Unlikely Science

Science tackles viral video

2008-07-24T14:20:00.003+01:00

Recently, scientists have taken to showing their lighter side by producing short videos. These geeked-up vial videos are passed around the lab, forwarded to colleagues, and posted on Facebook or MySpace. Think Bio-Rad's brillant PCR video. Not to be outdone, EU Research's Marie Curie Action has created a hysterical and educational bit called "Chemistry Party". Enjoy!

Football Fever

2008-06-23T21:37:00.004+01:00

As the rest of the world seems to be excited about some kicky-ball competition, I thought we could jump on the bandwagon as well. There has to be some odd science going on here...

And indeed (handily) there is. It has come to light that the German team have been side-stepping the tight anti-doping rules for the tournament by using homeopathy. This story pleases me very much. The concept of Homeopathy is rather amusing even at the best of times, and the logic of "this stuff is so ludicrously ineffective they don't even bother banning it, so let's give it a go!", is the placebo effect working at its magnificent best.

In fairness, in the highly psychological environment of sports medicine, where giving a player a mental "edge" is all-important, the sphere of quackery is probably a very good one to use, but it's still amusing none the less.

"we started out trying cure alzheimers, but now we have a sheep with the mind of a goat"

2008-06-10T16:58:00.002+01:00

Genetic Scientists Develop Sheep With Brain Of A Goat

Fake beak.

2008-06-09T11:56:00.007+01:00

According to the Sun (I wasn't reading it, I promise) a bald eagle has had its beak shot and was starving to death until friendly engineers came along and made it (the eagle) a new one (beak).

The Sun's Kelly Eagle (I kid you not) gives the story only a brief overview, but over in the America, the more respectable USA Today (another completely fact driven news source) goes in to a little more detail, including how the current beak (shown here in a picture nabbed off of Boing Boing) isn't quite right:

"The new beak is only a temporary fix, designed to nail down precise measurements.
A final beak made of tougher material will be created and attached later, though her saviors don't plan to release her back into the wild. They say that she has spent too much time with humans that the final beak will still not be strong enough to tear flesh from prey."

You can see how the beak has broken in the image, exposing the metal underneath the yellow plastic.

[via Boing Boing]

Lemur Love

2008-05-29T19:21:00.005+01:00

And we thought it was hard to find the perfect partner...

Imagine if you couldn't even tell if you were eyeing up the right species by looking at them. This it the problem rainforest lemurs have - their love lives are a whole other level of difficult.

Click here for the full story.

Secret LHC Blueprint

2008-05-20T22:15:00.009+01:00

I can't reveal my sources, but I am assured that this is the actual blueprint used as the basis of the LHC. It would seem to support the claims made in the video below.

Thirty-three is indeed a significant and mysterious number. Jesus was thirty-three when he was crucified; the first temple of Solomon stood for thirty-three years before being pillaged. Every single scientist/satanist involved with the LHC is, has been, or will eventually be thirty-three. The seemingly innocent 'Clickety Click' of the bingo caller, if halved, gives us thirty-three and, alarmingly, echoes the sound of an electrical switch being operated - perhaps the 'on' switch of LHC itself? There are thirty-three symbols of the Masonic Order, one of which shows a double-headed eagle crowned with an equilateral triangle, inside of which is the number thirty-three. Prior to merging, one of the original particle detector experiments was known as EAGLE. There are currently six detector experiments in place. The country code for the CERN press office is four and one; four minus one leaves 3. Add the country code and first two digits of the number, two and two, and we get nine - three times three!

There's more, but I must run, I have a Lodge meeting at three...

The LHC has been designed to bring back Satan to earth.

2008-05-16T11:38:00.004+01:00

A man delivers a hilariously fact-free analysis of the LHC, the Large ~~Hardo~~ Hadron Collider.

Included is his denial of the moon landings, a complete misunderstanding of the term "strange matter (Satan would be pretty strange, seems to be his entire argument), the assertion that it is impossible to change direction in space, and an insinuation that all scientists involved are Freemasons. Masterful, truly masterful.

Now, once you've finished listening to it, go back and listen to the Chris Morris interview (2 posts down), so as to rinse your brain out.

Vatican: "Aliens could exist".

2008-05-14T13:33:00.003+01:00

I love the Vatican. When they aren't putting out lists of new deadly sins (many of which seem to be thinly disguesed attacks on science in general) they are making themselves look a bit silly in stories like this.

What amuses me the most about the article is not the sentiment about aliens life forms being possible, and not contradictory to the bible, which is near-enough sensible. Except when your reasoning is that (and I found this quote in another comment on the original article)...

"Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said."

No, it's not that that amuses me most, it's the original article title from the Vatican Magazine, the immensely improbable "Aliens are my Brother". Because...

"Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

It would be the most majestic silliness, if only it wasn't dead-serious. I'm also looking forward to the Vatican's "Darwin Conference" next year, that should be even more entertaining...

The CERN podcast, with added Chris Morris

2008-05-12T14:14:00.002+01:00

Listen to a man who used to play keyboards for D:Ream chat to Chris Morris about CERN, particle physics and relativistic mechanics here. I love the internet.

The Science Behind the New Triumph Rocket 3 Motorcycle

2008-05-12T12:58:00.002+01:00

The first motorcycle manufacturer to employ Null-type scientific principles...

Null on (All)Top of the World

2008-05-01T13:03:00.003+01:00

Good news: Null Hypothesis has been chosen to appear as one of the science site on entrepreneur and tech-guru Guy Kawasaki's alltop.com, a new content agglomeration site which makes it really easy to browse a lot of new sites and keep a check on your favourites.

The Null, obviously, is pick of the science category (listed under geekery) but other highlights include the Green Wombat blog (green) and weirdthings.org.uk (oddities).

Hurrah!

Science Poetry.

2008-04-28T14:40:00.003+01:00

So, it's revision season, and I am innocently revising the process of neurotransmission for my pharmacology exam, and I stumble upon this. An epic poem, about... well... neurotransoissiom. If only I could submit it during my exam.

The Story of the Rebels Who Caused a Revolution in the Land of Body - by Nomi Burnstock

A busy bee called ATP
Whose wings were full of energy,
Who worked and built inside a cell
Emerged to see what he could tell
To each and every other cell.
To run, to fly with friends and foes
To keep the body on its toes,
To tell of dangers, urgent needs,
Inspire each organ to heroic deeds.

Nora Drenalin, his female mate,
Flew around with him in a constant state.
Acetyl Colin was a frequent threat
And put them in a constant sweat.
And VIP came soon to see
Joined quickly then by 5-HT
Not far behind flew Substance P
And then came Nitric Oxide too
Too see what mischief he could do.
Adenosine, that flighty bird,
Although she'd lost her phosphate,
Insisted she was coming too
And off with all the rest she flew……

They hurried here, they scurried there
These rebels reached most everywhere
They flew to visit Heart and Lung
The vessels proved to be quite fun
Then Stomach, Gut and Bladder too
Could hardly wait to join the queue
But patiently they had to wait
For Uterus and Sperm, these friends
Together with Vas Deferens
Claimed first attention from these defectors
Providing them with fine receptors.

Now Brain looked on from up on high
And gave a long protracted sigh
‘I am the master of the land
Bring me the chief of this rebel band
When he has dined, and wined, reclined
I'll give him a piece of my mind.'

So ATP flew up to see
What Brain had got in mind.
‘Leave this to me young 5-HT
With Nitric Oxide and Substance P
Even good old VIP
You can stay behind.'
He took with him to make amends
Nora Drenalin and Acetyl Colin, his old time friends.

But sickness came to the land of Body
Even Brain began to lose his nerve.
Bladder lost his continence
And couldn't find it anywhere
Gut constricted. Gripe persisted
Pain objected loud and clear.
All the bloody vessels
Chose to tighten and complain
Causing high blood pressure
To say nothing of the pain
Of angina and migraine.

‘Listen to me' said ATP,
‘If you Brain have not become too addled.
Acetyl Colin and Nora Drenalin
Can no longer cope alone,
They need help and co-operation.
I'll call my merry band in on the phone.
We'll all work together
To keep this body well.
And if by chance we don't succeed
A drug company you can tell.'

They formed a club called Autonomic
Welcomed Brain as a friendly guest
Set out their plan to work together
A healthy Body their unified quest.

Then Roche came to help and Servier too
Helped establish the messenger system anew.
In health and disease
As you will see,
Adenosine and ATP,

With NO and 5-HT,
Worked in close collaboration
With Substance P and VIP.
Faithful Acetyl Colin and Nora D too
Rejoiced with the organs throughout Bodyland
For finding such a merry band.

ATP, that busy bee was pleased and happy as could be
For he'd completed well his mission:
Admitting Dale's principle and Burnstock's too
To the minefield of neurotransmission.

I ~~sometimes~~ often wonder if scientists have too much time on their hands.

Evolution - the truth

2008-04-26T10:46:00.005+01:00

Here is one of a set of comics that have been inflicted on me during my time at university by the famous 'crazy Mrs White' who pounces on students between classes. Enjoy.

