Category Archives: science

links, science

Did you Miss … ?

Further links to interesting (well to me, at least) articles you may have missed. Yet again let’s start with the scientific, which unusually(?!) seems to be the majority.
First off we have a piece from the New York Times which again highlights that the biggest public health worry from the Fukushima disaster is not the radiation and cancer but the psychological effects on those involved. This appeared the same day as a piece in Discover about the unexpectedly loose connection between radioactivity and cancer.


Oarfish are curious. They’re long, flat and snake-like. They inhabit the deep oceans and maybe gave rise to the myths about sea serpents. It is unusual therefore for two to be washed ashore in California with days of each other. Luckily scientists went about finding out more about these enigmatic fish. First there was a suggestion that two such sudden deaths may herald a large earthquake, which was soon consigned to the bin of unfounded speculation. Then after a chance to autopsy one of the fish, scientists discovered a range of parasites — not surprising in itself but something we just didn’t know.
While we’re putting you off your lunch, here’s a great piece of science teaching. This guy got his 9 year old pupils to dissect cow brains and used the whole thing as a super teaching tool. I don’t know how he managed to get them over the “Yeuuggghhhh!!” factor.
Still on nasties, you’ll be pleased to know that the scourge of ancient times, Plague, is still amongst us. Of course it’s much less prevalent now, with modern sanitation etc., and very easily treated with antibiotics. Nevertheless there are still a few cases a year in the western world.
And then, of course, there are some fearsome insect predators — maybe not fearsome to us, but they are if you’re another insect.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. One man who turned magic into what we now think of as ordinary was William C Lowe, pioneer of the IBM PC, who died recently. Without him life as we know it would be very different, and many of us owe him a huge debt.
I hate changing the clocks twice a year; it seems so pointless. But it could have been a whole lot worse.
Slang. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. Except that it keeps changing and being reinvented.
What are members of Parliament not allowed to do? Yep, they can’t carry weapons or wear armour into Parliament itself. And at 700 years old this is one of the oldest pieces of legislation in the country which has never been repealed.
How happy would you say you are? Why are some people in some places way happier than in others? They aren’t; it’s all an artefact of magnified statistics. Diamond Geezer lifts the lid.

Finally, this will definitely make you much happier. Despite a recent report there is no global wine shortage. Felix Salmon at Reuters discovers that the report was a piece of dubious marketing. I’ll drink to that!

links, medical, natural history, science

Most Likely You Missed …

Another round-up of links to items you may well have missed …
As a chemist there are some compounds which you really do not want to work with. Meet the Mercury Azides. Non-scientists ignore the technical bits and just enjoy the spectacle!


On the occurrence of snarks and boojums in research.
Here’s a quick summary of the 20 big questions in science. So what happened to “How does photosynthesis actually work?”; I don’t think we properly understand this yet either.
It seems that becoming a boy, in utero, is far more haphazard and tenuous than we thought. A great explanation by Ed Yong.
An here’s another look at the weird world of our lost bones: the os penis and os clitoridis.
Not for the easily frightened … a look at the oceans’ most frightening and disturbing predator: the ferocious 10-Foot Bobbit Worm. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Botanical anthropology … the Bee Orchid as seen by XKCD.

It’s late summer. Which means everyone gets panicky about wasps. But is Britain really being threatened by plagues of wasps? Basically, no!
Oh FFS … Now the health Nazis have their claws into smoothies and fruit juices as being a health risk. Well I don’t like smoothies anyway.
Next up here’s a piece on five diseases we have consigned to the past, thankfully! Well maybe, not!
Life as we know it would not exist if it were not for one simple fungus: yeast. And it isn’t so simple, either.
At last we leave science and medicine behind …
Here are nine questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask. Sorry but they are rather US-centric.
So in a deal with Nestlé Google is to call Android 4.4 KitKat. So if they stick to the “treat” theme for their codenames, anyone want to suggest answers for Q, X and Z?
And finally, omnishambles is among the new words added to the OED. What is the world coming to? Oh, of course, an omnishambles!

