I absolutely love Halloween. It is my favorite holiday. I mean, where else can you have a holiday with vampires, zombies, pirates, and superheroes?
Christmas? That would make for an interesting holiday. Zombie Santa could be fun.
I also love science, but do these really mix? Science and Halloween?
Well according to the 2010 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, they do mix. The heaviest pumpkin ever clocked in at nearly a ton. Fun with selective breeding. Check out the story here.
But what else?
Fun Halloween experiments? Check out Steve Spangler Science, he has some cool science Halloween fun.
Have yourself a scary holiday.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Jellyfish thrive at the rest of the world's demise? That's not nice
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Not only do cancer cells try to kill you, but apparently the rest our body is an accomplice!
visit my website, www.uncomplicatedscientist.com and this article can be found at http://uncomplicatedscientist.com/2012/cancer-killer-body-accomplice/.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Go Giants! For the first game in world series and their fight for cancer at UCSF!!
Check out this story and video, here. Pretty cool.
Amber Perry Walk for Give Thanks walk for St Jude
This is a great charity for St Jude Children's Hospital. Help the children by helping Amber Perry reach her donation goal for her walkathon.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Are children more susceptible to radiation-induced cancer? Maybe not.
It is commonly accepted that children are far more susceptible to radiation induced cancer than is observed in adults. Since children are still rapidly growing, their cells constantly in flux, it is not a surprising to think that radiation might detrimentally effect these children at a greater rate than adults whose growth has reached a state of senescence. The general thought is that if a rapidly growing cell is damaged, it is more likely to pass on any unwanted mutations to subsequent daughter cells, eventually creating a tumor for the child later in life.
However, according to Kristine Crane's Public Release on www.Eurekalert.org, "Risk of cancer due to radiation exposure in middle age may be higher than previously estimated", Dr. David J. Brenner, from Columbia University, using the Japanese atomic bomb survivor data from the end of World War II, studied the effects of radiation exposure in regards to cancer, found that the effect of radiation exposure to adults also will increase cancer incidence.
Dr. Brenner, focused on the effect of radiation on two essential events in cancer development, initiation and promotion. Initiation is the initial effect in regards to cancer development. Initiation occurs when a mutagenic insult such as radiation induces genetic alterations that cause normal cells to becomes premalignant. Once a cell is mutated, it can be effected by promotion factors. Promotion factors tend to push initiated or premalignant cells toward cancer development, but cannot induce cancer progression on cells that have not already been mutated in some fashion.
Radiation has both initiation and promotion effects. Dr. Brenner found that while these effects would indeed be more detrimental during childhood exposure, leading to the development of cancer future in life, exposure during adulthood also increased cancer; likely due to the accumulation of unrelated mutations that were achieved during childhood.
These findings may aid us one day in truly understanding the detrimental as well as the beneficial effect that radiation has on the human body.
If you want to read the whole scientific article as it is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute
you can read the pdf, here.
However, according to Kristine Crane's Public Release on www.Eurekalert.org, "Risk of cancer due to radiation exposure in middle age may be higher than previously estimated", Dr. David J. Brenner, from Columbia University, using the Japanese atomic bomb survivor data from the end of World War II, studied the effects of radiation exposure in regards to cancer, found that the effect of radiation exposure to adults also will increase cancer incidence.
Dr. Brenner, focused on the effect of radiation on two essential events in cancer development, initiation and promotion. Initiation is the initial effect in regards to cancer development. Initiation occurs when a mutagenic insult such as radiation induces genetic alterations that cause normal cells to becomes premalignant. Once a cell is mutated, it can be effected by promotion factors. Promotion factors tend to push initiated or premalignant cells toward cancer development, but cannot induce cancer progression on cells that have not already been mutated in some fashion.
Radiation has both initiation and promotion effects. Dr. Brenner found that while these effects would indeed be more detrimental during childhood exposure, leading to the development of cancer future in life, exposure during adulthood also increased cancer; likely due to the accumulation of unrelated mutations that were achieved during childhood.
