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Change your Genes with Stem Cells!

Healthy-Genes

So researchers for the first time were evaluating the safety and reliability of the existing targeted gene correction technologies and in the process they successfully developed a new method of gene editing, TALEN-HDAdV [which I will explain later]. This new breakthrough could significantly increased gene-correction efficiency in human induced pluripotent stem cell [hiPSC]. You would have to guess that this is probably the science equivalent of finding a new function on your smartphone, while trying to work your microwave.

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Posted by  |  July 11, 2014 | Categories: Genetics | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Listen to the Voices: Understanding Consciousness

brain

There is a voice in my head. Don’t worry it’s mine… I think [a story for another time I’m sure], but why is my voice inside my head? What causes me to hear myself while I type these very words, or even better you to hear them in your voice as you read them? Consciousness is a complex and very confusing thing. I think therefore I am? Science has had trouble cracking that nut and philosophy just won’t cut it in the realm of neuroscience.

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Posted by  |  July 10, 2014 | Categories: Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lose Weight, Live Longer. Simple, Right?

It's funny because it's true.

It’s funny because it’s true.

Suprise! Really this shouldn’t come as a shock, but adults with extreme obesity have increased risks of dying at a younger age from cancer and other complications like stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney and liver diseases, according to results of an analysis of data pooled from 20 large studies of people from three countries. The study found that people with class III obesity [or extreme, as defined as a BMI of greater than 40] had a dramatic reduction in life expectancy compared with people of normal weight.

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Posted by  |  July 9, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine, Weight Loss Science | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Skin Cells and Skin… smells?!

smell

Yeah we all know that your nose smells. Yawn! Boring I know, this isn’t kindergarten this is Loony Labs! Thankfully that isn’t what I have for you [as much as an amazing breakthrough as that really is, or maybe I’m easily entertained]. Anyway let’s just jump right in, your skin smells too! Not in the you need a shower kind of way [although if you haven’t showered in a day or two then you just may fall in that category], but in the it can detect odors kind of way.

All done the same way your nose does it, olfactory receptors. Furthermore, cell proliferation increases and wound healing improves if those receptors are activated. This mechanism constitutes a possible starting point for new drugs and cosmetics [as in the burn healing or other scar inducing kind of way].

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Posted by  |  July 8, 2014 | Categories: Biology | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Staying up late? You’re going Crazy

psychosis

All night cram sessions, anyone in college has probably had more than just a few of these [okay maybe only if you are a procrastinator like me]. If you have done anything like that, well then you know how weird you start to feel. Well researchers have now shown that with a “mere” twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation can lead to conditions in healthy persons similar to the symptoms of schizophrenia. The team points out that this effect should be investigated more closely in persons who have to work at night [as anyone who works nights knows how hard that can be on a sleep schedule]. They also recommend that sleep deprivation may serve as a model system for the development of drugs to treat psychosis.

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Posted by  |  July 7, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine, Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

New tool helps Doctors treat Menopause

With the SCOTUS ruling for the Hobby Lobby case [if you have no idea what I am talking about you can read about that anywhere on the net, like here] it may seem like everyone is fighting the war against women’s care at full speed. Thankfully that isn’t the case everywhere, there are still people out there who are trying to make a difference. Introducing the world’s first toolkit is designed for GPs to use with women from the age of 40 to help them decide the best care for dealing with menopause. Thought to be the first of its kind, researchers say the toolkit has the potential to help manage menopausal conditions for women globally.

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Posted by  |  July 6, 2014 | Categories: Ethics, Women's Health | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Breast Cancer… and Cholesterol?!

SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE

Cholesterol, it’s bad for the heart. We know LDL bad, HDL good, eat healthier or ruin your arteries. I’m sure most of us have seen the public service announcements [at least here in the states]. But if that wasn’t a good enough reason for people to watch their cholesterol then how about cancer?An association between high blood cholesterol and breast cancer has been found in a study of more than 1 million patients over a 14 year time period in the UK.

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Posted by  |  July 5, 2014 | Categories: Biology, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finally! A Definite Cause of Autism: Hint it isn’t Vaccines

autistic child

Autism, not caused by vaccines. In fact I’ve written several posts on the genetic clues to autism, now a new study offers more proof that it is purely genetic [at least in some cases]. This is huge because this is the first actual clear cut cause for certain types of Autism [or more accurately certain types of disorders falling under the Autistic spectrum]. It was a collaboration involving 13 institutions around the world — no easy feat either– and now researchers have broken new ground in understanding what causes autism.

