. (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

Aurora Australis see from Bluff, 29th Nov. 1994, by Paul Moss. (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

There are a number of reports of large solar flares in the direction of earth. These can cause the Aurora Australis, or the “Southern Lights” to be seen.

This happens infrequently in New Zealand, so I’d give looking at the night sky a shot. Common sense suggests you’ll do best away from city lights.

There’s a good account of the current solar eruptions on SkyMania.

This video of the flare from the NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is stunning. Here’s a still from it:

Source: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Source: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory.

(Who needs sci-fi when you’ve got that?)

Postscript

The  wikipedia page has an interesting account of telegram operators running with their batteries off, letting the aurora power the lines. I haven’t the background to confirm this off-hand or time to track this story to it’s sources, but it’s remarkable.

To quote from wikipedia:

The following conversation occurred between two operators of the American Telegraph Line between Boston and Portland, Maine, on the night of September 2, 1859 and reported in the Boston Traveler:

Boston operator (to Portland operator): “Please cut off your battery [power source] entirely for fifteen minutes.”

Portland operator: “Will do so. It is now disconnected.”

Boston: “Mine is disconnected, and we are working with the auroral current. How do you receive my writing?”

Portland: “Better than with our batteries on. – Current comes and goes gradually.”

Boston: “My current is very strong at times, and we can work better without the batteries, as the aurora seems to neutralize and augment our batteries alternately, making current too strong at times for our relay magnets. Suppose we work without batteries while we are affected by this trouble.”

Portland: “Very well. Shall I go ahead with business?”

Boston: “Yes. Go ahead.”

Conversation apparently continued for two hours in this fashion.

Other articles on Code for life:

Epigenetics and 3-D gene structure

Blogimmuniqué: Scientopia, a new blog collective

An history of ancient science in less than ten minutes

Making the most of lousy book reviews on Amazon

Blogimmuniqué: Scientopia, a new blog collective Grant Jacobs Aug 03

2 Comments

A brief heads’s up to my readers, saddle up because there’s a new science blog collective in town: Scientopia.

I will update my list of other science blogs when I get time to work out who has moved.

Scientopia is in town... (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

Scientopia is in town... (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

(While I’m writing, this list has grown since I first wrote about it. It now includes most of the larger (biology-oriented) collectives, a few of the lists of science blogs and more independent blogs. You’re welcome to recommend more to add to the list.)

Among those that have moved from scienceblogs to Scientopia include Book of Trogool, Scicurious, Janet Stemwedel’s Adventures in Ethics and Science, Christina’s LIS Rant, GrrlScientist (and her partner Bob, in addition to his Nature Network blog) under This Scientific Life, Good Math/Bad Math, The Questionable Authority, White Coat Underground, and Drugmonkey among others.

They look a good collection of bloggers, about 25 of them, with several I regularly follow. With the numbers they have from the onset and the mix of people, I’d say they’ll make a fist of it. Best of luck to those over at Scientopia, and welcome to your new home.

You can follow them on twitter or RSS.

Updates:

Bora already has some thoughts on the new collective up. Also, from John Rennie.

Introductory posts are appearing all over the science blogosphere, as might be expected. Some with a few thoughts in addition to the welcome include:

  • Brian Switek has an excellent piece, Back in the Saddle that discussions a lot of what has happened over the past month, ending with Scientopia. (If you’re into dinosaurs — who isn’t? — I can thoroughly recommend his blog.)
  • Jason Goldman: A (New) Blog Announcement
  • PZ Myers: Say hello to Scientopia & quibbles about the word ‘respect’. (That it is not some to be earned, not granted, is a pet peeve of my own, too. Haven’t looked to see how it’s used in this context or had time to think about it’s use in this context either.)

A noisy welcome, indeed!

Other articles on Code for life:

Epigenetics and 3-D gene structure

The roots of bioinformatics

An history of ancient science in less than ten minutes

Rex and The Wrong Trousers – uncanny resemblance?

Consumer brain-computer interface

Consumer brain-computer interface Grant Jacobs Jul 25

3 Comments

As you read this blog article, your brain is processing what it sees on the screen. The devices you interact with the computer are most likely a keyboard, mouse or trackpad.

Imagine instead thinking about what you want the computer to do and the computer responding to that.

Tan Le from Australian company emotiv in the TED lecture below presents what could be described as a commercial mind-reading device.

The headset can be purchased for $US299.

I was writing the other day that science fiction looks ahead to where the future might go. Who’s for picking more of this to be part of it?

YouTube Preview Image

This is not the only mind-computer interface on the market; Wikipedia’s Comparison of consumer computer-brain interface devices page is one starting point to learning about competitor’s efforts.

Emotiv also has a Facebook page, where you might learn more about what they are doing. (Their latest post reports that interest in the TED lecture overwhelmed their web server.)

I would love to hear the experiences of anyone who has used any of these devices. It must be a remarkable experience when you first instruct a computer to do something directly with your brain.

Other articles on Code for life:

Walking with Rex (robotic legs for paraplegics)

iPads for the disabled (Perhaps a useful counterpoint to this post)

Temperature-induced hearing loss (Temporary loss of hearing during fevers or higher temperatures)

Describe your fantasy institute (The features of your ideal research institute are…?)

Basic fluid science on the space station (Video of simple, but intriguing science on the space station)

Scientists can sue if not happy with funding priorities?? Grant Jacobs Jul 18

2 Comments

Last week’s edition of Nature has an editorial (open access: web page, PDF file) reporting a new twist in a law suit involving Christian groups and two scientists suing US government departments over embryonic stem cell research.

The editorial has drawn a lively discussion in the comments.

The law suit, filed August last year would look to be another attempt by the religious right in the USA to ban embryonic stem cell research to suit their beliefs. The Nature editorial does not address the larger case (and neither am I here), but is focused on what they argue is specious and dangerous reasoning to allow the scientist plaintiffs to stand.

Nature reports that the scientists who were initially dismissed as plaintiffs have appealed, justifying their interest in the case through arguing embryonic stem cell research is competing with funding in their area, adult stem cell research:

To justify their standing as plaintiffs, they argue that because federal funding is now going towards research on embryonic stem cells, there are fewer funding dollars — and therefore “increased competition” — for research using adult stem cells.

As the editorial goes on to say:

It is hard to say which is more disturbing — the argument made by the two scientists or the fact that it was accepted by the court. Both issues set a dangerous precedent by suggesting that researchers are legally entitled to a certain portion of the funding pie, and that changes in a federal agency’s research priorities — which often occur as scientific disciplines evolve — open the agency up to lawsuits.

Taken at face value,* and writing just a little tongue-in-cheek, this would seem to amount to allowing envy to be a valid reason to be in court. (“Aawwh, they’re getting the money I’d like to have.”)

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