Author Archives: curiouscat

Mapping Cellular Signals

Mapping Cellular Signals by David Pescovitz

Shokat’s laboratory focuses on kinases, enzymes that transfer energy stored within the cell to other proteins. The kinases act as control switches for many cellular activities, from development to death. However, with more than 500 kinases in every cell, identifying a specific kinase’s functionality and manipulating it without affecting others in the protein family is no easy task.
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Shokat hopes that someday, scientists wielding his chemical-genetic tools will build a map of all the kinases in the cell. Pharmacologists could then consult that map to determine the best drug therapy to fight a particular disease.

Human Brain Still Evolving

Is Your Mind Changing? Scientists Think So

Scientists at the University of Chicago have found that two human genes involved in brain size and development are still evolving — and, they suspect, mutating to make people smarter.

Science Camps Prep Girls

Science Camps Prep Girls, by Christina Stolarz, The Detroit News.

Since 2002, U-D Mercy has offered the Science Technology Engineering Preview Summer, or STEPS, camp for girls who are heading into 10th and 11th grade, he said. The two weeklong camps, which are primarily funded by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ Education Foundation, introduce students to manufacturing, engineering, science and robotics.

Curious Cat University of Detroit Mercy Alumni

Engineers Struggle to Make Science Sexy

Engineers Struggle to Make Science Sexy, Business Telegraph, United Kingdom.

With more than half engineering graduates defecting to other careers, the profession is in need of an image change
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There is a growing realisation that even the youngest children can be excited by engineering, and this is the way to ensure the UK’s future industrial competitiveness. Dr Morton says “The key challenges of the 21st century including energy, transport and health care, will be solved by engineering innovation.”

Why Most Published Research Findings Are False

Why Most Published Research Findings Are False by John P. A. Ioannidis

A finding from a well-conducted, adequately powered randomized controlled trial starting with a 50% pre-study chance that the intervention is effective is eventually true about 85% of the time. A fairly similar performance is expected of a confirmatory meta-analysis of good-quality randomized trials: potential bias probably increases, but power and pre-test chances are higher compared to a single randomized trial.

The Chromosome Shuffle

The Chromosome Shuffle by Carl Zimmer:

One of the most interesting features of our chromosomes, which I mention briefly in the article, is that we’re one pair short. In other words, we humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, while other apes have 24.
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The fusion of chromosome 2 millions of years ago may not have caused any big change in hominid biology—except, perhaps, by making it difficult for populations of hominids with 23 pairs of chromosomes to mate with populations who still had 24.

Another Paper Questions Scientific Paper Accuracy

Most Scientific Papers are Probably Wrong, New Scientist.

Assuming that the new paper is itself correct, problems with experimental and statistical methods mean that there is less than a 50% chance that the results of any randomly chosen scientific paper are true.

Funding Basic Research

The West has lost the will to fund basic research by William Brody.

In the US, university basic research has withered in many important fields, especially in the physical and information sciences and engineering.
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Industrial basic research has failed to demonstrate a return on investment that satisfies the ravenous appetite of financial markets for short-term earnings growth. As a result, companies have been directing capital to applied research and development, rather than basic invention and innovation.

The writer is president of the Johns Hopkhins University, the co-founder of three medical device companies and co-chairman of the US Council on Competitiveness’s National Innovation Initiative.

World’s Lightest Flying Robot

Epson Announces Advanced Model of the World’s Lightest Micro-Flying Robot:

The key concept behind Epson’s R&D efforts in micro-flying robots has been to expand the horizons of microrobot activities from two-dimensional space to three-dimensional space. Now, with the successful implementation of Bluetooth communications and independent flight in the FR-II, Epson has literally added a new dimension to microrobotics while greatly expanding the potential range of microrobot applications by incorporating image capture and transmission functions.

The site includes a video.

Indonesian Polio Epidemic

Indonesian polio epidemic poses ‘real risk’ to Asia on New Scientist:

Nevertheless, if “very, very aggressive” action is taken in Indonesia, polio could still be quelled and eradicated by the end of 2005 as planned, he says. However, endemic polio in Nigeria may mean the goal of consigning polio to the history books by year end may be unfeasible.

Given the very interdependant nature of human life on Earth it has never been more critical for that interdependance to be reflected in policy.

If polio does spread to nearby countries such as China, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines, it would be “way, way harder to control” than its recent onslaught through Africa and into the Middle East, says Bruce Aylward, co-ordinator of the World Health Organization’s Global Eradication Initiative.

Polio Eradication Casecount