These findings may aid us one day in truly understanding the detrimental as well as the beneficial effect that radiation has on the human body.
If you want to read the whole scientific article as it is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute
you can read the pdf, here.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
205 dead from Cholera Outbreak in Haiti. What can we do? Give to Charity.
The mortality rate of the cholera outbreak is rapidly rising, and it is imperitive that they can get the medical attention that is vital for their survival.
But what can we do? Are there any good charities?
Well I know a few, but if you know of anymore, let me know in the comment section. Thank you!
Here are a few good charities:
But what can we do? Are there any good charities?
Well I know a few, but if you know of anymore, let me know in the comment section. Thank you!
Here are a few good charities:
Even though these are considered good charities, always double check before sending anyone any money. There are still a lot of scams out there.
Lets give Haiti and the world some hope.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Damn it, I love Celery
Well here we go again, another recall.
Can people please stop peeing on all the vegetables before they get shipped out?
Also can other people wash/cook their food before they eat them?
Although it is sad that in America, we can't trust our food. It's sad that people get sick and actually die from this. I'm curious what has changed? I don't remember all of these recalls when I was young.
Is someone really dropping the ball? Or is it that we just care more nowadays and have better ways to test our food.
Either way it sucks.
Can people please stop peeing on all the vegetables before they get shipped out?
Also can other people wash/cook their food before they eat them?
Although it is sad that in America, we can't trust our food. It's sad that people get sick and actually die from this. I'm curious what has changed? I don't remember all of these recalls when I was young.
Is someone really dropping the ball? Or is it that we just care more nowadays and have better ways to test our food.
Either way it sucks.
Scared of scorpions? Well they may save your heart and your life one day!!
Ewwwww! You may owe your life to these creepy crawlies one day.
Neointimal hyperplasia is thought to be one of the major causes of failed heart bypass surgeries. During the surgery, veins are grafted to the heart to improve blood flow, however, the heart often times views this as an injury, inducing a response that leads to a rapid growth of cells that can acutally end up impeding blood flow.
Researchers from Leeds University, found that margotoxin, a toxic peptide found in the Central American bark scorpion (Centruroides margaritatus), was extremely potent as an inhibitor of the "injury response" of the heart. It is a 100x more potent than any other known compounds. With further research this toxin may in fact become a new potent therapy that will greatly improve the success of heart bypass surgeries.
You can read more about it here.
Neointimal hyperplasia is thought to be one of the major causes of failed heart bypass surgeries. During the surgery, veins are grafted to the heart to improve blood flow, however, the heart often times views this as an injury, inducing a response that leads to a rapid growth of cells that can acutally end up impeding blood flow.
Researchers from Leeds University, found that margotoxin, a toxic peptide found in the Central American bark scorpion (Centruroides margaritatus), was extremely potent as an inhibitor of the "injury response" of the heart. It is a 100x more potent than any other known compounds. With further research this toxin may in fact become a new potent therapy that will greatly improve the success of heart bypass surgeries.
You can read more about it here.
Cholera Outbreak & 150 dead in Haiti.
How sad.
I mean can't this country and its people get a break? If the horrendous Haiti Earthquake wasn't bad enough, now these poor people are suffering from a cholera outbreak.
Cholera is a disease that occurs due to an infection of the small intestine by Vibrio cholerae. It is generally transmitted by contaminated food and water supplies. Due to the cholera toxin that is released by the bacteria, rapid secretion of essential electrolytes into the lumen of the small intestines occur. Due to osmosis, the water supply of the body quickly follows suit, leading to severe dehydration that can quickly lead to death if not treated.
Cholera has not really been an issue in the carribbean for nearly fifty years. Perhaps is just shows how dire the Haiti situation is.
Personally, I am a strong believer in helping those less fortunate and helping those willing to help themselves. But even more than that, lets all do our part, in helping, by showing we care, by doing what we can, and by teaching and providing guidance to those that may need to be shown that their is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I mean can't this country and its people get a break? If the horrendous Haiti Earthquake wasn't bad enough, now these poor people are suffering from a cholera outbreak.