“We finally got a clear cut case of an autism specific gene,” said Raphael Bernier, the lead author, and UW associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the clinical director of the Autism Center at Seattle Children’s.

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Posted by  |  July 4, 2014 | Categories: Genetics, Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why you Should Not Fear Testosterone Therapy

old couple

Testosterone, to some it’s a bad word, bringing crazy images like “roid rage” and the like. To others with more than just a pop culture understanding it is a lifesaver. In fact, prescriptions for older men in the United States have increased more than three-fold over the past decade. Unfortunately recent studies linking testosterone use with increased risk of heart attack and stroke have caused widespread concern among patients and their families. The validity of those studies [and their methods] have been in question and [yet another] new study aims to help end the confusion. The new U.S.-based study of more than 25,000 older men shows that testosterone therapy does not increase men’s risk for heart attack.

The study examined 25,420 Medicare beneficiaries 66 years or older treated with testosterone for up to eight years. Studies like this one are tough to do so the researchers used public health data to wade through the claims.

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Posted by  |  July 3, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , | 4 Comments

Saving the Rainforest and the Consequences

rainforest

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. This seems even more true when a new study came out that shows, when it comes to fixing deforestation and forest degradation, even good intentions can lead to bad outcomes. I hate to sound like a broken record when it comes to this whole “climate change” stuff, but it really needs to be addressed sometime…

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Posted by  |  July 2, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Politics | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

St. Johns Wort and the Dangers of “Alternative” Medicine

alternative medicine

Grapefruit juice, I hate the stuff. But did you know that if you drink as little as 8 oz. of it when you take certain medications it could dramatically increase the effectiveness of the medicine? Sounds like a great thing, sure, until you realize that the dose of medication you are taking is specific to you and that increasing it can have serious side effects and in some cases cause death. This discovery led to the inclusion on the labels of certain medications to be cautions about grapefruit juice [and grapefruit] consumption.

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Posted by  |  July 1, 2014 | Categories: Ethics, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , | 9 Comments

Noninvasive Brain Control via Jaws!

 

Jaws

Mind control, we’ve seen several semi [see very] invasive ways to make it happen here from the Labs. Now those crazy scientists from MIT  have developed a technique that allows researchers to enable neurons to be silenced noninvasively, using a light source outside the skull. All using a protein known as Jaws.

Optogenetics [a technology that allows scientists to control brain activity by shining light on neurons] uses light-sensitive proteins that can suppress or stimulate electrical signals within cells. This technique is very invasive though because it requires a light source to be implanted in the brain, where it can reach the cells to be controlled.

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Posted by  |  June 30, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine, Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Startling New Climate Change Revelation!

climate change

Call out the troops, call the Marines, we need tanks, lots of tanks. Well okay, maybe not. Brute force won’t stop global warming and thanks to a new study on the subject it turns out, not much else will either. Oh there is of course the obvious lower CO2 emissions, but that’s not a big deal. I don’t know why it takes scientific studies to tell us this, but the greenhouse gas CO2 that we pump out in millions of  tons — roughly 88 million tons, US of course since metric tonnes has to be different, or maybe that’s our fault — is bad for the environment.

I know we tend to think of ourselves as intelligent and generally I won’t argue otherwise, but let me just say… really?

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Posted by  |  June 28, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Politics | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tofu and Solar Cells: An unlikely pairing

Panel1

Solar cells, they’re kind of a big deal. Good for the environment, produce power from that big ball of burning gas we call our sun, they like long walks on the beach, cool drinks and just chilling with friends… oh sorry that’s from the wife swap [the wife and I love that show]. But in all seriousness, solar is the next oil. We had an industrial revolution and now we are going to have a more eco-friendly kind of revolution. Of course the high price of solar panels has made it all but inaccessible to the general public [I know I would love to have some on my roof!]. With natural gas and other sources of power being cheaper, solar needs to learn a few new tricks to keep up. Thankfully that is exactly what scientists at the University of Liverpool have accomplished.