"Ugly As Sin"

2008-04-21T14:11:00.005+01:00

Man, it must be a sad life, being a vulture. (Unless you happen to have nabbed a part in the Jungle Book - then I guess you've pretty much made it in life...)

But spare a thought for all the other not-quite-so-glamorous vultures out there. Not only do they have nowt to look forward to bar the odd pound of decomposing flesh, they have to put up with getting slagged off in the press by biologists.

Quoting Texas bird man Ian Tizard at the Schubot Exotic Bird Center, "Unquestionably, they're as ugly as sin."

The scavengers have been getting a hard time for killing calves (which, let's face it, are way cuter) and authorities from various American states have recently granted permission to shoot them, despite their protected status.

And as if to add insult to injury (or, more likely, death), Tizard said of their bare necks, "You don't want your neck all matted with blood if you're sticking your head into a carcass. The bare skins are an adaptation, but it sure makes for an ugly bird."

Image: w

The, erm, "exciting" world of referencing tools

2008-04-14T11:29:00.012+01:00

Having been an Endnote user for almost ten years now, I don't understand how people ever managed to write out reference lists by hand. And by "ever managed" I mean "could ever be arsed".

Unfortunately the venerable Endnote doesn't really work the way that many of us do. It isn't particularly geared up for browsing, and why should it be? it was invented in the dark ages before the intertubes was one of the most useful tools that the researcher had for reading research, back when people (*gasp!) actually read paper journals!

Things are different now. This is the third millennium AD. We live out our scholarly lives though information transmitted to us via our computers. We browse our way to journal articles through RSS feeds, blogs and links from other articles. We read research on screen, not in hard copy. We like to store copies of our journals on our hard computers, on portable drives, like USB sticks and even iPods (other Mp3 players are available, apparently).

I recently started using CiteULike to log interesting articles I come across, which I may then go and download and read, adding it laboriously to my Endnote library if it's of particular use to my current project. In addition, back home on my mac I use Papers to organise and read my, erm, papers in an intuitive, post-iTunes type way. All this seems rather disjointed in an age where browser is king. This is where Zotero rocks up and tries to woo me with its integrated, Firefox based, open source, Word and OpenOffice.org functioning ways. I've not actually tried it out yet, my PC at the lab is rather locked up by the IT department and doesn't allow for Firefox to be installed, let alone any FF add-ons (although I think I have a copy of Firefox Portable on a memory stick somewhere), but Zotero might well be my holy grail for reference management. If not, it does at least represent part of the future of our consumption of academic research.

What about you? If you are an active researcher (pre- or post-doc), a student, or even just a hyper geek who reads scholarly works for shits and giggles, how do you go about managing your articles?

Standout Handouts III

2008-04-09T04:25:00.010+01:00

Under my lab coat will be Bio-Rad Laboratories’ KnowItAll® t-shirt. These green gems were a hit among conference attendees, along with Bio-Rad’s also Wii™ giveaway. The first Wii™ winner, Pablo Sacasa of Florida International University, models his KnowItAll® t-shirt with Bio-Rad Laboratory Director Greg Banik.

Swag in hand, I can avoid purchasing clothing and office supplies for another year.

Standout Handouts II

2008-04-09T04:08:00.009+01:00

ACS Journals’ swag was sweet – a Nestle® 100 Grand® bar labeled “Organic Letters: 10 years and over 100,000 citations” to celebrate Organic Letters’ milestone. In a FSS full of mini candies, this full-sized bar was gobbled up by conference attendees. Showing off this chocolate treat is Sean Abell, ACS Assistant Director of Product Marketing. Mr. Abell also handed-out a color changing light-up pen, courtesy of ACS’ weekly magazine Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN). Pens were the giveaway at this FSS, but all paled in comparison to C&EN’s. This pen also goes quite nicely with my new lab coat.

Standout Handouts

2008-04-08T20:55:00.014+01:00

Accompanying every ACS Meeting is the ACS National Exposition. Some call it a “trade show” or a “vendor show”. I call it “Free Swag Show” or FSS for short. The FSS is where you stock up on a year’s worth of pens, notepads, Post-its®, t-shirts, bags, candy, and if you’re really lucky, a laptop, iPod® or Wii™. With a FSS this large (300+ companies), swag is plentiful. Here are the standout handouts:

Top swag at this FSS goes to Nature Publishing Group (NPG). For signing up for email alerts, attendees get an embroidered lab coat. Modeling this fantastic bit of swag is Dr. Stuart Cantrill, Chief Editor of Nature Chemistry and co-author of the blog The Sceptical Chymist . In Dr. Cantrill’s hands is another piece of fantastic swag – NPG Post-its®. These sticky notes are conveniently bound into little booklets, fitting perfectly into my new lab coat’s pocket.

Details on lab coat accessories (more free swag) to follow...

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez

2008-04-07T14:52:00.006+01:00

New Orleans is hosting the American Chemical Society’s Spring Meeting this week, April 6-10. Along with thousands of other chemists, I am in the city (that’s “Nawlins” y’all) presenting research, attending talks, and networking. Now for the real reason we’re here…jazz, food, and other delights to be found in the French Quarter (just the “Quarter”).

The city’s motto is “Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez” (Let the Good Times Roll). Conference organizers and attendees have adopted it as their own. Yesterday, the Younger Chemists Committee kicked off the conference with a session titled “The Chemistry of Alcohol”. The chemistry of beer and brewing came first, followed by an explanation of why good beer goes bad, how the pre-Columbians brewed, and the science of wine production. Let me tell you, the room was packed and the questions were non-stop. I guarantee no other talks during this conference will be so well attended and participated in.

Several ACS Divisions’ poster sessions ran from 7-9PM, including my own. An excellent jazz quartet provided music, giving the session a party atmosphere. I talked with several chemists, food and the Quarter being popular topics. We talked about research, too! Fascinating research involving bioluminescent spiders, life-saving alligators, and the facts on artificial sweeteners. Keep your eye on Null for details and tune in to this blog for more on the ACS Spring Meeting.

Germans are so much greener than we are

2008-04-07T14:24:00.005+01:00

I wish I was German.

Not only are the Germans impossibly well organised and capable of making legendary cakes, they have some sound environmental policies, the like of which would undoubtedly cause havoc if they were to be introduced over here.

In Germany (or at least in Stuttgart, where I was in March), your car is assigned a grade depending on how polluting/energy inefficient it is and branded with a sticker to remind you of it. Idiots who drive gas guzzling four-by-fours are prevented from driving in city centres, and if they catch you at it, oh, you'll pay.

In Germany , if you go into a supermarket, nobody offers you a plastic bag. Everyone takes their own re-usable cloth bag - this probably comes of being so incredibly organised.

In Germany, they don't have bins, they have compartmentalised units with clearly marked spaces for paper, cans and then all other items. At home, Germans sort their waste neatly into separate recycling bags, which are handed out at the supermarkets.

Nobody bats an eyelid about any of this, it seems. Yet when other nations start following suit, it makes headlines.

I have noticed, however, that the staff in Sainsbury's have started asking if I'd like a plastic bag, rather than waiting for me to complain that I didn't ask for one. But that might be because they know me by now...

Anyway, I propose we start a revolution. Everyone: replace your placcy bags with a couple of cloth ones, grab a permanent marker and scrawl "Plastic bags suck, vive le revolution" all over them. Stick two fingers up to dozey check out staff and their establishments (although don't actually, because we might get in trouble).

The epic stroy of Elsevier and the arms trade

2008-04-07T12:29:00.006+01:00

Reed-Elsevier, everyone's favourite academic publishing company (well, some people's fave. I'm not all that partial to it for reasons that should become clear) used to run the Defence Systems & Equipment International (DSEi), a massive arms fair held at ExCeL in London's docklands. This Event was used to sell high precision weponary items like cluster bombs, which reports in the Lancet (published by Elsevier) suggest are responsible for many civillian deaths in wars zone such as Iraq. Nice. (Read an excellent editorial by Richard Smith about it here)

Thanks to a concerted effort or boycotting and protest by many high profile academics, Reed-Elsevier promised to sell off the gun, bomb and death promoting aspect of its business by the end of 2007, and we all cheered.

Alas, hidden away in the business pages of the Times (yawn, I know), is this little nugget of information that they have failed to do this. Disappointing.

One to watch to see if they get round to it...

[via badscience.net]

BristleBot: I want one...

2008-03-30T18:18:00.002+01:00

Splendid...

Butterflies Rock

2008-03-28T12:59:00.004Z

click to enlarge
(via moonbuggy)

Little Crunch, Big Crunch

2008-03-26T20:29:00.002Z

Science made a big impact on me at the weekend. It started with the combination of particle physics and neuroscience, when the reflected photons from the oncoming Skoda struck my retinae and an urgent message started travelling through my brain. Then Newtonian mechanics came into play, as the momentum carried the car down the hill even after I'd taken my foot off the accelerator.

The running water covering the road on an otherwise dry day can be explained by physical geography — or perhaps the agricultural science of overflowing drainage ditches.