Cholera is a disease that occurs due to an infection of the small intestine by Vibrio cholerae. It is generally transmitted by contaminated food and water supplies. Due to the cholera toxin that is released by the bacteria, rapid secretion of essential electrolytes into the lumen of the small intestines occur. Due to osmosis, the water supply of the body quickly follows suit, leading to severe dehydration that can quickly lead to death if not treated.
Cholera has not really been an issue in the carribbean for nearly fifty years. Perhaps is just shows how dire the Haiti situation is.
Personally, I am a strong believer in helping those less fortunate and helping those willing to help themselves. But even more than that, lets all do our part, in helping, by showing we care, by doing what we can, and by teaching and providing guidance to those that may need to be shown that their is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A fight for Autism--A Night of Too Many Stars, Lex and Terry
Autism has been gaining media attention for quite some time. For example, Jenny McCarthy has been an advocate, along with Jim Carrey, for her son, a sufferer of autism. Autism is four times more likely to effect boys than girls. Autism sufferers tend to have difficulties with social interactions, verbal and non-verbal communications, and have various learning disabilities.
The relatively mysterious neurological/developmental disorder which leads to alterations in brain chemistry are somewhat unknown; although it is likely that many factors; including genetic and environmental cues likely play major roles. One popular, yet controversial theory, is that thimersol, a mercury-based preservative used in many vaccines, might play havok on children, albeit, recently scientific papers have begun to debunk this to some degree.
More research needs to be done for my own personal benefit to truly believe this is debunked, but fortunately as research goes, autism is a popular, exciting, and important subject of study. Research ranges from understanding the molecular and genetic causes to the development of possible treatments. Additionally new teaching techniques are being developed that improve the autism sufferer's coping, social, and developmental functional skills.
The Night of Too Many Stars, is one way that people have been raising money and awareness for Autism. Lex and Terry, a morning radio talk show, has also been raising money for Autism Society of America, for nearly a decade, holding yearly Motorcycle rides in Jacksonville, Florida.
Read up what you can, give what you can, and show all the understanding and love that you can.
Thank You
The relatively mysterious neurological/developmental disorder which leads to alterations in brain chemistry are somewhat unknown; although it is likely that many factors; including genetic and environmental cues likely play major roles. One popular, yet controversial theory, is that thimersol, a mercury-based preservative used in many vaccines, might play havok on children, albeit, recently scientific papers have begun to debunk this to some degree.
More research needs to be done for my own personal benefit to truly believe this is debunked, but fortunately as research goes, autism is a popular, exciting, and important subject of study. Research ranges from understanding the molecular and genetic causes to the development of possible treatments. Additionally new teaching techniques are being developed that improve the autism sufferer's coping, social, and developmental functional skills.
The Night of Too Many Stars, is one way that people have been raising money and awareness for Autism. Lex and Terry, a morning radio talk show, has also been raising money for Autism Society of America, for nearly a decade, holding yearly Motorcycle rides in Jacksonville, Florida.
Read up what you can, give what you can, and show all the understanding and love that you can.
Thank You
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
October isn't just the official Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
That's right, while October is the official month for Breast Cancer Awareness, but it is an official month for other things as well that often get overlooked:
Quite a busy month, but don't all of these need our awareness too! Seriously, let's get some more ribbons made up.
I can't wait until next month!
- Filipino American History Month (in United States)
- National Arts & Humanities Month (in United States)
- Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month (LGBT History Month) (in United States)
- National Cyber Security Awareness Month (in United States)
- Fair Trade Month
- Dwarfism Awareness Month
- German American Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15 in the United States)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15 in the United States)
- Italian American Heritage Month: Italian Heritage and Culture Month
- Polish American Heritage Month
- Celiac Sprue Awareness Month[7]
- Health Literacy Month [1]*
- Healthy Lung Month
- National Dental Hygiene Month (in United States)
- National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (in United States)
- National Infertility Awareness Month (in United States)
- National Lupus Erythematosus Awareness Month (in United States)
- National Physical Therapy Month (in United States)
- National Spina Bifida Awareness Month (in United States)
- Rett Syndrome Awareness Month (in United States)
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month (in United States)
- World Blindness Awareness Month
- American Pharmacist Month
Quite a busy month, but don't all of these need our awareness too! Seriously, let's get some more ribbons made up.