Right now solar cells are inefficient at about 15% of the power actually converted to usable electricity. It is unfortunate then that solar cells need to be coated in a cadmium chloride to reach that paltry efficiency. I’ll let you in on a little secret, if it wasn’t for that coating we would only see about a 2% power conversion. Yeah damned if you do damned if you don’t stuff. That’s because that coating is roughly $0.30 a gram, doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up quick. Not to mention that there is a little problem with it being very toxic, incredibly hard to handle safely and hard to dispose of after solar cell decommission [I know… details, details].

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Posted by  |  June 27, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Technology | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finally, a Better Battery!

That's the million dollar question.

That’s the million dollar question.

You know what technology hasn’t been able to keep pace with us? Well besides whatever tech the DMV uses, it’s batteries. Think about it, they are nasty, make a mess, are hazzardous, hard to recycle and weigh a freaking ton compared to the energy stored. Current battery technology is my number one problem with electric cars as it stands now. Between the weight, the resources, and the waste, electric cars are almost a wash. Not quite mind you, but almost.

That’s about to change, maybe not for the electric car, but for the energy grid. Right now power is pumped out as fast as it’s being used. There is no real storage anywhere for surplus power so it is made on demand for people to use it as it’s being produced. This use as you make it system has proven to be the bane of solar and wind, the two major renewable energy technologies we have. This problem combined with the lobbyists for oil and gas companies and you can see why we don’t have more solar or wind power plants.

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Posted by  |  June 26, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Technology | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Anti-aging drug has a Catch… but not for Long

antiaging

Dietary restriction holds the key to longevity. It’s no secret that as you drastically reduce calories, your metabolism will slow down with it [ask anyone who’s tried to crash diet about that one]. Science has been trying to crack that egg for awhile now and because of that, it is the most researched method for slowing down the aging process. That was why researchers were so excited to find that a drug — rapamycin — appears to mimic that anti-aging effect.

Rapamycin, an antibiotic and immunosuppressant approved for medical use about 15 years ago, has drawn extensive interest for its apparent ability — at least in laboratory animal tests — to emulate the ability of dietary restriction in helping animals to live both longer and healthier. If the name sounds familiar that is because rapamycin is primarily used as an immunosuppressant — to help prevent rejection — specifically for people who have had organ transplants.

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Posted by  |  June 25, 2014 | Categories: Biology, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments

Autism and Pesticides: What, too obvious?

Autism children

There have been a few different things linked to children who fall under the Autism Spectrum Disorder. A combination of genetic and environmental factors, along with complications during pregnancy have been associated with the diagnoses. And a new study aims to strengthen the link between prenatal exposure to pesticides and autism [Please hold your collective duh’s until the end]. The large, multi-site California-based study examined associations between specific classes of pesticides, including organophosphates, pyrethroids and carbamates, applied during the study participants’ pregnancies and later diagnoses of autism and developmental delay in their offspring.

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Posted by  |  June 24, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine, Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

To Lose the Weight, Feel the… freezer burn?

1

Are you so fat you can’t see your toes? Have you forgotten what toes even look like? Have you been mistaken for the infamous “Kool-aid man”? Want to shed the pounds easier than taking off your shirt? Well too bad, that is science fiction and the stuff of horrid marketing ploys and this my friends is a science website. Losing weight is hard, I’ve written several articles on it in fact. Nothing is going to be more effective at weight loss than a sensible diet, a calorie deficit and maybe some insoluble fiber that I mentioned in the very first article I’ve written.

A new companion study to this post, which I wrote not long ago not only confirms that original studies findings, but also gives insight into another factor for the mounting obesity epidemic.

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Posted by  |  June 23, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine, Weight Loss Science | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Love Song of Philo T. Farnsworth

Philo Farnsworth, if the name sounds vaguely familiar than you might just be a Futurama watcher. If you don’t watch and know who I’m talking about or even better are a fan then, “YAY!” and for those of you who don’t know, don’t sweat it you’re not alone. One of the forgotten greats, Farnsworth should be a household name, namely because one of his biggest inventions is in practically every home.

Did you guess it yet? If you said Television, then you are correct!! [If you didn’t, but wish you had, then good enough!] Philo Farnsworth wasn’t necessarily a genius, he didn’t escape the holocaust like Einstein, nor did he make millions from his inventions like you might expect. In fact, Farnsworth lead– by all accounts — a fairly unassuming life. Interesting when find out that not only did he invent the modern television, but he did it at the ripe old age of 14 years old. No, not 41 that wasn’t a mistype, he was 14 years old.