As my biological self contracted muscles and stomped on the brake, fluid mechanics came into play, and my little Mini Cooper started aquaplaning. I believe some other muscles may have tightened up around that point, too.

My faith in engineering science was dented by the failure of the ABS to do anything useful. It was restored a second or so later, though, as Mini met Skoda and the same kind of micro electro-mechanical accelerometer that senses you waving your Wiimote around told one of the car's on-board computers that we were all in trouble.

Thinking faster than the useless bag of biology occupying the front seat, the computer took a millisecond to assess the situation, then decided to play with its chemistry set, firing the explosives in the seat-belt pre-tensioners, and setting off both airbags.

This heralded the arrival of acoustics, specifically acoustic shock. Three days on, I still have a ringing in my left ear where some frequency response used to be. If you want to know how loud it is in car when it's busy remodelling its interior into a bouncy castle, take a look at this YouTube video of an airbag detonating. Now imagine sharing an enclosed space with two of the things.

And — like any good chemistry experiment — airbags stink.

Psychology would shed light on how we've managed to suppress our fight-or-flight reaction since we've moved out of caves and into cities. In particular, it would explain how we can stumble out of a violent, life-threatening encounter with another human being and politely ask them if they're okay while our adrenal glands carry on dumping Ug-hit-enemy-with-rock hormones into our bloodstream.

Luckily, both I and my co-crashee escaped injury, so it was back to classical mechanics as we shoved our vehicles out of the single-track road before anyone else joined our impromptu science fair. Phonology tagged the nice man who came to see what all the noise was about as a Welsh local, and his offering his driveway as temporary parking confirmed it.

After a little time to calm down and exchange details, it was all physics and electronics as we phoned friends and breakdown services, and I cursed low-earth-orbit satellites and the applied mathematics of in-car navigation systems. If my sat-nav hadn't mentioned that there was a more interesting way to get back to Bristol than staying on the A48, then my Sunday afternoon would have involved significantly less scientific interest.

And now we're left with economics clashing with the forensic psychology of eyewitness recall, as our insurance companies each try to figure out how to get the best result from their zero-sum game.

I just hope they manage to come to some agreement before we all get the chance to study the Big Crunch…

Car image courtesy of Steve Ford Elliot.

It's not science but...

2008-03-26T12:49:00.009Z

Noted this on the BBC Sport website in an article about N.I. striker, David Healey, who is about to receive an award from ex-French star Michel Platini for breaking the record for number of goals scored in a European Cup qualifying campaign:

Healy, whose side narrowly missed out on qualification, described the award as a "great award".

"It's a great honour. First and foremost I'm looking forward to meeting one of the greats of European and world football," said the Fulham forward.

"For him to take the time out to come to Belfast to present the award is a great honour.

"I'm looking forward to meeting the great man.

"It's a great honour to hold the record."

...

"The hat-trick against Spain was the highlight. To score one against Spain was good but to score a hat-trick was great.

Has David Healey has been hanging out with Tony the Tiger again?

Anti-quotes

2008-03-26T11:43:00.002Z

A selection of anti-quotes sent in by the lionhearted Crum Dudgeon

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”
Ever tasted sour lemonade?

"A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush."
Not if you're a bird.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Of the mistress!

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life!"
Till its the last.

"Every Rose has its thorn."
Roses wilt - thorns hang around.

"If you can't beat them, join them."
If they will let you.

More to follow....

Fancy a Tattoo?

2008-03-25T09:32:00.003Z

Ever wondered precisely how cool a sciency tattoo would look? Turns out you weren't alone. Here is a fantastic collection of tattoos, all with a nod to science in some form or another.

This particular one is the skull from an extinct early-human species, Paranthropus boisei, and I think looks particularly cool.

Having said that, I bet it really hurts. Maybe I'll leave off getting one myself for a bit.

White dielectric material?

2008-03-22T15:55:00.004Z

I do love reading about the history of science sometimes! Cosmic microwave background (CMB) remnants of the Big Bang were first seen at Bell Labs, New Jersey. While testing a sensitive antenna, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were vexed by a low background hiss on their signal. They checked and rechecked their equipment and even evicted a pair of pigeons. When the pigeons came back they had them shot and then went back inside the dish to clean off the old pigeon shit, just in case this 'white dielectric material' was causing the interference. Turns out the interference was actually the CMB - proof of the Big Bang!

Job Application: New Scientist Editor

2008-03-21T09:10:00.006Z

Dear Mr Groves,

Having recently set fire to my research group's lab (it was a trifling incident really) I now find myself in a position to be able to apply for the role you advertised this week. I would very much like to be Editor of New Scientist magazine and hope you will consider my application.

The job specification calls for someone with:

A degree in science - CHECK! And a PhD in toad sex.
A good track record in journalism - CHECK! All my Wikipedia entries have been accepted so far.
Management experience - CHECK! I'm really good at telling people what to do.
A deep understanding of science - CHECK! Especially toad sex.

And finally, you ask for someone with "the charisma to inspire others"? Well, I've got a whole heap of charisma - as I think you'll agree when you've examined the attached photographs. (The one with the toad is my personal favourite).

Pick me!

Regards,

The Prof.

P.S. It doesn't say anywhere when I should expect my first pay cheque. Will it be long? It's just that they're getting a bit funny about this electron microscope that got damaged in the fire...

Gnomes

2008-02-28T13:39:00.000Z

Ummm... What?

You cannot remove your fingerprints with pineapple.

2008-02-24T16:29:00.006Z

Full marks, pat on the back, and maybe some sort of congratulatory painkillers go to this man. Embarking on an experiment designed to remove his fingerprints, he finds that it is causing him enormous amounts of pain, yet still continues. All in the name of science.

I particularly love his dry commentary, with understated gems such as "it hurt", and "I'm starting to think this may actually really not be a good idea"... Well, quite.

Top banana, or rather, top pineapple.

Geek Pop is GO!

2008-02-19T14:40:00.008Z

The world's first sci-pop concert is taking place online at Null Hypothesis. We'll be hosting what can only be described as "a right ol' shindig" in a spectacular fusion of music and science. And we're calling it Geek Pop '08.

So far, we have eight confirmed performers, all of them absolute gems. You'll be able to download the whole gig and take it away with you to listen to on your iPod (other iPods are available) or absorb the atmosphere at www.geekpop08.com Either way, a real treat is in store. If you want to sign up in advance to receive your podcast, just subscribe here.

But the best thing about Geek Pop is that it's absolutely 100% FREE. We won't be asking you to part with any of your precious pennies, or pieces of eight (if you happen to be a pirate). All you have to do is show up.

Music that's gone to the dogs

2008-02-18T11:53:00.010Z

The battle for Christmas number one is usually a highly anticipated race that ends up with the winner being an awful track that you will have forgotten by February.

Well the Xmas chart topper in New Zealand was a song that is only audible by dogs and the producers are hoping that its success becomes world-wide.

The song, which has been recorded at a high frequency so that humans can't hear it, was released as a Christmas present dog owners could buy their pets.

The tune 'A very silent night' has raised around NZ$22,000 (£8,900) for the country's SPCA. Due to the current success, producers are looking to release the track in the US and Australia, despite admitting not knowing what the track actually sounds like to dogs.

The dogs themselves have reacted in a range of ways from destroying the radio playing the song to dogs that just lay still.

If this continues could we have a doggy X-factor on our hands? Cue YouTube videos of singing dogs.

Man... er, no, dog vs machine

2008-02-16T08:14:00.005Z

Ways to confuse your dog... 1) Put hard boiled eggs in his food bowl. 2) Take him for a walk on dry sand. 3) Attack him with a dog-sized, remote controlled cyber-pet, (not so) inadvertently making him the subject of a dog vs machine war film.

Thanks to Lawrence for this.

Invaluable advice

2008-02-12T12:42:00.001Z

Some answers to everyday questions about fitness and the importance of a good diet.

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... Don't waste them on exercise . Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

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Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

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Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

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Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

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Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
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Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: You're not listening....Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

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Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

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Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable. It's the best feel-good food around!!
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Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
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Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! !
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And remember:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

Thanks to Sam G for these

Trampism

2008-02-01T15:47:00.000Z

Arrived in our inbox this morning, from Julian:

"I am greatly concerned about the apparent disappearance of Gentlemen of the Road, the old fashioned true British Tramp that in my youth I recall as an abundant species. I strongly suspect that there is a scientific root cause for this demise, it could be Global Warming but for me that doesn’t stack up as surely that would make the lifestyle even more desirable and in fact I suspect that a successful campaign to revive and promote Trampism could significantly help turn the tide of GW, so it really is a mystery to me and I would respectfully and humbly request that Hayley carries out an investigation into subject."

An interesting idea Julian. Veeeery interesting. What, specifically, I wonder, leads you to think that I might be qualified to carry out such an investigation?

Body Part Printing. No, really.

2008-01-21T20:47:00.000Z

When I first heard about 3D printers, I was excited. The idea of drawing out things and then seeing them built up out of nothing is like something out of Star-Trek. Needless to say, they are somewhat out of my price range for a desk-top item.

