Shake and Rattle Your Science
In the show this week: Haitian Earthquake Aftermath, Combo For Remedy, Rainbow of Planets, Eye Test For Brains, Smart Oil, Big Thinking Bacteria, Killer Whale Speciation?, And Much More!
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Haitian Earthquake AftermathGeologists warned the Haitian government that they were at extreme earthquake risk and should reinforce buildings such as hospitals but to no avail.Certain groups are suggesting homeopathy kits be sent to the front line, which may hinder delivery of other treatments and supplies. This is serious because the biggest impediments to aid now are the logistics of delivery.
Tetanus vaccination rates in Haiti are only about 50% This is normally not much of an issue but in a situation where people have wounds, it becomes a problem and vaccination can prevent it from becoming an issue.
Consider donating/ offering support:
Doctors Without Borders Red Cross OxfamNew Remedy
Taking BOTH calcium and vitamin D supplements will reduce risk of bone fractures regardless of age, sex or medical history.
Rainbow of Planets
In a far away solar system with a sun (HR8799) 1.5 times the mass of ours, scientists are using the wavelengths of light emitted from various chemicals to determine the composition of the planets, seeing if they are similar to our own. Specifically they are looking at the middle planet, which has a mass ten times that of Jupiter and a temperature of 800 degrees C.
An Eye Test for your Brain
Scientists have developed a new laser technique that will enable retinal/ brain cell death to be measured in real time, assuming that the condition of the retina is directly related to the condition of the visual area of the brain to which it is connected.
Book Club - The Canon by Natalie Angier. Discuss this book at twisbookclub.ning.com:
Smart Oil
A droplet of oil consisting of hexyldecanoic acid put into a labyrinth was able to find the shortest possible path to the exit, apparently propelled forward by a difference in pH. This demonstrates a sort of primitive intelligence, and is promising for possible use in medicine delivery in the body.
Big Thinking
Bacteria Studies with the bacteria Asosperiliaspirlum brasilisense focused on the way an individual receptor can sense its environment and can be extrapolated to predict bacterial ability to perform complex decision making.
Killer Whales - Two species in one?
Scientist think there is a possibility that killer whales are splitting into two separate species: a larger mammal-eater and a smaller fish-sucker. The different diets possibly allow niche specialization and resultant body-shape differences in a similar manner to the widely adaptive Galapagos finch populations.Other Stories:
Alligators breath like birds: what are the paleontological implications? ...
Chimps and Humans: the Y chromosome is evolving faster than expected...
Rosetta just did its gravity slingshot to rendezvous with a comet.
Music this week was by Unbalanced Wheel, TMBG, Warp11, and The Gifted Apes. Buy it HERE.
Check Out A Book By Justin Jackson:
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current science news posted by bob at 1/19/2010 10:56:00 AM
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