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Posted by  |  June 22, 2014 | Categories: Engineering, Thoughts from the Lab | Tags: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Global Warming doesn’t actually benefit Plants

Global warming signs

Things are heating up. It’s no secret that the mercury is rising and we are to blame. Sure, there is a lot of uncertainty, for example how long we have until we simply cannot reverse global warming, or worse, how long we have before we cannot survive on the planet. That would be a good question to answer; maybe it will get the people who can actually do something to fix it, to make a change.

The planet works in sometimes-unforeseen ways, sometimes that is good and sometimes that is bad. The hope was that global warming might be offset – if only for a short time – by the increased energy in the system [meaning longer warm periods], which would increase the growing season. It is unfortunate then, that this turns out not to be the case.

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Posted by  |  June 21, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Ethics | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Haters gonna… hate?

Haters gonna hate, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock since the internet has been born you’ve probably heard this phrase. Well now there is a new study that shows all that time spent hating, might mean less work doing.

The study, published in the journal Social Psychology might sound like more of a joke than actual science, but it is, in fact very real. Previous research done by the team have already shown that haters [and likers] are predisposed to be that way. Assuming that our disposition motivates behavior, the team suggested that people who like many things (those with positive dispositional attitudes) also do many things during the course of a week, while people who dislike many things (those with low dispositional attitudes) do very few things with their time.

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Posted by  |  June 20, 2014 | Categories: Psychology | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments

Warning: Serious Side Effects may be Overstated

bullet_pills

Black box warnings, I’m all too familiar with them. A quick look in the medicine cabinet and you would see why. In fact I’m surprised the door shuts some days. No, I’m not a druggy, by any means. I have problems and frankly who doesn’t? These days, like millions of Americans I find some sort of comfort in pill form. It’s not perfect, but most days you wouldn’t know I had my own problems. It’s unfortunate then that the black box warning labels we see on just about every type of antidepressant may be doing more harm than good.

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Posted by  |  June 19, 2014 | Categories: Ethics, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New and Exciting discoveries about Autism

Autism

Vaccines don’t cause autism. One more time, all together now, vaccines do not cause autism. Thankfully science understands that and is moving in on the actual cause for it. A combination of new studies not only shows a link between a particular gene and autistic disabilities [since it’s an autistic spectrum], but the second study offers a potential new pathway for treatment of the disorders.

Autistic-like behaviors and decreased cognitive ability may be associated with the disruption of a particular gene, in this case the APC gene [Adenomatous Polyposis Coli]. The connection was made when Tufts researchers deleted the gene from select neurons in the developing mouse brain. The mice developed all the autistic characteristics, such as reduced social behavior, increased repetitive behavior, and impaired learning and memory formation. This study is the first to look at how the loss of APC from nerve cells in the forebrain affects brain development, learning, and behavior.

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Posted by  |  June 18, 2014 | Categories: Genetics, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Quantum Conundrum, Puzzling People, and Survey Statistics

Order matters, we all know this when it comes to math, but did you know the order of questions asked can affect how you answer them? It’s true and it isn’t new news, the question-order effect is why survey organizations normally change the order of questions between different respondents, hoping to cancel out this bias. But that isn’t the interesting part, not by a long shot.

It turns out that quantum theory is a much better predictor of the survey results than conventional methods of predictions.

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Posted by  |  June 17, 2014 | Categories: Ethics, Non-classical physics: Quantum Mechanics | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Does the Bionic Man dream of an Electric Pancreas?

bionic-eyes

Diabetes can be torture; between the pokes and pins, the special diet, and constant monitoring, diabetes can be a special brand of hell [which is right next to the people who talk in movies]. Insulin pumps can help ease that pain, but science has introduced a piece of technology that would make the bionic man proud.

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Posted by  |  June 16, 2014 | Categories: Engineering, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lab Made Flu Coming to a Outbreak Near You!

Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918

Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918

Forgive the alarmist title, I had to do it. Researchers have created a genetically engineered version of the flu, similar to the spanish flu that killed roughly 50 million people in 1918. Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds, that is until someone sneezes and drops the vial… but what are the odds that would… umm… happen.