Now, in a rather genius move, scientists have gone one better, and adapted this technology to work not with little chunks of plastic, but with cells, and they say they can print body parts. Skin, bone, and even more complex internal organs can apparently be printed.

I love this idea. And I love it even more because on their patent application (which can be found here) they refer to a multi-cellular "pie" structure, a turn of phrase which conjures up a whole myriad of applications. You could print out the perfect steak, with exactly the right amount of fat running through the meat.

A printer that can print body parts: probably painfully expensive.
Trivialising what could be an enormously important life-saving invention: priceless.

Mark appears on top journalism show.

2008-01-21T13:03:00.000Z

Victoria Weatherall - the new Oprah? You decide. Watch as the battle of McVities unfolds.

Cloned pork chops

2008-01-18T11:16:00.000Z

I wonder whether one day there may be a new question we have to ask ourselves in Tesco - would you rather eat a pig who had a lovely life dashing round the greenlands of Devon but came from a test tube, or a natural pig whose standard of life was low? If you had to choose, would you go for free range cloned or battery farmed natural?

The Miracle of Life

2008-01-18T11:12:00.000Z

via www.bizarro.com

Horizon: How to Kill a Human Being

2008-01-16T11:45:00.000Z

As a scientist, I have tended to find the BBC's Horizon documentaries somewhat less than inspiring. Over-dramatic, with not enough good content and often over-simplified to the point of being painfully patronising. The most recent one, however, seems to be bucking that trend spectacularly.

Michael Portillo's investigation of the various methods currently used for execution managed to get more good science in than usual, and be enormously entertaining television at the same time. Some of the interviews with various figures in the field, varying from scientists to more political figures, were equally enlightening.

And best of all, because of the BBC's fantastic new iPlayer, you can (for the next 6 days at least) go back and watch it here. Well worth a watch.

For the love of PCR

2008-01-15T17:20:00.000Z

Physics can save your life!

2008-01-11T17:48:00.000Z

Alcides Moreno survived a 500-foot (152 meters) tumble off a New York City high-rise. Moreno didn’t walk away – he suffered two broken legs – but he lived! Doctors think Moreno’s recovery from a total of 10 broken bones (right arm, both legs, and a few ribs), massive internal bleeding (including his brain), and spinal damage is a miracle. It may well be a miracle. It was defiantly physics.

The physics of Moreno’s fall have been brilliantly presented by Newsweek’s Charles Euchner in his article Falling Man: The physics of surviving a 500 foot fall. It is an excellent read and science article non-scientists will find engrossing.

Euchner interviewed University of Minnesota physics professor James Kakalios, author of The Physics of Superheroes. Kakalios knows his stuff; he gave an excellent talk at my academic home, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL).

The laws of physics aren’t a license to take a tumble, so don’t try to mimic Moreno’s descent. But do read more about how physics saved his life and how it could save yours.

Cartoon

2008-01-09T14:44:00.000Z

Science $$$ woes for both UK and US

2008-01-08T14:08:00.000Z

I am in the lab enjoying a cup of coffee and reading MSNBC as part of my morning routine. I click "Technology & Science" when I see a story that makes my blood run cold. The story? Big trouble for big science. The story details the U.S. Congress' unexpecteded, sneaky, and nearly night-before-Christmas slashing of science research funding and the impact to major national facilities like Argonne and Fermilab. It makes me wonder what exactly those 435 people think the money should be spent on.

My fellow Americans, who may have overlooked Hayley’s post regarding falling physics funds as a U.K. only problem, think again. To all my fellow chemists, don’t think “lucky me!” Think “they’re coming for us next!” Because they will. You too biologists! And you, X-ologist, X-ist, X-ian. Oh, don’t think you’re getting away. Don’t think “my work is far too important!” It isn’t.

Think about how fast you can contact your local congressional representatives. Don’t know who they are? Note your zip code and go here. Take a break from your morning routine, pop a snarky email to a U.S. Representative or Senator, and save science.

Dr. Gillian McKeith: The Poo Lady.

2008-01-05T16:46:00.001Z

For any of you (myself included) who have over-indulged this festive season, and/or are embarking on a post-Christmas diet, you may have considered taking advice from a certain television-nutritionist. She is somebody with a wealth of diet books and suchlike, and her word on the subject is often seen as fairly authoritative. At this point, I would take the time to read this excellent article.

From what I had read previously (I unfortunately missed the article at the time) I had had the impression that she was a somewhat dubious authority, but I hadn't quite realised to what extent. Makes me feel rather angry just thinking about it.

NB. I have linked to some of Ben Goldacre's work before, and it is consistently excellent. There is a brilliant speech he gave (including a little more about Ms. McKeith), available through iTunes, or here, on his website. Well worth a visit.

'Tis the Season for Hangovers

2007-12-31T17:38:00.000Z

Hangovers have been around as long as man started having benders. Hangover cures have been around since man woke up from the first bender. Cures passed down & around by family and friends. Cures we've likely tried. One of us got smart and starting selling them.

The first hangover over-the-counter (OTC) I remember seeing in the market was Chaser® plus, which says it provides “Freedom from Hangovers®”. Bayer® joined the fight against hangovers by offering Alka-Setzer® Morning Relief.

Hmmmm….can you really chase away a hangover? Plop-plop, fizz-fizz your way out of one? Hangovers cures - ‘tis the season to question them.

William Loeffler of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tackled hangover cures in today’s Tribune-Review. Chaser® and other OTCs were the topic of Mike McGinley’s “Ohh Lang Syne: Anyone got an aspirin?” piece in this morning’s Times Leader. Canada’s National Post got into the hangover mix with Joanne Sasvari’s advice for avoiding hangovers.

Avoiding hangovers is the best we can do. There is no such thing as a hangover cure. Why? Scientists don’t even know what a hangover is. Common sense tells me that if we don’t know what it is and exactly how it works, we haven't cured it. We don’t know exactly what a hangover is, but we do know it's a multi-symptom condition. Headache, nausea, dry mouth….what we've done is treated each symptom with our homemade “cures” and OTCs.

Chaser® plus outlines their multi-symptom scheme right on the box....
Cinchona for throbbing head & noise sensitivity
Lobelia for nausea, dizziness, and headache
Nux vom for headache & light sensitivity
Quercus gland for dry mouth & throat
Ranunc bulb for headache & fatigue
Zincum met (Zinc) for fatigue, headache, and nausea

What is this stuff? Does it work? Take a look at the links above. Some of those ingredients are remedies from way back for all types of ailments. Does it all work for hangovers? The makers of Chaser® say so. But they also say…

(1) You must follow the directions! Yeah, those words on the back of the box. In my reading of the directions, seems like you’ve got take the pills along for your night out...is it just me, or would it look pretty weird to be poppin' pills saddled up to the bar?

(2) “Chaser® plus does not prevent intoxication and is not intended to treat or prevent the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. It will not help you pass a sobriety test. Please drink responsibly. Never drink and drive. Chaser Plus is not intended for people under the legal drinking age.” ~ http://www.chaserplus.com/ I thought one of the “consequences of excessive alcohol consumption” was a hangover…

(3) From the FAQ section of the above website:

Q: Will Chaser® Plus work no matter how much I drink? A: No. Chaser Plus is designed for the moderate social drinker. We recommend that you drink in moderation. Never drink and drive. Consult a physician if you believe you may have a dependency on alcohol.
Moderate social drinker? “Meaning what?” you ask. My quick look around the literature said about 2 drinks a day. Ok, I’m confused…the directions give guidelines for “after 4 to 6 drinks”…that doesn’t sound like a “moderate social drinker” to me… And no, by “drink” they do not mean a pint glass full of tequila.

“But Raychelle, does it work?!?!” you ask. Ah, if only it were that easy… if only I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I wouldn’t get sued by Living Essentials, makers of Chaser® plus.

The makers of Alka-Setzer® Morning Relief take a bit of a different track. Forget the night of; this product is for the morning after. From the Alka-Setzer® Morning Relief website…“For many people it can take no more than a late night with one or two drinks to cause minor aches and pains with fatigue or drowsiness the next morning.”

Seems like Bayer® is a bit more on track so far, but what’s in it? Caffeine (65mg) and aspirin (500mg) with citrus flavor in quick dissolving tablets -pretty simple compared to Chaser® plus.

From perusing the Morning Relief website, I’d say Bayer is an expert on covering their own a@*. They don’t claim to “cure” or prevent hangovers, just treat the most common symptoms - headache and fatigue. I like it better, not because I’ve tried it (I haven’t), but because Morning Relief doesn’t contain ingredients I’d need a botany degree to have heard of.

“But Raychelle, does it work?!?!” you ask. Ditto my earlier response. Morning Relief is about the same as drinking a cup of coffee and taking one capsule of Bayer® Extra Strength aspirin in regards to active ingredients.

Look, the best way to prevent a hangover is to not drink. Yeah, right. Lots of us will continue to enjoy our cocktails. All we can do is tone down our drinking and treat any symptoms that come with having too good a night.