links, science

Things You May Have Missed …

Yes, here’s another selection of items you may have missed. There are quite a few science-y things in this edition, although they should all be fairly “accessible”.
Biologist Rob Dunn writes an open letter to high school students about being a scientist. I wish someone had told it to me like this when I was 16 or 17!
Here’s another on what doing synthetic organic chemistry is like. If you aren’t a chemist you can skip the techie bits but do follow the metaphor in paragraphs four and five. This is why I never was a synthetic chemist.
This will totally change your relationship with mozzies! What really does happen when the mosquito bites.
Another from Rob Dunn … So how do you try to work out the number of ants living in New York City? And what might the number be? Fuck, that’s big!
Tardigrades (right) are tiny, even compared with ants. But they are the hardiest critters on the planet — awesomely so!
At last medics are beginning to wake up to the fact that they are over-testing and over-treating us.
Surprise! Shaming people doesn’t work, it just makes them worse. At least for the obese.
Be afraid! Be very afraid! Porn panic is driving us to the state where the only thing left to masturbate to will be the Daily Mail. Eeekkkkk!!
Girls: Got a retracted nipple? Then get the lads on the job! Boys: Might be your lucky day!
On the other hand not all buttons actually do something: the world of placebo buttons.
And on placebos, Nicholas Humphrey has a theory that society at large is built from a myriad of placebos. Yep, it is indeed all bollox. [This may be behind a paywall.]
Crossrail are still digging holes in London and finding all manner of archaeology. The latest is the site of the Bedlam Hospital near Liverpool Street.
And while on the ancient, here are twelve words which have survived only by getting themselves fossilised in idioms never to be seen alone in the wild.


And finally, this week’s most amazing time-waster. Randall Munroe, creator of science and logic comic XKCD has created an animated film entitled “Time” (above). There are several pieces of backstory around this, including one by science blogger Phil Plait on Slate, another on Wired, and one on Randall’s XKCD blog.
Enjoy!

amusements, current affairs, medical, science

You May Have Missed …

Another in our series highlighting articles you may have missed …
Unfortunately top billing this week has to go to Prime Minister David Cameron’s desire to impose a “porn block” on every internet connection. Needless to say the internet has been awash with people decrying the scheme as unworkable censorship. Some has been the usual squealing about anything we don’t like but much has been sensible commentary on the abhorrence of censorship and the practicalities of why the system won’t work. Those of you who know me, and who follow here, will be able to guess my view. Here is a selection of articles:
Original news item from the Independent: David Cameron cracks down on online pornography with ‘porn block’ option
The anotherangryvoice blog shouts against David Cameron’s “national wank register” although the article is more rational and practical than that sounds.
Meanwhile in measured fashion New Statesman asks 10 questions about Cameron’s ‘war on porn’
While in PC Pro the smaller ISPs are resisting.
Another blogger maintains the proposed UK porn filter is a threat, not a safeguard.
Milena Popova looks at the proposals from the perspective of an abuse survivor.
Finally there is the inevitable e-petition on the government website: Do Not Force ISP Filtering of Pornography and Other Content. At the time of writing it has just over 25,000 signatures. Whether you agree or not I’d urge everyone to sign as 100,000 should ensure a parliamentary debate, which is about the best we can do in exercising our full democratic power.
Now let’s return to the usual rather more amusing and esoteric fare.
Big ears! Yes ears (and noses) really do grow as we age.
Here’s an interesting, if slightly contentious, article on why we should fight back against those who are determined to kill off obesity. Yes, we know there may be risks (for some) in obesity but moral blackmail isn’t the answer and quality of life does matter.
At last an explanation for all those tales of werewolves. Apparently sleep quality declines around the full moon.
Still on things medically orientated, scientists are increasingly demonstrating that there are links between faulty body clocks and mental illness although it should be stressed that a correlation doesn’t prove causation.
Well who would have guessed? Bottlenose dolphins use names to identify each other. Wolves too it seems. You mean all animals don’t? I bet they do; just because we can’t understand what name our cat or dog calls itself!
A couple of writers for Practical Fishkeeping magazine go snorkelling in an English river and are surprised by the amazing biodiversity.
Oh dear, here we go again … More sleight of hand in the finance industry. Nationwide Building Society is working out how to issue shares and remain mutual. Ho hum …
Meanwhile some fun … I love it when eccentric, guerilla ideas take off. Apparently campaigners have planted cannabis seeds all over a German town and the authorities are struggling to keep up with destroying the resulting sudden growth.
More fun, but more seriously … apparently the Tory party’s plans to claw back EU powers have been thrown into disarray after an official study describes the London-Brussels balance as ‘broadly appropriate’. As usual though, I bet they ignore their advisers.
And now for a true British eccentric. Obituary for the 7th Marquis of Anglesey, historian of the British Cavalry, who died last week.