I can't wait until next month!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Love is in the air, even for a love-lorn giraffe.
Just shows there is love out there for everyone :)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Obama encourages science for kids and teens at first White House science fair. Awesome!!
I'm always miffed at how much the government and society brushes away science and innovation. Science and technology is the way of the future, but funding keeps getting cut. But at least President Obama is showing some support. Check out the article White House Holds 1st Science Fair.
And let's keep an eye out for Amy Chyao, the high school junior that taught herself chemistry and then went onto make nanotubes. Pretty cool.
And let's keep an eye out for Amy Chyao, the high school junior that taught herself chemistry and then went onto make nanotubes. Pretty cool.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!! I love when Science Proves Cliches!
I love cliches: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
It takes two to tango.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Laughter is the best medicine.
A watched pot never boils.
Well, that last one always got me thinking. A pot never boils, no matter how long you look it at it, because pots are designed not to melt, let alone boil. Can you imagine staring at a boiling pot successfully, especially at temperatures that are actually required to melt and boil metal. So the actual saying should be "A watched pot of water (or other liquid) never boils." But in actuality, it does boil, trust me.
But really I digress, my views on the misnomers of these cliches is not why I wrote this blog, it is actually about the Physorg.com article "Study confirms: Whatever doesn't kill us can make us stronger." Scientists actually find that mental strength can actually increase after undergoing hard threatening situations, that is of course if you survive.
So I guess the take home message is to never give up.
It takes two to tango.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Laughter is the best medicine.
A watched pot never boils.
Well, that last one always got me thinking. A pot never boils, no matter how long you look it at it, because pots are designed not to melt, let alone boil. Can you imagine staring at a boiling pot successfully, especially at temperatures that are actually required to melt and boil metal. So the actual saying should be "A watched pot of water (or other liquid) never boils." But in actuality, it does boil, trust me.
But really I digress, my views on the misnomers of these cliches is not why I wrote this blog, it is actually about the Physorg.com article "Study confirms: Whatever doesn't kill us can make us stronger." Scientists actually find that mental strength can actually increase after undergoing hard threatening situations, that is of course if you survive.
So I guess the take home message is to never give up.
Whoever says women are less adept at mathematics then men are full of crap.
Just saying.
The idea that women are naturally worse at mathematics is a theory I heard a few times while I was growing up, but even as a young stupid kid barely out of diapers, I knew and understood that it was a load of crap. To be honest, any theory that exists for the sole purpose of debasing an entire gender, race, religion, nationality, sexual preference, or any other group of people that you can possibly think of, is something that not only should be disregarded at a personal level, but should be fought at every step of the way in society to remove its harmful bigoted influence.
According the the University of Wisconsin-Madison News, in the article "Large study shows females are equal to males in math skills," researchers have attempted to debunk this theory once and for all, and they appear to have succeeded. After assessing the mathematical skills of multiple boys and girls, it becomes apparent that there is truly no difference between the two sexes.
Whether biases occur consciously or subconsciously, these stereotypes can detrimentally effect the dreams and thought-process of smart young girls, by poisoning their minds, leading to a potential self-fullfilled prophecy of failure. While this may seem to be a tad overdramatic, think for a moment what would happen if you were always told that you couldn't do something, you might actually start believing it.
Let's give all children hope by focusing on there skills not their imaginary shortcomings.
Just saying.
