Eternal Academic

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Sun, 19 May 2013 01:19:29 -0400

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Sun, 19 May 2013 01:11:55 -0400

Science is awesome, pass it on

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:58:19 -0400

microbiologybytes: Some of My Best Friends Are Germs “I can...

Sun, 19 May 2013 00:51:58 -0400

microbiologybytes:

Some of My Best Friends Are Germs

“I can tell you the exact date that I began to think of myself in the first-person plural — as a superorganism, that is, rather than a plain old individual human being. It happened on March 7. That’s when I opened my e-mail to find a huge, processor-choking file of charts and raw data from a laboratory located at the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado, Boulder. As part of a new citizen-science initiative called the American Gut project, the lab sequenced my microbiome — that is, the genes not of “me,” exactly, but of the several hundred microbial species with whom I share this body. These bacteria, which number around 100 trillion, are living (and dying) right now on the surface of my skin, on my tongue and deep in the coils of my intestines, where the largest contingent of them will be found, a pound or two of microbes together forming a vast, largely uncharted interior wilderness that scientists are just beginning to map.”

Both/and

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:51:49 -0400

shitmystudentswrite:

I strongly agree and disagree with that statement to some extent.

This sentence is completely and incompletely perfect.

nbcnews: Oldest water on Earth found deep...

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:47:35 -0400

nbcnews:

Oldest water on Earth found deep underground

(Photo: B. Sherwood Lollar et al.)

A pocket of water some 2.6 billion years old — the most ancient pocket of water known by far, older even than the dawn of multicellular life — has now been discovered in a mine 2 miles below the Earth’s surface.

Read the complete story.

WHEN YOUR SUMMER STIPEND ARRIVES IN ONE LUMP SUM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER:

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:43:20 -0400

wheninacademia:

Yes, but check in with me at the end of the summer…

It's Okay To Be Smart: Let's agree that we're in agreement about the climate and move on

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:40:33 -0400

It's Okay To Be Smart: Let's agree that we're in agreement about the climate and move on:

jtotheizzoe:

An international team of scientists recently surveyed almost 12,000 climate science research publications to gauge the consensus on manmade global warming among people who know lots about climate science. They did this because some people still like to pretend like there’s plenty of skepticism…

nepetasdead: karmannghiaburana: orpheus11: mangomartyr: caus...

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:38:08 -0400

nepetasdead:

karmannghiaburana:

orpheus11:

mangomartyr:

causticgambler:

philliptunalunatique:

team-joebama:

cleophatrajones:

I can proudly say that I’ve visited every one of these nations. I most enjoyed Napland.

Game Zone is my own personal Waterloo

i have a nice cottage in surfside

10/10 for “isle get it done”

Best nation in the world.

You forgot to include the “aimlessly wandering about the house” river

What about “two hour shower” shoals.

isn’t it somewhere in the Unfinished Work Ocean?

howstuffworks: Do you know a mad scientist in training? A tiny...

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:37:34 -0400

howstuffworks:

Do you know a mad scientist in training? A tiny Einstein? A miniature Mendel? A chibi Marie Curie?

Kids in grades K-8 can win $10,000 towards lab equipment for their school by entering our Science Challenge. Deadline extended to May 26th! Find the details on Stuff to Blow Your Mind.

science-junkie: Beautiful ‘flowers’ self-assemble in a...

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:36:46 -0400

science-junkie:

Beautiful ‘flowers’ self-assemble in a beaker

With the hand of nature trained on a beaker of chemical fluid, the most delicate flower structures have been formed in a Harvard laboratory—and not at the scale of inches, but microns.

These minuscule sculptures, curved and delicate, don’t resemble the cubic or jagged forms normally associated with crystals, though that’s what they are. Rather, fields of carnations and marigolds seem to bloom from the surface of a submerged glass slide, assembling themselves a molecule at a time.

By simply manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, Wim L. Noorduin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and lead author of a paper appearing on the cover of the May 17 issue of Science, has found that he can control the growth behavior of these crystals to create precisely tailored structures.