Hush please, some respect

2007-12-30T10:44:00.001Z

We deal mainly with silly science here, but I'd like to draw attention to something slightly more sombre today.

Some respect please, for it seems physics is on its death bed.

Due to an £80M funding deficit, physics departments all over the UK are losing researchers, and hope. Please join Rosie Walton and her 700-strong Facebook army in the fight to save physics.

More Science Horror-Stories.

2007-12-19T14:36:00.000Z

Following on from the Horror-movie post from Raychelle yesterday, I have spotted a potential real-life horror story.

Evidence "A": A Giant Rat is found in the Jungles of New Guinea. The thing is frankly terrifying, as big as a dog, and you certainly wouldn't want to get bitten by it. But, it lives in a jungle on the other side of the world, and we shouldn't be that scared by it...

Or should we? Apparently, the rats in the UK are growing in numbers as well. Now, combine these two pieces of information and draw them to their ~~ludicrously sensationalist~~ logical conclusion, and we have the recipe for a real-life horror story: "Attack of the Killer Rats". Or maybe "The Pied Piper Revisited".

I suspect that at this moment, Hollywood will be pouncing on this as a story, and the Government will be making their contingency plans, but just remember, you heard it here first.

Kernel of truth in I Am Legend

2007-12-18T19:52:00.000Z

Let’s face it, the hungry undead are nearly guaranteed horror movie success. We’re been making flesh eating zombie movies for decades. The only thing that has changed is how the zombies come to be. In the cold war era, we blamed every mutant, zombie, and giant insect on nuclear waste. But when the wall came down, Hollywood came up with a new way to unleash the undead. Enter stage left: the human engineered virus.

Mankind took a major hit in 28 Days Later and again in 28 Weeks Later (and again if you count Shaun of the Dead). But in those movies, a “who was dumb enough to make this?” virus gets loose and surprise! Humans go hungry zombie. Not surprising really, so the virus-makes-zombie thing was re-vamped. Taking a page from the 1997 flick Mimic, in which a good cure goes bad, Hollywood’s new virus is first savior then devil. Introducing Hollywood’s version of I Am Legend.

Here’s the low down straight from the movie theater. A scientist (nice cameo by Emma Thompson) informs the world she’s cured cancer using an engineered virus. “And here is where things go horribly wrong,” I mumbled mid scene. And boy do they go wrong in Legend. Pandemic scale wrong with the engineered virus going rogue, wiping out most of the world’s population, turning some into mutant UV sensitive cannibals, with a few people naturally immune (like Will Smith’s character, Neville).

What made Legend chilling to us science dorks in the audience was the kernel of truth in the movie’s science. Scientists really are pitting virus versus cancer. Think Alien vs. Predator in a test tube. Some examples: Mayo Clinic researchers used altered measles and shrew viruses to battle cancer, University of Newcastle researchers set an altered flu virus loose on breast cancer, and Penn State researchers killed many types of cancer with adeno-associated virus type 2.

In the real world, science is having some success attacking cancer with viruses, but we’re a long way from setting altered viruses loose in cancer patients worldwide. In movies, we do it and it always goes wrong. In the real world, could it go Legend wrong? This was the topic of our post-movie conversation.

The biochemist of the bunch brought up a very good point. The entire zombie-by-infection thing requires massive cellular changes. “No human could survive that,” said biochemist. The chemists, including myself, along with the group’s only non-scientist agreed whole heartedly. We all felt better knowing that in the real world, we’d all just drop dead rather than becoming undead cannibals.

Faith in the non-science community

2007-12-14T10:10:00.000Z

I can often be found spouting such things as, 'the public just don't appreciate how important science is to them,' but while doing a bit of research for the Null book I ended up reading about Time Magazine's 'Person of the Century.' Now that's what I call a title. Forget Prof Einstein, how about Einstein - Person of the Century. But the thing that really struck me were the 'runners up', Mohandas Gandhi, Franklin Roosevelt...

Apparently the choice caused quite a stir back at the turn of the Millennium. Many people took it to mean science had beat religion and politics to the post of importance, and maybe in the 20th century it's true. It's just nice to know that people (even if it's only the Time editorial team) realise how important science really is.

Boy with a banana phone

2007-12-13T18:31:00.000Z

Two seemingly unrelated things:

On my way to work this morning, I passed a small boy acting out a wonderful piece of theatre. He had obviously seen his mother, who was hurrying along ahead of him, having a conversation on her mobile phone and decided to mimic her, albeit with a slightly different piece of equipment - a banana. Holding the banana phone to his ear, I heard him chatting away quite happily, "Yes, I know. It's too cold. I'll slip on the ice." Clearly though, he had misheard his mother when her conversation started to heat up. "Toot, toot! I'll toot on your face!" No, I've no idea what he thought he was saying either.

A little further along my route, I found myself - as I quite often do - involuntarily humming a sort of tune. (I say "sort of" because it rarely resembles anything that anyone would refer to as music). When I thought about it I realised that it was in response to my mulling over something embarrassing I had done the day before - mad as it sounds, this seems to be the way my brain copes with "thought blushes". I quickly turned around to make sure there was no one within earshot, then, having assured myself I hadn't been heard, went on my merry way.

Two seemingly unrelated things, but, in a way, related. Two examples of the odd things we say or do when we don't think anyone is paying attention. And does anybody else do that musical brain blush thing, or is it just me? Wait, am I going mad?

Wikipedia. Now with added legitimacy?

2007-12-07T15:23:00.000Z

So, Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has decided that it is now good enough for students to use as a proper academic resource, and that any educational institutions that refuse students use of the site are "bad educators". The thrust of his argument seems to be that whilst "academics" are probably better off doing their own research, wikipedia is now good enough that and he sees no problem with students using it.

Quite apart from the fact that, being a founder of the site, his views need to be taken with a large pinch of salt, there are problems with this, the chief one being that wikipedia, for all it's fancy systems of review, for all the volunteers who check things, can still be changed by anybody... ANYBODY...

In any case, no lecturer is going to ban students from looking at wikipedia, it's the idea of citing it as an authoritative source that's the problem. You can use it to tell you what the correct answer is likely to be, but then you go and check this answer from a source that can't be changed, either as a "hilarious" prank, or as a great way of catching out unwary students. A lecturer of mine once told me that he (subtly but importantly, he was quick to add) vandalised the relevant wikipedia page for an essay he set for final year students, to se which ones weren't researching properly (several, it turned out, apparently). According to him, this was 2 years ago, and the mistake has not been rectified*.

In short, the wikipedia man might say that wikipedia is good enough, but the people that actually have to do academic referencing, (i.e. lecturers) are pretty certain not to agree.

(* I should point out here that I do not cite wikipedia in my references, nor do I change entries for fun.)

The fountain of youth... for mice...

2007-11-30T13:55:00.000Z

Yes, it's the holy grail of skincare, and scientists have managed it. Well, in mice, at least. They have managed to reverse the effects of age on the skin, giving two year old mice the skin that would be the envy of all of the younger (and presumably more youthful and pretty looking) mice in the cage.

The way they have managed it is to block the effects of a particular protein, NF-kappa-B. This is all well and good, but as the scientists stress, the problem is that NF-kappa-B is a rather important protein in lots of cellular processes, and blocking it for any length of time doesn't seem like a particularly good idea.

Interesting, yes. Likely to end up in Boots any time soon, no.

Swastika shaved on dog - cats wanted for questioning

2007-11-26T14:51:00.000Z

It's was reported today that a German man is helping the police after a dog had a swastika shaved into its fur. Unconfirmed reports say that the police are looking for three cats with known neo-nazi leanings recently sighted near the Bavarian town of Straubing.

When asked about the incident, the dog, a 3 year old retriever called Goldberg, is quoted as having said "Woof, woof". Chief detective Dieter Flashmann later described his comments as "unhelpful". He added that the public should not attempt to approach any cats, as it would make them stupid.

Stem cells: My favourite kind...

2007-11-23T14:35:00.000Z

I will admit that I have been looking for an excuse to use that picture for a while, and now I have the chance. Stem cells are something of a hot potato in the science world. They are “un-differentiated” cells, capable (given the right cocktail of chemicals) of turning into any different cell type. As such, they could be used to grow organs in the laboratory for research and eventually produce transplant tissues to help in currently incurable diseases like Motor Neurone Disease.

Up until now, however, these stem cells have only been available from embryos, sparking an ethical debate as to whether it’s right to destroy an unborn (human) life in order to potentially treat others in the future. It’s an ethical grey area, and has led to massive restrictions on the work that can be carried out.

Recent research, however, has found a way of creating these stem cells from adult skin cell samples. This completely removes the need to destroy any embryos, and therefore would close down any ethical debate, opening the field of research up much wider. The scientist Ian Wilmut, responsible for cloning Dolly the sheep, has seen so much promise in the new technique that he has abandoned his work on embryos to concentrate on this method instead.