The idea that women are naturally worse at mathematics is a theory I heard a few times while I was growing up, but even as a young stupid kid barely out of diapers, I knew and understood that it was a load of crap. To be honest, any theory that exists for the sole purpose of debasing an entire gender, race, religion, nationality, sexual preference, or any other group of people that you can possibly think of, is something that not only should be disregarded at a personal level, but should be fought at every step of the way in society to remove its harmful bigoted influence.
According the the University of Wisconsin-Madison News, in the article "Large study shows females are equal to males in math skills," researchers have attempted to debunk this theory once and for all, and they appear to have succeeded. After assessing the mathematical skills of multiple boys and girls, it becomes apparent that there is truly no difference between the two sexes.
Whether biases occur consciously or subconsciously, these stereotypes can detrimentally effect the dreams and thought-process of smart young girls, by poisoning their minds, leading to a potential self-fullfilled prophecy of failure. While this may seem to be a tad overdramatic, think for a moment what would happen if you were always told that you couldn't do something, you might actually start believing it.
Let's give all children hope by focusing on there skills not their imaginary shortcomings.
Just saying.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Stem Cell Research: If GOD says I'm wrong then so be it!
I realize the controversial nature of stem cells, and I do respect, at least to some degree, everyone's beliefs, but I personally cannot be against anything that could possibly be used as a treatment for so many disorders. I will always side with hope. The hope that suffering might end and the hope that many diseases will be cured.
With that said, I am interested to see the results of the first human clinical trial involving embryonic stem cells. The FDA approved clinical trial is being run by Geron, which utilizes stem cells, as the CNN.com article "First human injected in human embryonic stem cell trial" indicated, to treat complete thoracic spinal cord injury, which causes total impaired movement from the chest down.
Of course it is too early to know how things will turn out with these trials; however, if the preclinical experiments are of any indication, a definite hope for this form of treatment indeed exists.
Keep your fingers crossed.
With that said, I am interested to see the results of the first human clinical trial involving embryonic stem cells. The FDA approved clinical trial is being run by Geron, which utilizes stem cells, as the CNN.com article "First human injected in human embryonic stem cell trial" indicated, to treat complete thoracic spinal cord injury, which causes total impaired movement from the chest down.
Of course it is too early to know how things will turn out with these trials; however, if the preclinical experiments are of any indication, a definite hope for this form of treatment indeed exists.
Keep your fingers crossed.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Chilean miners are out!!!
Seriously, enough said.
Things in this world do work out.
An important thing to remember.
Things in this world do work out.
An important thing to remember.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Urine provides insight into climate change? Finally we will get the answers we need about global warming
That's right urine may provide insight into climate change. And not only urine, but ancient urine. Got to love recycling :)
Check out the press release, "Ancient animal urine provides insight into climate change"
As absurd as this may sound, and when I'm done describing it, it may even sound more absurd because I'm kind of a jackass and like to laugh at pretty much everything, but this is actually pretty cool research. So apparently scientists are able to garner important knowledge about climate change by studying the extracted organic material from multiple generations of crystallized urine in ancient communal outhouses of the Rock Hyrax.
© Hans Hillewaert / CC-BY-SA-3.0
The Hyrax is, an apparent weird hybrid of guinea pig and elephant. Actually, as described in the press release, the animal, found in regions of Namibia and Botswana, is not quite a hybrid, it just looks like a cute guinea pig or rodent-like creature. In reality is more closely related to the elephant.
By identifying individual organic molecules from the urine, clues can be ascertained about important changes in the diet of the Hyrax species, which can provide insight into regional climate change over several millenia. These findings may provide an understanding of long-term climate change that has never been seen before, at least not in arid regions.
The answers the scientists achieve can be really exciting. You must also respect the dangerous mountain climbing that they have to do to collect the urine.
Who knows this might be the next biggest thing in the X-games.
Check out the press release, "Ancient animal urine provides insight into climate change"
As absurd as this may sound, and when I'm done describing it, it may even sound more absurd because I'm kind of a jackass and like to laugh at pretty much everything, but this is actually pretty cool research. So apparently scientists are able to garner important knowledge about climate change by studying the extracted organic material from multiple generations of crystallized urine in ancient communal outhouses of the Rock Hyrax.