And on British eccentricities, here is a series of photographs of Britain’s listed historic signal boxes.
Finally one close to my heart. Biologist Rob Dunn investigates the roamings of his cat, and despite her age gets a surprise.
More anon …

environment, science

National Microchip Month

June is National Microchip Month. No, not computers, but pets.

It’s so easy to lose track of a pet. But getting your pet microchipped is quick and pain-free; it takes your vet about 1 minute to insert the chip under the animal’s skin (usually at the back of the neck) do and you 5 minutes to send in the registration. The actual chip is about the size of a grain of rice and contains a passive RFID tag.

And from then on your pet is quickly identifiable by any vet or animal shelter. I know. We had a stray cat turn up with us a couple of summers ago. We fed her and took her to the vet for a check-up. It took the vet 30 seconds to scan the microchip and then about 5 minutes to find the owner’s details on the national register. The vet contacted the owner and there was one happy owner reunited with his cat who he thought had gone for ever.

There’s more on microchipping at www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/general/microchipping and Wikpedia.

history, science

National Mills Weekend

National Mills Weekend is Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 May.

National Mills Weekend is the annual festival of our milling heritage and provides a fantastic opportunity to visit mills, of all types, many of which are not usually open to the public.


Until the advent of the steam engine, wind and watermills provided the only source of power for many different processes — from making flour, paper, cloth to hammering metal and extracting oil. You can explore mills that produced, or still produce, these products — some restored to working order, some derelict, some still working commercially.

As usual there is more information on the National Mills Weekend website at www.nationalmillsweekend.co.uk.

books, medical, science

Book Review

Mary Roach
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

If there is one thing Mary Roach does well it is write. Her style is light, airy and humorous while being informative. It needs to be because she has made her stock in trade writing about taboo subjects like sex (Bonk), death (Stiff) and now our guts. For instance in writing about the biblical story of Jonah and the whale she says:

While a seaman might survive the suction and swallow, his arrival in a sperm whale’s stomach would seem to present a new set of problems. (I challenge you to find a more innocuous sentence containing the words sperm, suction, swallow and any homophone of seaman.)

She takes us on a journey through the gut — from top to bottom. Well, except that she doesn’t; it’s a journey through the top half, as far as the stomach. There’s a black hole of the small intestine should be. And a fast water chute through the colon. So despite the good writing I felt short changed by Gulp. I wanted more, and I wanted a bit more in depth science.

Sure, Roach talked to all the right scientists and medics. But this wasn’t as in depth as either Stiff or Bonk — at least it didn’t feel that way. And as I say the really interesting bits (well, to me, at least) beyond the stomach were too quickly glossed over.

So I was left feeling as though I’d had a decent starter, followed by some sorbet and coffee, but without a main course. Which is a shame because Roach writes too well for this.

Overall rating: ★★☆☆☆

books, science

Book Review

Dr Geoffrey Garrett and Andrew Nott
Cause of Death: Memoirs of a Home Office Pathologist

For over 30 years Geoffrey Garrett was the senior Home Office pathologist for NW England. This means he got all the juicy jobs, like working out how some notorious murders (like one of the Moors Murders) were committed and the actual cause of death.

Most of it would have hardly been routine, even for an experienced pathologist, but you would never think so from reading this book. Garrett makes the job sound absolutely mundane and boring most of the time. And that’s a reflection on the book, because clearly the job wasn’t at all routine on the ground and Garret says this in a few places.

But I found the book dull. So dull I almost gave up reading it. The style is to me very flat and lifeless — like the corpses Garrett is so often examining. Not that we get much detail of those examinations, beyond a few bare medical facts: so many wounds, such and such internal damage, a few broken ribs and skulls. And a lot of it obfuscated in medical terminology which is hardly ever explained.