Truthfully there is already a war coming. If anyone remembers the swine flu outbreak a few years back, you know what I am talking about — for those of you who had it, including yours truly, you know how horrible it can be. Swine flu or H1N1 was a supercharged flu that was 95% or so genetically different from the flu we have typically seen. This lead to all sorts of fun and horrid complications from the outbreak due to the fact it was something the body had never really seen before.

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Posted by  |  June 15, 2014 | Categories: Ethics, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lies the Labels Told Me: Beware Food Buzzwords

organic natural

Organic, All natural, and packed full of antioxidants; sounds healthy, doesn’t it? Unsurprisingly however, if something is trying to tout how healthy it is, it probably isn’t. Of course all those buzzwords have to mean something… don’t they?

According to a new research study conducted by scholars at the University of Houston, health-related buzzwords, such as “antioxidant,” “gluten-free” and “whole grain,” lull consumers into thinking packaged food products labeled with those words are healthier than they actually are.

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Posted by  |  June 14, 2014 | Categories: Ethics, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Obesity drugs: Coming Soon to a Store Near You!

Afraid to go into public because you think those double doors might be a little narrow for you? Are you pretty sure you have feet, even though you haven’t seen them for awhile now? Did you recently find something you think may have been a twinkie at one point in your folds? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then science might be able to help.

Believe it or not weight gain is complex –or at least the biological aspect of it– for example hormones control our appetite and even the uptake of food. In recent years, science has taken on the seemingly insurmountable quest of investigating these physiological functions and finding a medical way to fight the ever growing obesity epidemic.

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Posted by  |  June 13, 2014 | Categories: Biology, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Alcohol Abuse and Combat in the Military

army

It’s no secret, I’m a proud Marine and combat veteran. So while searching for the latest and greatest science to write about I was surprised to come across a study on combat and alcohol abuse. Thinking I already knew the answer I almost didn’t bother to read it — when I did, the results were a little surprising and I wanted to share them.

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Posted by  |  June 11, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine, Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

[Creepy] Plasmids and Antibiotic Resistance

Plasmids_Telekinesis_3

If the title didn’t give it away, plasmids are creepy. For those of you who are confused by that statement let’s cover what a plasmid is exactly. Plasmids are very short circular pieces of DNA that are like little virus’. What makes the little buggers creepy is that they aren’t technically living, but possess all the qualities that would make you think otherwise.

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Posted by  |  June 10, 2014 | Categories: Biology, Genetics, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , | 11 Comments

New Genetic Clues to Autism

Autism1

There is a long, controversial life to autism. Autism comes from the greek autos, meaning self. The term describes conditions which a person is removed from interaction — hence, an isolated self.

It was first described by a guy named Eugen Bleuler, a swiss psychologist who noticed the symptoms in a schizophrenic patient. Technically Autism is a particular diagnosis in the Autistic Spectrum which includes things like Asperger syndrome, there is even something called savant syndrome in which children display amazing abilities in a particular field [typically math or music] with no real training.

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Posted by  |  June 9, 2014 | Categories: Genetics | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Weight Loss Science Fact: Odd but True

weightloss

Okay boys and girls, time to grab those love handles and hold on tight, because it’s another round of weight loss science fact. With a little luck [and a little reading] you won’t be holding them for long. With that let’s just jump right in, for those who are not in “the know” there are two types of fat: white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue. The normal person’s body will preferentially choose white adipose tissue over brown. I’ll let you guess which one is the better of the two.

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Posted by  |  June 6, 2014 | Categories: Biology, Weight Loss Science | Tags: , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Surprisingly Magnetic Black Hole

blackhole

Black holes suck. Nothing can escape a black hole, not even light, which is why they are “black”. They are also an interesting bit of physics. Normally “classical” physics applies to things that are large enough to see [and even things that you can’t in some cases]. Conversely quantum mechanics deals with the “unseen”, atoms and their interactions. That is normally the end of the story, never shall the two meet.

In fact, because there is no clearly defined line between the quantum and the classical, there has been trouble blending the two theories. Which is unfortunate in that there are a few specific examples where the quantum world and the classical world collide, one of them just happens to be black holes.

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Posted by  |  June 5, 2014 | Categories: Classical Physics, Non-classical physics: Quantum Mechanics | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Climate Engineering: We can’t Build it Better after all

View from the international space station

View from the international space station

We have the technology: we can rebuild you, better, stronger, faster. Well we may have been able to build the six million dollar man better than before, but as it turns out, we can’t do the same for the environment.