The Hyrax is, an apparent weird hybrid of guinea pig and elephant. Actually, as described in the press release, the animal, found in regions of Namibia and Botswana, is not quite a hybrid, it just looks like a cute guinea pig or rodent-like creature. In reality is more closely related to the elephant.
By identifying individual organic molecules from the urine, clues can be ascertained about important changes in the diet of the Hyrax species, which can provide insight into regional climate change over several millenia. These findings may provide an understanding of long-term climate change that has never been seen before, at least not in arid regions.
The answers the scientists achieve can be really exciting. You must also respect the dangerous mountain climbing that they have to do to collect the urine.
Who knows this might be the next biggest thing in the X-games.
Eat your Veggies, save your boobies!!! Breast Cancer Awareness month
I am always a sucker for dietary studies in regards to medicine and therapies. Dietary intervention is close to my heart, and a big role in my own laboratory research. Diet, I feel, is one of the most important, and still sadly untapped source of research for not only disease preventative therapy as well as the possibility for the creation and development of knew novel drugs.
According to Eurekalert.com, as communicated by Jenny Eriksen from Boston University Medical Center, investigators performed epidemiological studies of a large cohort of nearly 52,000 african american women, in which 1268 cases of breast cancer developed. From these cases of developed breast cancer 35% were estrogen-negtaive/progesterone receptor-negative tumors. This form of breast cancer is more common in African American women compared to white women, and generally has a worse prognosis.
However, the researchers also found that African-American women that ate higher levels of cruciferous vegetables (broccolli and cabbage) or carrots, were less likely to develop the cancer. Important antioxidant compounds within these vegetables may have essential roles in detoxifying and protecting healthy tissue from becoming diseased.
So the take home message is this: if you take care of your body, there is a good chance it will take care of you :)
You can check out the Eureka alert Press Release for this research here.
According to Eurekalert.com, as communicated by Jenny Eriksen from Boston University Medical Center, investigators performed epidemiological studies of a large cohort of nearly 52,000 african american women, in which 1268 cases of breast cancer developed. From these cases of developed breast cancer 35% were estrogen-negtaive/progesterone receptor-negative tumors. This form of breast cancer is more common in African American women compared to white women, and generally has a worse prognosis.
So the take home message is this: if you take care of your body, there is a good chance it will take care of you :)
You can check out the Eureka alert Press Release for this research here.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A car that drives itself? Really?! Google is freaking awesome!!
Is there nothing that Google doesn't have its fingers in? First it was a search engine, then email, next we got blogs, cellphones, free phonecalls in the US, and now cars?!
One thing from all science fiction movies I always wanted to have before I die, was a completely automatic car. A car that drives itself. Google is taking the first steps to make this a possibility. Man commute would be a lot nicer if this proves feasible. I mean I hate traffic with a passion. City living would be a lot nicer.
Check out this video:
Google Computer-Driven Prius from Ben Tseitlin on Vimeo.
You can read-up on this more with the article "Google tests cars that can steer without drivers" at physorg.com
One thing from all science fiction movies I always wanted to have before I die, was a completely automatic car. A car that drives itself. Google is taking the first steps to make this a possibility. Man commute would be a lot nicer if this proves feasible. I mean I hate traffic with a passion. City living would be a lot nicer.
Check out this video:
Google Computer-Driven Prius from Ben Tseitlin on Vimeo.
You can read-up on this more with the article "Google tests cars that can steer without drivers" at physorg.com
Friday, October 8, 2010
Have Asthma? How About a Trip to the Amusement Park?
As a winner of the Medicine Prize for the 2010 IgNobel, Simon Rietveld and Ilja van Beest published their findings in the article, "Rollercoaster asthma: When positive emotional stress interferes with dyspnea perception," which pretty much says that a fun rollercoaster ride can relieve the symptoms of asthma.
Awesome!!