Personally, I have no ethical problem with the use of human embryos for research, especially if it means that debilitating diseases stand a chance of being cured, but if this allows the work to progress faster, and allows the scientists to get on with their research rather than legal wrangling, then it’s a fantastic thing in my book.

Image: Where Are The Dogs Humping.com

Ball pits

2007-11-23T12:23:00.000Z

If, per chance, you were hoping to turn your bedroom into a ball pit, Randall Munroe (of XKCD fame) has created a calculator that will tell you exactly what it would cost you to do so. You'll need to have a good idea of the area you want to cover, the depth you would like to achieve and your desired 'packing efficiency'. The calculator will also tell you exactly how many balls you will need.

Writing a book

2007-11-21T09:54:00.000Z

You know what? Writing a book ain't half as easy as it seems. In my head, "writing a book" conjures up all manner of wonderful images - me in a quaint little cottage by the fire with a quill, me sitting at a snazzy laptop in front of a window looking down on New York, Sarah Jessica Parker style - none of which turn out to be true. Our office is more like a car crash in a nuclear war these days.

Undeterred (sort of) by our first venture into the literary quagmire that is writing a science book, we're marching on through. Somehow or other, there will be 1,000 articles in the hands of the publisher by January. But I think we can forget Christmas this year.

If anyone's interested - and you'd bloody better be else what the hell are we torturing ourselves for - it's called the Little Black Book of Science and it's out next year. Available from yours truly. Although not actually me personally, but the Null. Plug over - you can go back to your lives now.

Homeopathy. An interesting article.

2007-11-19T15:14:00.000Z

I was doing some reading today, and I came upon this magnificent article. It's rather long, so I suggest getting some tea and biscuits at the ready, but it's a really well written article, and explains in simple terms the problem of homeopathy. In short, it's a non-scientific and potentially dangerous area of pseudo-science quackery, that is unfortunately given far too much credence in the modern world.

I am not against alternative medicine in ALL it's forms (some of which are talked about here), and in particular, some things like acupuncture HAVE been shown to be effective, particularly against back pain. BUT, homeopathy really does make me very angry indeed.

The real kicker for me is the prize offered by the James Randi Institute. If ANYBODY could prove, under scientific conditions, that homeopathy (or any supernatural phenomenon) really did work, then they would win a million dollars. The prize has never been successfully claimed.

On this day...

2007-11-15T13:58:00.000Z

A missive from Jas Singh:

On this day:

Sir William Herschel – was born I guess.

But was he a “Sir” on this day in 1738.

His birth seems to have upset the ecosystem: The winter of 1734 was the warmest for a hundred years, and 1732 and 1736 were probably the two best years of the century overall. Suddenly, in the autumn of 1738, the weather started to degenerate. There followed 28 disastrous months in which three successive and widespread bad harvests brought the worst famine of the century.

So there you have it.

More Asteroids... or... um... not.

2007-11-13T16:54:00.000Z

Another space-rock story, this time without the... um... space rock.

If you were wondering, panicking even, about the asteroid that seemed on course for a very near miss, then don’t be. The Minor Planet Center at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, which deals with these kind of things, issued a potential near-miss warning, after spotting the object, catchily-named “2007 VN84”, heading scarily close to Earth.

However, it was noticed that the location, speed, and direction of the object closely matched (in fact, exactly matched) a spacecraft, Rosetta, sent up in 2004 to chase a Comet and gather data. Cue some red faces in the astronomy lab.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too concerned anyway. If an asteroid’s going to hit earth, there’s pretty much nothing we can do about it anyway, and if I’m going to be splatted by one, I’d rather be blissfully ignorant about it.

Studies of the Bleedin' Useless

2007-11-12T13:00:00.000Z

Forget Studies of the Bleedin' Obvious. We should do Studies of the Flippin' Pointless. There's some stuff that comes out that really just makes you think, "Do I really care?" Today, for example:

1 in 5 Britons sleep with new people when they go on holiday

Yes, thank you for that delightful insight into the sex lives of a fifth of the nation. Did I really need to know that? Am I going to be enlightened by this piece of information? Am I supposed to be shocked and appalled? Because I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, it's just another excuse to get "sex" into the the title of a press release.

Brainbows: Colouring-in for scientists.

2007-11-02T13:57:00.000Z

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if you were to colour-in all of your brain cells individually? No? Well, now you needn't bother. Scientists at Harvard University have found a way of injecting cells with a variety of fluorescent labels, and can stain them up to 90 different colours.

The brain, being composed of roughly a hundred billion neurons (brain cells) all packed in rather densely, is somewhat tricky to study, but by labelling cells like this, scientists can examine the connections in the brain, and therefore help understand how it works.

Or so they claim. I have another theory. Growing tired of serious academic study, the scientists have simply come up with a more technologically advanced version of colouring-in, and are now spending their days just making pretty patterns out of slices of brain, to send home for their mum to stick on the fridge. No matter how "grown-up" you get, colouring in is still the most fun thing in the world.

Wrinkly Facebook

2007-10-31T17:48:00.000Z

We do love our Facebook don't we? And as it turns out, "we" isn't just the young'uns, it's the silver surfing community as well. They've got their own community site, Saga Zone. Imagine: a whole wide world of pensioners doddering around on discussion groups like "You know you were born in the 20s when..." and "If this group gets to 500,000 my daughter will name her child Frankenstein".

Space rock: Cheap at twice the price.

2007-10-28T16:17:00.000Z

So, if you are in New York, or can get there for this afternoon, and you also happen to be filthy stinking rich, then you can bid for some space rock. Apparently, it's a selection of the various meteorites that periodically strike the earth. With the smallest of them weighing just under a gram, it's unlikely that they are the famous dinosaur-extinction one. But apparently, one killed a cow in Venezuela in 1972.

At first, when I saw this, I thought that it was a bit strange, and that space-rock should be in museums being studied and what-not. But then, when all's said and done, it is only a lump of rock, and (apart from a magnificent "under the hammer" pun...) it's really fairly difficult to get all that excited about.

I won't be buying any space rock, partly because I'm poor, but partly because you could just find any old bit of rock, and pretend: "Yeah, it's a space rock *wink-wink*, bounced off a dinosaur as well, this one".

Comedy Homos

2007-10-23T13:01:00.000+01:00

Whilst looking for some funny named animals I came across Homo diluvii testis.

Whilst the proximity of the words Homo and testis made me snigger ever so slightly I was more taken with the story behind the fossil.

Discovered in 1735 the bones were thought to be the remains of a man who had witnessed Noah's Flood (and presumably a smug looking Noah drifting off into the distance in his ark). In fact the name Homo diluvii testis means the man who witnessed the flood.

It wasn't until the great French palaeontologist Georges L.Ch.F.D. Cuvier (middle names Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert) took a look at the specimen in 1812 did anyone realise that it wasn't actually a man at all. It was a salamander. Oops!

The species is now known as Andrias scheuchzeri. Andrias means "man-image", a relic of the original misinterpretation.

The fossil is still on display in Teylers Museum, Haarlem, the Netherlands.

It's also interesting that it was given a Latin name 18 years before Linnaeus pronounced the idea - I'm not sure what's going on there, but will look into it.

Bacteria and you.

2007-10-22T20:52:00.000+01:00

So, I was doing a bit of research for a project, and came across a couple of cracking facts. The sort of strange-but-true stuff that the Null feeds on. They both concern Probiotics, those "friendly bacteria" you hear about in those Yogurt drinks. In fact, I'd definitely recommend going to the Yakult site and having a look at the TV advert on that page....

Back? Well done. But of course that pretty (and almost entirely empty!) computer graphic of the gut really doesn't do justice to the VAST quantities of bacteria we have in us. It's estimated to be something like 100,000,000,000,000 little bacteria swimming about inside us. To put that (admittedly unimaginably vast) number into context, it's about ten times the number of cells that actually make up our body.

Even more amazing than that, in a "not-very-amazing-and-I-was-actually-going-to-have-some-dinner -but-I've-been-put-right-off-it" sort of way, bacteria actually make up roughly 60% of the weight of the average human poo. Rest assured, largely quite harmless, and rather good for us, actually. In fact, recently it's been found that that's what the appendix does for us, helps to restore these bacteria if they become disrupted. It's one to tick off the "useless" list.

I'm off for a yogurt... Mmmm... microbial....

Armpit Height

2007-10-22T19:54:00.000+01:00

Loved Hayley's article this week - Little'uns are life's losers. At 5ft2 I was a bit shocked to find that the study claims I am a life loser. I mean there are the usual problems, getting arm-pitted at gigs, trousers never fitting, seeing up people's nostrils when you really don't want to... But there are advantages too, being able to shimmey infront of people at the bar, never banging our heads on things and being able to buying kid's sized socks (they are cheaper you know!)

Just a note to all you giants out there who are heartily laughing at your higher quality of life, just remember, our feet don't stick out the end of our beds and after all Kylie is a midget and thats good enough for me! If anybody needs some further support about their condition, click here.

James Watson proves his point

2007-10-19T16:06:00.000+01:00

Here's a quote from James Watson a few years ago:

"One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid."