For anyone actually listening to science [and I really hope you all are] it isn’t getting any cooler. Thanks to the rising CO2 levels in the world it’s only going to get hotter and with it, the weather more extreme. Yet some people out there — and unfortunately for us, the people with the power to actually make a change– simply don’t care. To them, even if it gets hotter, we can fix it. After all we have the technology.

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Posted by  |  June 4, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Politics | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will genetically engineer bacteria for Biofuel

Homeless

This is pretty much how biofuel technology is being funded right now…

Utter the word biofuel in the wrong circles and someone is likely to be stabbed. Let’s just say that the topic can be polarizing, but for good reason. Biofuel offers a [potentially] carbon neutral and sustainable way to wean ourselves off our oil addiction. At the same time, the hurdles in the cost of production coupled with the technological problems have all but stalled the biofuel fantasy [can you see why someone may get stabbed yet?].

Well there is good news, while we are waiting for our solar roadways and other [much better] alternatives to just a carbon neutral solution, we can at the very least, move away from oil. This all thanks to a new breakthrough that will allow a carbon neutral biofuel to be produced cheaply.

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Posted by  |  June 3, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Genetics | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

eternal sunshine

A frame from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. What if it was more than just a movie…

Much like this posts namesake, the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind asked what if you could erase memories? Want to forget your ex, no problem. Better yet, what PTSD? I’m sure that all of us can think of at least one or two things — be it embarrassing, or scary — that we would like to forget.

Or conversely, maybe there is something forgotten, something you would give anything to remember — like a loved one or a relative — locked away deep in your brain. Thanks to new advancements in neuroscience, it’s technology that is not just in the movies anymore.

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Posted by  |  June 2, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine, Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

In Science We Trust

in science we trust

Sure, I could do a poll right now, how many of you are science fans? I figure if you are reading my blog then the answer is most [if not all] of you are. Unfortunately, that result isn’t the norm. Whether you blame it on lack of education, or just simply because it is “cool” to be ignorant; science is most definitely not as mainstream as it could be.

Why do more people know about the latest celebrity gossip, than the latest scientific advancements is beyond me. Sometimes it feels like pseudoscience has more of a following than actual science. Frustrating when I see my insurance covers things like acupuncture –which does not work– but not root canals — which do, in fact, serve a purpose.

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Posted by  |  June 1, 2014 | Categories: Thoughts from the Lab | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Coaxing Stem Cells: Where is that manual…

VCR Diagram

Breaking news: Stem cells don’t come with user manuals. That may be a little daunting for those of us who remember the VCR with its blinking 12:00 that you could never seem to get rid of. But thanks to some persistent scientists, the secrets of stem cells are finally coming out and a new discovery just helped solve a huge piece of the puzzle. All this thanks to a new technique that coaxes stem cells [which can become any cell in the body] to take the first step to specialization.

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Posted by  |  May 31, 2014 | Categories: Biology | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mind Control: Influencing Choice

Monkey

Ever change your mind? Well now scientists can do it for you, at least that is the latest by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of Leuven in Belgium. By artificially stimulating a brain region believed to play a key role in learning, reward and motivation they were able to induce monkeys to change which of two images they would choose to look at.

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Posted by  |  May 30, 2014 | Categories: Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

Genetics and Schizophrenia

Light and Dark

Like most mental illness, schizophrenia sucks. Once a friend of mine lost an eye to his schizophrenic brother during a serious episode. That sort of thing will tear a family apart and while he harbors no ill will towards his brother, because the state pressed charges [and he was the defendant] they cannot see each other while he is in prison. When it is not so severe, you would never know he could do something like that, schizophrenia sucks.

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Posted by  |  May 29, 2014 | Categories: Genetics, Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Diet Soda and Weight Loss

fat-diet-sodas

A quick google for the term diet soda will show you a wide range of “health issues” related to drinking diet drinks. But thankfully a new study sheds light on the truth behind the diet soda and weight loss myth.

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Posted by  |  May 28, 2014 | Categories: Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Solar Freakin’ Roadways- 5 Concerns Analyzed

solarroad

Solar Roadways, I know most people have been in support of the new blossoming technology and I’m happy to be a part of that [at least in support]. However, no matter where I turn there are a handful of common concerns that are brought up against the technology. Well today I wanted to go over five of the main concerns. I also wanted to take a peek into what the future could look like, with solar roads.