“For at least 200 years, people have been intrigued by how complex shapes could have evolved in nature. This work helps to demonstrate what’s possible just through environmental, chemical changes,” says Noorduin.

Read more

Images: [x]

mucholderthen: Phagocytosis - an INFOTOONby...

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:25:08 -0400

mucholderthen:

Phagocytosis - an INFOTOON
by ~Velica

Macrophages are a type of white blood cells - part of the amazing immune system. They have thesuperpower of eating invading pathogens, such as bacteria, virus and protozoans in a process called “phagocytosis”.

If you look at it from the point of view of the pathogen, it’s Jaws all over again.

For those who want to try out phagocytosis themselves, here are the instructions.

science-junkie: The tulip tree reveals mitochondrial genome of...

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:40:21 -0400

science-junkie:

The tulip tree reveals mitochondrial genome of ancestral flowering plant

The extraordinary level of conservation of the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) mitochondrial genome has redefined our interpretation of evolution of the angiosperms (flowering plants), finds research in biomed Central’s open access journal BMC Biology. This beautiful ‘molecular fossil’ has a remarkably slow mutation rate meaning that its mitochondrial genome has remained largely unchanged since the dinosaurs were roaming the earth.

Read more.
Images: [x][x]

State tree of Indiana!

astronomy-to-zoology: Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti) Also...

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:46:14 -0400

astronomy-to-zoology:

Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti)

Also known as the Bennett’s Cassowary, Little Cassowary, Mountain Cassowary or the Mooruk. The Dwarf Cassowary is a small species of cassowary native to mountain forests in New Guinea and the islands of New Britain and Yapen. Like other cassowary species the dwarf cassowary is a solitary bird and keeps to its self. The dwarf cassowary feeds mostly on fruits and other plant material which it swallows whole, keeping the seeds intact which makes it an effective seed disperser. Despite its ‘large’ size the dwarf cassowary is surprisingly nimble as it can swim and navigate obstacles with ease, it also can defend itself with a powerful kick. During the the mating season the dwarf cassowary can produce a loud booming call which can penetrate dense vegetation with ease, in-order to attract mates.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Struthioniformes-Casuariidae-Casuarius-bennetti

Image Source(s)

They come in a miniature size?!

laboratoryequipment: Depressed People’s Body Clocks are Altered...

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:42:50 -0400

laboratoryequipment:

Depressed People’s Body Clocks are Altered at Cell Level

Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetites, sleep, moods and much more.

But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression – even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/depressed-peoples-body-clocks-are-altered-cell-level

greyjoy-pride: suggested by troublesofajewishgirl Just a nerd...

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:42:15 -0400

greyjoy-pride:

suggested by troublesofajewishgirl

Just a nerd problem. No gender needed.

Small Things Considered: Fecal Transplants in the “Good Old Days”

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:30:48 -0400

Small Things Considered: Fecal Transplants in the “Good Old Days”:

bodyofmicrobes:

This is an amazing anecdote from the 1950s about re-inoculating the gut microbiome of a patient post-surgery and post-antibiotic treatment. Not sure you could even get me to take those pills though…

by Stanley Falkow:

I had a conversation with some colleagues last week about “personalized medicine,” which has been transformed now into the term “precision medicine.” The conversation revolved around what to do about the perceived effects of antibiotic treatment on the microbiota of individuals. How does one treat a patient without disrupting their microbiota? Do we create new classes of…

the-science-llama: prostheticknowledge: Slow Motion Footage of...

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:28:13 -0400

the-science-llama:

prostheticknowledge:

Slow Motion Footage of Mosquitoes Shot Down With Laser

The video below runs slower than the GIFs above suggest:

Intellectual Ventures’ Mosquito Laser Shootdown Sequence, demonstrated at TED 2010.

Shooting wings off mosquitoes with lasers because SCIENCE!!!

ikenbot: This is a GIF set of Astronauts falling on the Moon

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:26:32 -0400

ikenbot:

This is a GIF set of Astronauts falling on the Moon

Photo

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:22:21 -0400