|
|
August 31, 2009
Molecules of nitrous oxide have been escaping into the ether ever since the gas was first produced by Joseph Priestly in 1772. And, unfortunately, while the humor-inducing effect of those molecules wears off quite quickly, it turns out that they have tremendous ozone depleting properties and linger in the atmosphere for as long as a century. full story»
|
August 28, 2009
One of the givens about influenza is that, for otherwise health individuals, it tends to be a medical inconvenience from school age to retirement age, while it can be a life-threatening infection for infants and the elderly. full story»
|
August 27, 2009
Opponents of health care reform warning about federal "death panels" "killing grandma" as they work to euthanize reform proposals are undermining not only to efforts to improve health care delivery, but also public understanding of important end-of-life issues...But this Sunday's New York Times Magazine takes a giant step in the opposite direction... full story»
|
August 26, 2009
Is it time for a new Scopes Monkey Trial on the issue of climate change? That 1925 face off between famed trial attorney Clarence Darrow and failed presidential candidate and populist fundamentalist William Jennings Bryan over the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools is apparently the kind of cage fight the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is looking for. full story»
|
August 25, 2009
The role of What's Out There isn't to opine - at least not a lot - but rather to point to those "out there" who are reporting and opining. In that spirit, here are some destinations well worth visiting if you're looking for valuable information and analysis of the health care reform debate: full story»
|
August 3, 2009
Mad cows grab the headlines and trigger international panic, but angry cows are the bovines we really need to worry about. At least that's what one might conclude from reading Fatalities Caused by Cattle - Four States, 2003-2008, in the latest edition of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). full story»
|
July 27, 2009
This one is for all the conscientious parents out there who attempt to keep their kids from consuming endless gallons of vividly-colored soft drinks: full story»
|
July 27, 2009
As if the farmer's wife wasn't busy enough with just three blind mice, Chinese scientists announced last week that they have succeeded in producing fully formed mice from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). full story»
|
July 22, 2009
"Mice genetically engineered to have Alzheimer's performed markedly better on memory tests a month after mouse neural stem cells were injected into their brains. The stem cells secreted a protein that created more neural connections, improving cognitive function. full story»
|
July 19, 2009
"WELL, let’s see now ... That was a small step for Neil Armstrong, a giant leap for mankind and a real knee in the groin for NASA." full story»
|
July 17, 2009
This one is interesting from both scientific and journalistic points of view. Because it turns out that the answer to the question has genomic implications- what doesn't? - and Laura Sanders of ScienceNews, who wrote about this new study is deserving of our occasional "lede of the week" award: full story»
|
July 15, 2009
Not quite sure what to make of this one... ...But Debora MacKenzie reports in the NewScientist that 45 percent of the first 99 people to die of H1N1 swine flu in the U.S. were obese. Granted, Americans are not known for their svelt physiques. But as MacKenzie points out, "as only 26 per cent of US adults are obese, this suggests that obesity doubles the risk of getting seriously ill with swine flu." full story»
|
July 14, 2009
Time flies, whether or not you're having fun. And it really was 40-years-ago this month that man first set foot on the moon. (On the social history side, it was also 40-years-ago this summer that Charles Manson burst from obscurity, and Woodstock became more than a place name.) full story»
|
July 12, 2009
Well, maybe not just like you. But researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Center and Emory University have discovered that "perceptual mechanisms for individual recognition have been conserved through primate cognitive evolution." Which, in English, translates to our sharing a similar form of memory for faces with some monkeys. full story»
|
July 10, 2009
Milkman? Okay, it's a very dated reference, an old joke about sons who didn't look at all like their fathers. What does this have to do with science, medicine, technology, or related policy? full story»
|
|
what's out there
