Depression: Of Placebos And Paxil

Depression: Of Placebos And Paxil

If the coming Olympic games handed out gold medals for news coverage of medical topics, the coveted podium in a winner-takes-all contest would likely be a lonely place. Not that there aren't worthy…
Carbon Sequestration

Carbon Sequestration

Carbon Sequestration The Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research is using the LI-8100 to monitor soil CO2 flux near the injection well. Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership’s…
Building a better drain trap

Building a better drain trap

I’ve been critical of patents that seem to have been issued for ideas that don’t represent much innovation (most recently, this one, and see more discussion here), extending existing “prior art” only…
There’s a lot in the name, Shakespeare !

There’s a lot in the name, Shakespeare !

Bon Jour everyone. Recently, I attended a three day pharmaceutical conference at Ahmedabad. Conferences are events which always teach me about the venue rather than the scientific communication.…
Google is a verb

Google is a verb

The deadlines for reports, projects, assignments make the students grumpy and tired. The pressure of preparing manuscripts and taking out those fine print make them work no end. However, little do…
Should The EPA Ban Mountaintop Mining?

Should The EPA Ban Mountaintop Mining?

Writing in the January 8 issue of Science, a group of environmental scientists is calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to stay all new mountaintop…
Forests To Soak Up Less C02 As Climate Warms

Forests To Soak Up Less C02 As Climate Warms

Contrary to the conclusions of dozens of other studies, a new paper appearing in  Global Change Biology argues that as the climate warms and growing seasons lengthen, subalpine forests are…
The Cold War's Ecological Benefits

The Cold War's Ecological Benefits

When people think of the Cold War they tend to dwell on all the negatives that came with it: totalitarian governments, proxy wars, a nuclear arms race, and so on. But looking back on the period, the…
Scientists Predict In-Flight Transmission Of H1N1

Scientists Predict In-Flight Transmission Of H1N1

Reporting in the current online edition of the journal BMC Medicine, researchers from UCLA say they can predict the number of H1N1 flu infections that could occur during a commercial flight using…
30,000-Year-Old Teeth Shake Up Human Evolution

30,000-Year-Old Teeth Shake Up Human Evolution

Researchers from the University of Bristol have analyzed the teeth of a 30,000-year-old child originally found in the Abrigo do Lagar Velho, Portugal in 1998. Classified as a modern human with…
Solid Space, Private Space, And Open Space

Solid Space, Private Space, And Open Space

I've often run into the idea of 'realspace' (or 'meatspace') versus 'virtual reality' (or 'the Internet').  The concept is that they are two often separate worlds.  I disagree with that,…
There's an app for that?

There's an app for that?

That's right, my love for the periodic table can now be extended to my phone! My sweet Palm Pre features the periodic table in its app catalog, with such data as: Oxidation Status Boiling Point…
Cell Phone Radiation May be Good For You!

Cell Phone Radiation May be Good For You!

Well after all the alarmist talk about cell phone radiation causing brain tumors, now we have a new study that suggests that it may improve your memory. Specifically there is a suggestion that it may…