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Adorably Chubby Mini-Spider Species Discovered in China
Tiny spiders with oversized rumps have been discovered in China. The little arachnids, each about a millimeter long, represent two new species of orb-weaving spider. They belong to the Mysmenidae family of orb-weavers, and are described May 21 in the...
Where Lies the Younger Dryas Smoking Gun?
Guest Post by Dan Johnston I have been following the proposed collision theory for the onset of the Younger Dryas for a number of years with considerable interest as it explains so much in a relatively straightforward fashion, if true. … Continue reading ?
Discarded immune cells induce the relocation of stem cells
The study reveals a surprising coordination between two fundamental body systems, the immune and the hematopoietic. The study has implications for the understanding of metastasis, because malignant stem cells involved in tumor formation could take advantage of this mechanism.
Eric Weinstein on Geometric Unity
Eric Weinstein is a Harvard math Ph. D. who has been working as an economist here in New York for many years, and someone I’ve often enjoyed talking to over the years. Going back to his days as a graduate … Continue reading ?
Is The History of Gettysburg More Than a Collection of Facts?
It’s been interesting following some of the early reactions to Allen Guelzo’s new book from within that small, but devoted community of Gettysburg buffs on various social media channels. I am not an expert on the battle. I’ve read a bit and only in the last year or so have I been able to find [...]
New discovery in fight against deadly meningococcal disease: Understanding the pathway of how the bacterium colonizes people
Neisseria meningitidis is an important human pathogen that can cause rapidly progressing, life threatening meningitis and meningococcal sepsis in humans, according to authors of a new study. People can be carriers of the bug and not get any symptoms, while some people progress to invasive disease. Show More Summary
The Civil War’s Untold Story
It’s the name of a 5-part documentary that will air on PBS in February 2014. The preview looks pretty good, though it’s not clear to me exactly what is new or “untold”. The commentary by historians is certainly within the mainstream of current interpretation, but perhaps parts of it will be new to the general [...]
Improved chemo regimen for childhood leukemia may offer high survival, no added heart toxicity
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Sheldon Whitehouse Stands Up For History
Well, okay, so he schools Chuck Grassley on the meaning of “pack the court:” Go to the one minute mark. (Yes, I know it wasn’t FDR’s best moment, but I’m still using the category “FDR owns everyone” because, well, he does.)
Slavery Traveled With the Army of Northern Virginia
Included in Allen Guelzo’s new book, Gettysburg: The Last Invasion, is a brief examination of the size of both armies. In looking at the Army of Northern Virginia Guelzo includes a few sources that estimate the number of slaves, who performed various roles as personal servants and impressed workers. One particular account by English-born Confederate [...]
Coins returned to Bulgaria
Source: ICE
ICE has announced the return of 546 ancient coins to Bulgaria ("Federal authorities return ancient coins to Bulgaria", May 21, 2013).
Bulgarian Ambassador Elena Poptodorova was quoted:
It is a special privilege to receive...Show More Summary
Pay attention: How we focus and concentrate
Scientists have shed new light on how the brain tunes in to relevant information.
Frequent heartburn may predict cancers of the throat and vocal cord
PHILADELPHIA — Frequent heartburn was positively associated with cancers of the throat and vocal cord among nonsmokers and nondrinkers, and the use of antacids, but not prescription medications, had a protective effect, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. read more
More emphasis needed on recycling and reuse of Li-ion batteries
The discovery of potential environmental and human health effects from disposal of millions of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries each year has led scientists to recommend stronger government policies to encourage recovery, recycling and reuse of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery materials. Show More Summary
Two Canosan kraters returned to Italy
This time last year I was commenting on identifications made by Cambridge researcher Christos Tsirogiannis. He spotted that a pair of Canosan krater that were due to be auctioned in the June 2012 sale at Christie's Rockefeller Plaza could be identified from the polaroids in the Medici Dossier. The research did not go unnoticed. Show More Summary
Slowing the aging process -- only with antibiotics
Scientists reveal the mechanism responsible for aging hidden deep within mitochondria -- and dramatically slow it down in worms by administering antibiotics to the young.
As GMO Corn Weakens, Pesticides Are Back
In 2003, Monsanto debuted corn seeds with a gene—Bt—that generates pest-killing toxins designed to resist the ravages of rootworm. Soil insecticide use cratered as a result, with only 9% of corn acreage nationwide treated with it in 2010, down from 25% in 2005. But then things started to...
Slowing the aging process -- only with antibiotics
Extending life in worms Next, the team reproduced the protein variations in a species of nematode, Caenorhabidtis elegans. "By reducing the production of these proteins during the worms' growth phase, we significantly increased their...Show More Summary
Two miniature spider species discovered in Giant Panda Sanctuaries of China
Two tiny, bizarre shaped spider species have been discovered in the Sichuan province and Chongqing city of China. The two species belong to the understudied Mysmenidae family, which prove difficult to find due to their small size (under 2 mm in total) and their cryptic lifestyle habits.
Study finds COPD is over-diagnosed among uninsured patients
ATS 2013, PHILADELPHIA ?More than 40 percent of patients being treated for COPD at a federally funded clinic did not have the disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with spirometry, the diagnostic "gold standard" for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. read more
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