Awesome!!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
So now your car can get high too!! Hemp as biofuel
Call it what you want-pot, reefer, Mary-Jane, marijuana, the herb, weed, ganja, grass, THC, hemp, but it may not only be legalized for personal consumption in less than a month by proposition 19 in California, but maybe it will get your car high too. Check out the article, "Hemp produces viable biodiesel, study finds" at physorg.com
Now while as it comes to proposition 19, I don't really care one way or the other, but if we can utilize a cheap, clean, easily grow-able, sustainable source of fuel in the guise of hemp, I'm all for it. Might be something we should look into. I just hope it smells better than what I smell at an average Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Phish or a Tenacious D concert.
Now while as it comes to proposition 19, I don't really care one way or the other, but if we can utilize a cheap, clean, easily grow-able, sustainable source of fuel in the guise of hemp, I'm all for it. Might be something we should look into. I just hope it smells better than what I smell at an average Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Phish or a Tenacious D concert.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Killer Pickles?!!! Oh My God Lets Alert the Authorities
A great article, the Pickles and Humbug: A Bit of Comparative Logic at the Journal of Irreproducible Results.
Funny, silly, absurd...
Thought provoking?
You decide :)
Funny, silly, absurd...
Thought provoking?
You decide :)
Toxic Red Sludge of Death. A Tragedy for Hungary
From what I hear, because I've never actually been there, especially at this terrible moment in time, Hungary really does look like it belongs in a scene in a horror movie. Pictures of terrible red mud covering everything, destroying so much. As of now four people have died. And if the mud wasn't bad enough, it is laden with several heavy metals and is ultimately a toxic environmental nightmare. Look at some of these pictures found on google:
This picturefrom FT.com in the article Toxic sludge floods Hungarian villages By Chris Bryant in Vienna. In my opinion this picture is reminiscent of a science-fiction end of the world movie, or maybe a zombie infestation.
I jest but this is truly a sad tragedy.
Also what about this poor puppy. Who knows what effect the toxic effect will be? This picture is from www.guardian.co.uk in the article Hungary toxic sludge heading towards the Danube.
I jest but this is truly a sad tragedy.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
John Crossman is a Brave Man and a Brave Cancer Fighter/Survivor. Check out his story at CNN
As published at CNN.com, Cancer 'iron man' puts hope in drug trials, John Crossman, a man that has been put through more radiation and chemotherapy than anyone ever should, has found hope in clinical trials. Clinical trials and experimental drugs can provide hope to terminal patients is the message that Crossman wants to portray to the world. More patients should know about these trials.
And he's right!
In part.
Clinical trials can indeed provide hope for people with terrible cancers that are generally considered untreatable by any other means, however, these trials can also provide a sense of false hope as well. Clinical trials have more than one research arm; an experimental arm and a control arm. The experimental arm involves the new drug, chemotherapy and/or treatment to be tested while the control arm is necessary to determine that any observable effects from the experimental arms are statistically valid and not just a weird fluke. Controls can take many forms including already FDA-approved accepted medications, or placebo pills (sugar pills). Patients are randomly placed in either research arm.
This means that a patient could get the newest and best drug possible, maybe even treating the disease. It could also mean that they get nothing of therapeutic value. Also since these drugs are experimental, it is not always clear of their true effect. Are they safe? Will they actually treat the disease in question? Will the drug make things worse? It has happened before.
While I'm not trying to take away anyone's hope, I want people to know that there are risks to everything. I want people to understand that clinical trials have big risks just as much as any other choice. I want people to know that clinical trials are not the ultimate in regards to treatment, and, in fact, most compounds that enter clincial trials never become FDA approved.
So if a clinical trial opens up and your doctor thinks you'll be a prime candidate, make sure you ask plenty of questions and know everything about the trial before you agree to anything.
Here's a few important questions to ask about clinical trials.
And he's right!
In part.
Clinical trials can indeed provide hope for people with terrible cancers that are generally considered untreatable by any other means, however, these trials can also provide a sense of false hope as well. Clinical trials have more than one research arm; an experimental arm and a control arm. The experimental arm involves the new drug, chemotherapy and/or treatment to be tested while the control arm is necessary to determine that any observable effects from the experimental arms are statistically valid and not just a weird fluke. Controls can take many forms including already FDA-approved accepted medications, or placebo pills (sugar pills). Patients are randomly placed in either research arm.
This means that a patient could get the newest and best drug possible, maybe even treating the disease. It could also mean that they get nothing of therapeutic value. Also since these drugs are experimental, it is not always clear of their true effect. Are they safe? Will they actually treat the disease in question? Will the drug make things worse? It has happened before.
While I'm not trying to take away anyone's hope, I want people to know that there are risks to everything. I want people to understand that clinical trials have big risks just as much as any other choice. I want people to know that clinical trials are not the ultimate in regards to treatment, and, in fact, most compounds that enter clincial trials never become FDA approved.
So if a clinical trial opens up and your doctor thinks you'll be a prime candidate, make sure you ask plenty of questions and know everything about the trial before you agree to anything.
Here's a few important questions to ask about clinical trials.
Monday, October 4, 2010
McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy Raised a McDreamy Cancer Donation
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Real Men Wear Pink for October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Just check out the NFL.
Look at those tough football players. Dressed in pink; they are showing their respect to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As NFL.com reports, NFL teams are wearing pink ribbons and pins on the sidelines. As well many teams are involving themselves in charitable and educational endeavors to increase awareness of this awful disease.
Men, women, and everyone in between should wear some pink this month. It could be an official pink ribbon or a breast cancer t-shirt, or even a pink-tie to spread awareness. According to BREASTCANCER.ORG, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with this disease. While breast cancer incidence has slowly been decreasing over the past several years, much more research and patient care needs to be done to fully eradicate this disease. Whether it is through charitable donations, or simple education. Let us do what we can to cure Breast Cancer.
Let us all say stand with these strong women and fight by their sides.
Men, women, and everyone in between should wear some pink this month. It could be an official pink ribbon or a breast cancer t-shirt, or even a pink-tie to spread awareness. According to BREASTCANCER.ORG, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with this disease. While breast cancer incidence has slowly been decreasing over the past several years, much more research and patient care needs to be done to fully eradicate this disease. Whether it is through charitable donations, or simple education. Let us do what we can to cure Breast Cancer.
Let us all say stand with these strong women and fight by their sides.
Friday, October 1, 2010
As An Atrocity, It's Not Like The Tuskegee Experiment Wasn't Evil Enough...
First, through the years, I have found way to many people who don't know anything about the Tuskegee Experiment. This is ridiculous. This is something in history that everyone should know and understand. Its an racial atrocity in the guise of science that never should have occurred.
So please, if you don't know anything about this atrocity, read up on it. Its important to know our history so we can stop it from occurring again.
And it took the US government several decades to apologize for their abhorrent role in these experiments
And finally the US government is apologizing again. This time to Guatemala. As reported by CBSnews.com, in the article Tuskegee Experiment Scientist Spread Syphilis in Guatemala Too, Dr John Cutler, a government researcher in the Original Tuskegee Experiments, took his home grown view of evil science to Guatemala.
I can't believe anyone would think that studying the effects of syphilis on unsuspecting African Americans or Guatemalans was the right thing to do.
Burn in Hell Dr Cutler.
So please, if you don't know anything about this atrocity, read up on it. Its important to know our history so we can stop it from occurring again.
And it took the US government several decades to apologize for their abhorrent role in these experiments
And finally the US government is apologizing again. This time to Guatemala. As reported by CBSnews.com, in the article Tuskegee Experiment Scientist Spread Syphilis in Guatemala Too, Dr John Cutler, a government researcher in the Original Tuskegee Experiments, took his home grown view of evil science to Guatemala.
I can't believe anyone would think that studying the effects of syphilis on unsuspecting African Americans or Guatemalans was the right thing to do.
Burn in Hell Dr Cutler.
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