Isn't it nice of him to prove his own point with his recent narrow-minded, dull and stupid comments. Good one fella - three in one!

Swearing: now with added science.

2007-10-18T16:52:00.000+01:00

So, apparently, swearing is no longer just good fun, (and entirely necessary, when your computer has just lost all of your music/essay/high scores on solitaire), but can actually be a major benefit to workplace morale. Researchers have found it not only enables them to express their feelings (damn, this computer is rather poor!), but improves solidarity between workers (damn, all our computers are rather poor!), and helps develop social relationships (your computer is rubbish too?; fancy a coffee?)

There are some helpful tips given by the researchers, however. Swearing in front of customers is a major no-no, and swearing at your boss or senior management is also apparently a bad idea, if you aren’t planning on getting fired any time soon.

I’ll give it a go.

“Scientology!”… Hmmm… “Creationism!”… getting warmer… “Holy test-tubes, Batman!”…

Maybe I need to get out of the lab and learn some proper swearing, before it starts to work…

Don't let the tabloids near science!

2007-10-17T18:36:00.000+01:00

While looking for papers and articles for my huge review article on millimetre waves I came across an article written by the Sun newspaper. Now don't get the wrong impression, normally I wouldn't be caught glancing at someone else's copy over their shoulder on the train but the article caught my eye.

Mm-waves have applications in security imaging and have been tested in airports for looking for guns/knives etc, however the images they obtain don't exactly leave much to the imagination in terms of your shape under your clothes. Anyway, the Sun (a terrible British tabloid might I add) reported on this technology. Deeming it like x-ray glasses that showed your private bits. First of all, scientists aren't going round the UK ionising the British public, mm-waves are harmless. And secondly they aren't exactly glasses, it's a huge machine that is not portable. I just hate the way that the general public are getting wrong info through the media and now are paranoid about another thing that they need not be. Although the question of privacy is one that scientists are having to deal with.

Also in my research (ahem) I found another article by the Sun about Hugh Grant who was in St Andrews for the golf and photographed with lots of girls, erm, being attentive. In any case, they reported it as St Andrews, Edinburgh. WE ARE 80 MILES AWAY!!!!!!

(And now I am trying to find the article to link the Sun, the crafty buggers, have hidden it from me, but here is something similar and worse in a way as the images are obviously faked....)

Oh joy - what geekery!

2007-10-16T12:11:00.000+01:00

I love it. Thanks to Solange Mateo Montalcini in Oxford for letting us know about 'Made with Molecules', a website that sells jewellery designed in the shape of molecules. You can get a dopamine necklace (see pic), some serotonin cufflinks, or - my personal favourite - neurotransmitter earrings. I feel I may be ascending to new heights of geekdom...

And actually, it reminds me a bit of the music made from molecules madness back in May. They should club together and form some sort of geek emporium based on molecular structures. Perhaps they could sell some of those cuddly ebola viruses as well.

Basil of the Magic Mirror

2007-09-23T16:42:00.000+01:00

This is not Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, this is real. Someone has patented a magic mirror inhabited by a craggy-faced butler called Basil. Boffins at Theme Addicts Inc claim he can give you "real-time information about people walking up your driveway, entering the yard, standing at your front door, or anything else your current home security system is set to monitor".

More crazy patents.

Image: tatlin

Microwaves madness

2007-09-20T12:56:00.000+01:00

They're coming for me, I know it. Wherever I turn there's another new innovation designed purely to make me feel guilty about what I'm eating. Whether it's little coloured wheels on food at Sainsbury's (which are usually a dismal disc of red, screaming out that my favourite snack is a heart attack waiting to pounce) or a mobile phone which checks my diet (strange, but true - click for story).

And now these god-forsaken, good-for-nothing, do-gooder scientists have been at it again - they've produced a microwave that can assess the fat content of what you're cooking. No doubt if I try to cook something too unhealthy it'll be programmed to dump it in the bin, give me a clip round the ear and prepare a wholesome lentil casserole instead. Bah humbug.

Still if you like that kind of thin you can read about it here. But I wouldn't - you'll only get depressed.

Mayan Multiplication

2007-09-19T16:10:00.000+01:00

I’d like to share with you a wonderful piece of knowledge I picked up at an informal lecture on realism in science given by Dr Chris Hooley at St Andrews. While arguing for anti-realism he gave an example of a time when a method worked and yet was so fundamentally wrong.

The Mayans were an ancient civilisation who used a very odd technique for doing long multiplication which, amazingly, worked. They also believed that even numbers were evil because their symmetry was too perfect to be ‘of this world’.

Let's take two random numbers to multiply

246 x 666

Their method was to half one of the numbers and double the other over and over, like so

123----1332
61-----2664
30-----5328
15----10656
7------21312
3-----42624
1-----85248

They did not have a concept of fractions and so rounded to the nearest number when they came across halves. As they believed that even numbers were evil they ignored the lines with even numbers on the left leaving us with

123----1332
61-----2664
15----10656
7------21312
3-----42624
1-----85248

And amazingly if we add the numbers on the right we get 163836 which is indeed the value of 246 x 666. Try it at home!

The argument was that even though we can use a method over and over again, and it might always give us the answer it does not mean that the method holds any truth. As shown here by crossing out the ‘evil’ numbers the Mayans found a novel way to multiply. It's odd to think that everything we ‘know’ could just be the same as the Mayans, just simply ways of doing things that don’t actually tell us the truth about our world...

Image: Sanja Gjenero

You're no friend of mine

2007-09-17T10:16:00.000+01:00

Despite the plethora of social network sites available to one and all on the tinternet, there have been rumblings this week amongst the blogging community that we don't actually have many new friends as a result. It seems face to face verbal combat is still the best way of making new acquaintances.

I find that all rather disappointing - firstly, because I don't get out much and secondly, because that means that it's unlikely that Tatiana from Latvia really wanted to be my friend after all. I'm merely being used for numerical embellishment.

Am I the only one to have been violated in such a manner? Maybe we should set up a group (and become friends).

Food testing chicken poisoned

2007-09-12T10:37:00.000+01:00

When a Chinese man started vomiting blood after having drank a small amount of bottled water his family got suspicious - had he been poisoned?

Rather than just pour the water away they decided to investigate. Unable, at short notice, to get their hands on any chemical sampling machines, they used a chicken.

The fowl gratefully slaked its thirst before keeling over in a crumpled, and decidedly dead, heap.

Across China scandals abound about dodgy and dangerous produce, made on the cheap with little regard for safety. However, they are under-reported in the West and will remain so until one of these shipments makes its way in our supermarkets - only then might we start wondering about the other costs of our cheap society.

Le Voyage dans la Lune

2007-09-01T12:42:00.000+01:00

105 years ago this very day, the film from which this iconic image comes was released, quite possibly to the tune of champagne glasses tinkling and, if we let our imaginations run away with us a little, can can dancers high kicking. Because what is widely considered to be the first film of the science fiction genre came from - you've guessed it - France.

A Trip to the Moon's visual effects were ahead of its time but the Méliès brothers' representation of future space exploration will draw at least a twitch of a smile from today's viewer. While six entrepid astronauts prepare to propel themselves skywards using a giant cannon, a flock of hat waving sailor girls flutter around in daring pantie-sized shorts.

It's worth a watch.

Image: W

All kinds of hot

2007-08-13T15:59:00.000+01:00

Well it's been a shitty summer so far has it not? I went out into what should have been a beautiful summer's night last night to watch for shooting stars - it pee-ed down.

And it's not just me the cold's been affecting. It's been seeping into the conscious of inventors the world over. Take this radiator for example - keep warm with the coolest household appliance I've seen for a long time - although at just under £7000 a pop it won't leave much money to burn a hole in your pocket.

On a completely different tack, scientists have come up with a new, cheap and effective way to measure the hotness of chillies. It involves spectography, computers and clever algorithms. There was me thinking it just had to involve some chillies and some drunk students, but what do I know?

You suk

2007-08-04T16:35:00.000+01:00

It seems the scientist who became famous for faking his own research may turn out to be a hero after all. South Korean Woo Suk Hwang claimed to have extracted the world's first stem cells from a cloned embryo. I've got no idea what that means personally, but more learned scientists the world over were whoopin' and a wailin' - until, that is, they realised he'd made the whole lot up.

BUT WAIT - analysis now reveals he may have inadvertently produced stem cells from human eggs alone and now the whoopin' has started all over again.

They say cheats never prosper.

Maybe Sean Connery had it right all along, never say never.

Potter

2007-07-13T12:11:00.001+01:00

I'd just like to give the new Harry Potter film a bit of a big-up.

I have to say, I am, firstly, highly cynical about films that get a lot of hype, and secondly, generally never as impressed by a film as by a book on which it has been based. BUT. There's no denying, they've made a damn good job of this one.

Despite being seating in some kind of insane tropical style heat (Vue) until 1am in the morning, I don't think I've enjoyed a film so much in a long time. Dark, chilling and some great exchanges between Ron and Hermione, plus we get to see Helen Bonham-Carter doing what she does best, i.e. acting like a loon, as Bellatrix.