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Posted by  |  May 27, 2014 | Categories: Engineering, Environment | Tags: , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Mohawks and Autism- An unlikely connection

autism_table

With how far science has come, eureka moments are becoming harder and harder to have. Most scientists will be lucky if they have one in their lifetime. So yes, rare, but then again, so is finding mice with a mohawk like hairstyle. As it turns out, both of these things happened just recently.

The connection came in a lab at NYU Langone Medical Center, months after an international team of neuroscientists bred hundreds of mice with a suspect genetic mutation tied to autism spectrum disorders.

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Posted by  |  May 26, 2014 | Categories: Neuroscience Research | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Land of the Free, Home of the Afraid?

smartphone science

Let’s take a Loony quiz! Do you believe any of these statements are true? Global warming isn’t real. GMO food is the devil. Organic and all natural are better. Science is just a belief like religion. Evolution is just a theory, so other theories should be taught along side. Vaccines do — or can– cause serious health concerns. If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be suffering from a lack of scientific understanding, but don’t worry you’re not alone.

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Posted by  |  May 25, 2014 | Categories: Thoughts from the Lab | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Building with Batteries

low battery

Wires, we hate them. It’s okay you can say it, wires are… ugly. I hate throwing out the big “u” word like that, but facts are facts. So what if I told you, soon you might be finding power in unusual places. In fact, your whole home could be used to store energy.

This all thanks to a new type of supercapacitor that can take a licking and keep on ticking [I’ve always wanted to say that]. A supercapacitor so durable, it could be made into laptop casing, cars, buildings, just about anything. This new tech comes out of the [incredible] Vanderbilt Nanomaterials and Energy Devices Laboratory. 

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Posted by  |  May 24, 2014 | Categories: Engineering | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

No pain, no [weight] gain?!

pain

Pain is… well a pain. As it turns out pain does more than just hurt. A study just released shows that chronic pain not only lowers life expectancy, but can also slow the metabolism.

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Posted by  |  May 23, 2014 | Categories: Biology, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

[Virtually] Free-range Chicken

Why can’t you eat soup in the Matrix? Because there is no spoon.

Dumb joke, I know, but I have another one for you. What do you call a free-range chicken that is mass produced? Caged.

Welcome to the matrix… for chickens. With the popular consumer demand for free-range chicken, but not enough space for all those chickens, what do you do? Like the modern society we are, we turn to technology to solve the problem.

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Posted by  |  May 22, 2014 | Categories: Ethics, Technology | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Solar Freakin’ Roadways!

Artist's rendition of downtown Sandpoint, Idaho - Home of Solar Roadways Graphic design by Sam Cornett

Artist’s rendition of downtown Sandpoint, Idaho – Home of Solar Roadways
Graphic design by Sam Cornett

America loves it’s oil. Screw renewables, right? Because let’s face it, the world can be cleaned by someone else. As easily upset pretentious apes, us humans have few comforts in the changing world like fossil fuels. Our old friends coal, gas, and oil, they would never hurt us; they kick started the industrial revolution!

Let’s face it folks, global warming isn’t coming… it’s already here. We have study after study showing the effects. It’s time to ditch the medieval technology and move toward the future. Solar has been a good option, wind being another good choice. Both have drawbacks of course, no one likes wind farms and the solar farms don’t fare too much better.

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Posted by  |  May 22, 2014 | Categories: Engineering, Environment | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Weight Loss Science Fiction: The Paleo Diet

Paleo diet meme

You, yes you! Put down the Big Mac, come on you can do it. Now, let’s get back to our roots. It’s time to go hunter gatherer on your ass. In fact, you might as well dust off your loincloths and pull out your clubs, because paleo here we come.

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Posted by  |  May 21, 2014 | Categories: Weight Loss Science | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Fluoride

floride

“Have you ever seen a commie with a glass of water?”

In the 1964 Stanley Kubrick film, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, it’s a question that leads to a conspiratorial rant about the dangers of water fluoridation; one you might be likely to hear today in fact.

It is 50 years after the making of the movie and water fluoridation still seems to be a hot button topic that draws nuts from just about all walks of life. Unfortunately, as with most pseudoscience, the controversy is manufactured and as a consequence, misinformation is spread.

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Posted by  |  May 20, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Health and Medicine | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment