Blog Profile / assertTrue
| URL : | http://asserttrue.blogspot.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Technology / Programming | |
| Posts on Regator: | 364 | |
| Posts / Week: | 1.7 | |
| Archived Since: | March 20, 2009 | |
Blog Post Archive
Back Pain: An Infectious Process?
I wrote a piece for Big Think the other day about the recent finding that many cases of back pain are septic in nature: the pain comes from propionic acid (and other acids) released by anaerobic bacteria that have found their way into spinal-disc tissues. Show More Summary
DNA G+C Content and Survival Value
One of biology's big open questions is why organisms differ so much with regard to the relative amounts of GC and AT in their DNA. You'd think that if there are only two kinds of DNA base pairs (see diagram) they'd be more-or-less equally abundant. Show More Summary
Hydrogen Peroxide Powers Evolution
I'm about to offer a conjecture that is a bit preposterous-sounding but could well hold true. I actually think it does.
I propose that evolution, at the level of bacteria (though probably not at higher levels), is driven by hydrogenShow More Summary
More Science on the Desktop
Not to keep harping on the amazing power of desktop omics tools, but I thought I'd share a tip for those of you into genome-mining. The tip in a nutshell is that if you gang-load a bunch of FASTA sequences (DNA sequence data) into the...Show More Summary
A Tale of Two Microbes
One area where Big Data has started to pay big dividends is in genome research, and you can begin to taste the payoff yourself, right now, if you want to come along as I show you how to mine genetic data from public databases in the service of a little desktop microbial genetics. Show More Summary
Deep-Sea Vents: The Mosquito Connection
Quick: What species of life on earth is the most abundant? (Which species has more living members than any other species?) Hint: If an alien probe lands in a random location on earth, chances are better than 70% that the probe will encounter this organism.
If you're thinking in terms of the ocean, you're on the right track. Show More Summary
Science on the Desktop
For decades, I've been hoping I'd live long enough to see a day when serious science could be done on the desktop by dedicated amateurs. Amateur astronomers know what I'm talking about. You can't do much particle physics on the desktop,...Show More Summary
When Vitamins Turn Deadly
The other day I did something I swore I'd never do: I paid $31.50 to Elsevier for a copy of a scientific paper. I spent a good 30 minutes looking for a free version of the paper online first, of course, using every sneaky trick I know. Show More Summary
Is Aging Caused by Oxidative Stress?
Everybody wants to know what causes aging, and what can be done about it. As it turns out, we know a lot about aging. But we know very little about how to prevent it. Of all the theories of aging that have been proposed, the most thoroughly...Show More Summary
Hydrogen Peroxide and Scientific Dogma
The catalase test is simple: Add a drop of hydrogen peroxide o a sample of bacteria on a microscope slide and see if it fizzes. Anaerobes (even aerotolerant ones, such as Streptococcus pyogenes) won't fizz because they lack catalase. Aerobic...Show More Summary
Spontaneous Recovery from Depression
Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926), who coined the term "manic depressive," found that in contrast to patients suffering from dementia praecox (schizophrenia), those suffering manic depression had a relatively good prognosis, with 60% to 70%...Show More Summary
When Psychotherapy Goes Wrong
When talk therapy works, it can work wonders. When it doesn't work (which is a fair amount of the time), all bets are off, because anything can happen. While psychiatric drugs are required to undergo efficacy testing before being released to the public, no efficacy requirements are placed on non-drug therapies. Show More Summary
What Doctors Don't Know about the Drugs They Prescribe
In this video, Dr. Ben Goldacre explains to a TED audience why publication bias has brought medical research to a crisis point that must be addressed immediately. If you enjoy the video, please share with others via social media and also visit alltrials.net to sign the AllTrials petition. The views expressed here are entirely my own, not those of my employer.
The Mother of All Depression Studies: STARD
Given the amount of public funding ($35 million) that went into the six-year STARD study, it's utterly astounding that more people haven't heard of it. The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study was easily the single...Show More Summary
BRAIN: A Penny for Your Thoughts
President Obama's kickoff of the BRAIN initiative was a major news item the other day. Widely lauded as the kind of program that can keep America at the forefront of science, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies...Show More Summary
Myth: Antidepressants Take Weeks to Work
One of the more popular myths about antidepressants is that they take weeks to work. You'll find this "fact" stated axiomatically (which is to say without supporting citations) in many scientific papers, popular articles (web and print), and package inserts. Show More Summary
Dose Antidepressant Dose Matter?
One of the great myths about antidepressants is that higher doses are more effective than lower doses. That's not how these drugs work, though. Most studies show a flat dose-response "curve" with SSRIs. More isn't better.
This is anShow More Summary
Searching for Aliens in our Genes
I spent a lot of time thinking about whether it would be a good idea to write an April Fool's Day spoof blog for today, then this 100% legitimate scientific paper about evidence of alien intelligence in terrestrial DNA fell into my lap...Show More Summary
Nitric Oxide, Antidepressants, and "Sexual Side Effects"
Antidepressants, particularly those that affect serotonin metabolism, are famous for causing "sexual side effects." According to package inserts for the drugs, such side effects are relatively uncommon, but that's because patients in clinical trials don't readily volunteer information on sexual problems on their own; you have to ask them about it. Show More Summary
How Common Are "Sexual Side Effects"?
It's easy to get the impression, when reading popular articles about antidepressants, that drugs like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Cymbalta, Luvox, etc. are primarily psychoactive drugs that specifically alter brain chemistry. Indeed, this is what the drug companies want you to think. Show More Summary