Indeed the book is so bland it is not at all gruesome. Surely it should be gruesome? OK we don’t need great detail of the basic autopsy method every time (Garrett covers that once in the introduction, though even that is a bit sketchy) but we would benefit from more on the methods specific to the cases. For instance, what is the test done on blood to determine the level of carbon monoxide present; and how is it done? We’re never told. As a scientist, I wanted to know.

Yes, I wanted a lot more. More on the tests which are done, but also more on the forensic investigative process; more interesting puzzles to solve and how they were solved. I had expected this and that I didn’t get it left me feeling somewhat short-changed.

This should have been an interesting book, illuminating a world which, thankfully, most of us are never involved with. But sadly for me it failed.

Overall rating: ★★☆☆☆

links, science

More Amusements You May Have Missed

Another round of amusements you may have missed. In no special order except the most Christmassy bits are last …

Some models of the universe suggest that we’re living in a computer simulation run by some higher order. But how would we ever know? Would we ever care?

Did you worry that oblivion was going to happen on 21 December? No of course you didn’t, and here’s why you didn’t.

I’m not sure if this is good or bad news. It seems that boxed wine spoils quicker than bottled wine. Apparently it’s all to do wth oxygen permeability

Boys … Finally you have an excuse for squeezing your lady’s boobs. Apparently it stops breast cancer. What do you mean you don’t need an excuse!? Tut! Tut!

Carl Zimmer is still collecting geeky science tattoos (attached to other scientists). Here’s the latest stunning example. The cleavage isn’t bag either. 😉

Interesting perspective on the development of antibiotics, how it nearly didn’t happen and what they actually do to us.

Scientists at London’s Kew Gardens have discovered over one new species of plant a week during 2012, including a previously unknown tree that the locals say weeps dragon’s blood.

More appropriate to Halloween than Christmas here are 12 horrific surgical instruments of torture.

Have you ever wondered what English would be like with an alphabet of 38 letters? Because that’s what we could have had as there are 12 letters which didn’t make the cut.

How is the Tooth Fairy like the Higgs Boson? … On the quantum mechanics of the tooth fairy.

And now the really Christmassy bits …

Prof. Alice Roberts on our early ancestors’ relationship with the amazing reindeer.

And last, but by no means least …

How the Three Wise Men could so easily have ended up in Botswana or at the North Pole.

Happy Christmas everyone. This feature will resume next year!

ramblings, science

The Strangeness of Days

The more I think about it, the more puzzling time becomes. Not just from a scientific point of view — and who knows that’s bad enough! — but from an experiential view.

There are two things which especially puzzle me; confuse me, even; despite that I think we all experience them.

The first is the way in which time is not linear.

OK, we know that time works only in one direction: it marches inexorably forward. As far as we know there is no way in which time can run in reverse; physicists tell us this doesn’t accord with the laws of nature they know about, hence our continuing quest for time machines.

But we all know from experience that time is not linear. There are days when one gets up and follows one’s normal routine — some combination of coffee, shower, shave, hair-do, feed the cat etc. — only to fine one is 15 minutes late leaving for work/school. The next day you’ll do exactly the same and be ready 15 minutes early. Some days the afternoon disappears without you realising; other days it drags and you seem to be checking the clock every few minutes wondering how many hours have passed.

Scientists tell us this is impossible; that time is perfectly linear. Yet we all experience it. And no-one so far can explain it satisfactorily.


The second puzzle, which may be related to the first, is the nature of days. Again no-one to my knowledge has ever satisfactorily explained this.

How is it that on Thursday, I was convinced it was Friday? Yesterday (Friday) morning I thought it was Saturday. And by yesterday evening I thought it was Thursday again. Worse, yesterday evening (what time I was existing in Thursday) Noreen was convinced it was Saturday. And today? Well I have no clue; my head is just too full of cold germs to be sure of anything beyond it’s dark, it’s raining and I’d rather be huddling under the duvet.

Now I can understand how it may be possible to explain the way in which time passes faster as one grows older. The theory is that as one ages there is less new to take in; the brain measures time in notable experiences; hence as there are fewer, time seems to pass faster.

But that doesn’t explain the non-linearity of time at either the level of minutes and hours or at the level of days. I’ve been pondering this for years, and still have no idea what’s going on here. Is it just that all our brains are faulty, or is there some underlying system of local time-warps? Has anyone got any clues?