Anyway, go see it. And just to say that here at Null we're all wetting our pants at the prospect of the new book.

Image: Wiki

Is it okay to laugh at button phobics?

2007-06-17T13:29:00.000+01:00

Maybe this is un-PC but whilst doing some research for Phunny Phobias I came across a huge repository of information about people with button phobias - there were too many to copy and paste here, so here's just one...

"I have feared buttons as long as I could remember. At first only my family knew, because I thought people would think I was crazy if they knew, now I tell people openly. I don't touch them, because it would be like touching a cockroach. If I touch one by mistake, I would wash my hands for about 30 mins.. I get really disgusted when people have them in their mouth, how nasty is that.

My sister use to chase me around the house with a button, and I would run out the house screaming. But, it feels really good to know there are others, and it is a normal fear. If it has a name please let me know."

Please tell me I'm allowed to split my sides laughing at this.

For the rest, go to the Unusual Phobias site.

Image: Andy Heyward

Enter the geek games

2007-06-11T15:49:00.000+01:00

While we're on the subject of Cheltenham Science Festival, we made some friends there on Friday - the Sodarace Team. Man, these guys are good. They've started an online competition to create virtual racing robots. Highly addictive and wonderfully geeky.

Enter here.

Cheltenham Science Festival

2007-06-06T15:22:00.000+01:00

If anyone is scratching around for something to do over the next few days - or indeed, feeling the need to drop everything and do something far more exciting - check out the Cheltenham Science Festival. It's on from today until Saturday. We'll be there in force on Thursday, so look out for us doing our festival thang...

Download the programme here.

Bad weather for ducks

2007-05-06T21:11:00.000+01:00

Null's Dr Duck won't be happy when he hears this one...

Bird experts in the US are getting twitchy about the rapid growth of wind power. So many turbines are going up in the South and Mexico that they're worried duck populations, as well as bats, are going to get clobbered.

It's all very well saying 'save the birds', don't put up the wind turbines, but you have to figure out what's going to kill more - ruddy great poles or climate change... These poor little quacks are going to suffer either way.

Bizarre emails

2007-05-02T14:25:00.000+01:00

One of the things I like about being affiliated to a biology department is that, every now and then, the strangest of emails lands in my inbox:

Subject: Urgent. Missing blood.

Dear All,

Recently we ordered 200 ml of defibrinated horse blood. Apparently this order has been taken collected from stores. If anyone has this by mistake could they please let us know as soon as possible.

Many thanks, James.

Why would you steal defibrinated horse blood?

Doggie stroller

2007-05-01T17:48:00.000+01:00

I do like Gizmodo, not as much as the Null of course, but they do have some quality stuff.

Quality stuff

Willy wonky

2007-05-01T16:34:00.000+01:00

When I was just a wee bairn I had rubber ducks in the bath tub and as a kid I would get taken to feed the real thing in the local park; I've even studied them at university, but I never knew there was such mystery surrounding a duck's nether regions. There's a penis arms race going on.

Despite 97% of birds having no phallus at all, ducks have evolved complicated genitals in an attempt to maximise genetic transfer. In species such as mallard, 40% of all copulations are forced and therefore females have evolved corkscrew oviducts with numerous deadends to maximise their chances of chosing the paternity of their offspring. The male phallus is shaped counter clockwise to the female which adds a whole new twist to proceedings - quite literally.

Ceiling height affects your head

2007-04-25T22:50:00.000+01:00

Ceiling height isn't something I lose sleep over. At 5'1" my head is too far away from the ceiling for it to be of any great concern.

But clearly it's actually a much bigger issue in the scientific world than I could have imagined. The Journal of Consumer Research is publishing a paper in August entitled "The Influence of Ceiling Height".

The suggestion is that retailers should consider their ceilings in relation to customers' states of mind on point of sale. High ceilings encourage free, abstract thinking; low ceilings are more conducive to detail specific thought.

Well I don't buy it. Some scientist somewhere must have got over excited after a session with his fengi (or whatever you call someone who practices feng shui).

See what you think anyhow.

Biofuel? Bio-bunkum

2007-04-23T19:49:00.000+01:00

I've been saying for a while that if someone tells you that using biofuel is a good way to save the planet, you should look at them sympathetically in the eye and then slap them across the face. Hard. Twice.

These people reckon it's a good idea to start growing even more crops in a world where land space is becoming ever more pressured with every new baby we pop out.

"But it's the most practical way to reduce our carbon emissions", they bleat. But where's that land going to come from huh? Oh yeah - those rainforests are just hanging about not doing much - they'll make great biofuel cropland... for about five years. And what a great way to reduce CO₂ emissions that is - cut down the greatest terrestrial carbon sinks we have.

Well geniuses, hopefully the death knell for biofuel might have been rung - because it doesn't even reduce CO₂. It increases them.

So start practising those sympathetic looks and maybe your right hook. You're bound to need them.

Daiquiris all round

2007-04-20T15:18:00.000+01:00

For anyone who despairs of getting it right when it comes to healthy eating - look no further than your local cocktail bar.

Apparently adding alcohol to strawberries and blackberries increases their antioxidant properties, meaning they mop up more of those nasty free radicals that cause disease and aging.

And whilst various detractors may point out that alcohol consumption itself isn't too great for the body, every little helps I say.

If you need me I'll be catching up on my 5-a-day... hic!

News in Brief

2007-04-19T16:26:00.000+01:00

Odd science snippets from around the world:

In

Japan

it is common place to have toilets with fitted bidets, blow driers, air purifiers and seat warming functions. Sounds impressive, but 26 have recently gone up in smoke and three have even caught fire. Not exactly sitting pretty now are they?

A truck containing pet rabbits recently closed the M1 motorway in Budapest when 5000 of the animals escaped on to the road. Surprisingly though, hardly any did a runner, most just sat munching grass - it's the simple pleasures in life.

Eating chocolate gives you a bigger high than kissing your partner; apparently it gives a longer lasting buzz and has the same effect on both sexes. I wonder what happens if you eat chocolate off your partner? Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

There is a rumour in Pakistan that a virus on mobile phones is killing people and many of the country's 56 million mobile phone users have been duped by this prank. Some reports even suggest that 20 people have already died. Beware the text message.

China

has created artificial snow in Tibet for the first time after warnings of melting glaciers and drought. What next then? Lightning at the flick of a switch; rain at the press of a button; better still, remote control clouds.

How to build a DeLorean

2007-04-15T09:37:00.000+01:00

If anyone fancies having a go, I've discovered this handy guide - available online for free - which explains exactly how to do it. Hmm, good luck with that. This is just the door mechanism, but you can check out the DeLorean Motor Company's online store for parts and more ridiculous diagrams. Eat your heart out Marty McFly.
http://www.delorean.com/dmcstore/onlinestore-search.asp

Frog torture

2007-04-12T22:36:00.000+01:00

Hello all! I like this idea of an online party. I reckon like there will be a lot less mess and vomit to clean up than after a real party, but I could well be wrong.

If you're the kind of folks who find videos of frogs in tupperware tubs amusing (and lets face it, who isn't?!), there is a story on the New Scientist website entitled 'Friction helps frogs stick to ceilings'. The investigator, Jon Barnes, from the University of Glasgow (no relation to the 90s Liverpool striker/one-time rapping sensation) placed frogs in a relvolving transparent container to measure the amount of friction between their toes and the glass plate.

It seems that unlike geckos, who use a velcro-esque mode of adhesion, tree frogs prefer the sellotape method, and adopt a stance like Spider-Man. Confused? Take a look for yourselves here.

Image: Leon Brooks

Henry McHenry and the Lower Limbs

2007-04-10T17:53:00.000+01:00

Henry McHenry! What a name, I thought when I stumbled across it whilst browsing the infinitely inferior pages of Science.

Henry McHenry is in fact a well renowned "lower limb expert". If I had a name as good as that I'd be starting a band, but each to their own.

But that's beside the point.

Henry, it seems, has recently been in the news commenting on our old friend, Homo floresiensis. If you remember, the original archaeological dispute related to the size of this "hobbit's" head.

Now the argument is about the shape of the little guy's wrists. Using his lower limb expertise, McHenry claims to have proven beyond doubt that Homo floresiensis constitutes a separate species to modern humans. Others disagree.

Hopefully more silly names to follow in the continuing saga of the oddly shaped dead guy.

Of course, I would say check out Science for further details, where aptly named Ann Gibbons presents her version of the story. However, due to the extortionate cost of subscription, you probably won't be able to.

Image: Reuters/Ho/Peter Schouten/National Geographic Society

Welcome to Null bloggers

2007-04-10T10:22:00.000+01:00

It falls to me to kick off the finest blog ever to hit the Internet. So here it is. Welcome Null bloggers - this is the place you can kick back, relax and let your thoughts run amok through the hayfields of your mind.

Such an occasion deserves a cutesy picture don't you think? So do I!