CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-19 04:06:52 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Do you love cute animals?
Wildlife photography?
Children's books?
Then you will love the next Read Science hangout. The incredible wildlife photographer and author of darling books featuring newborn baby animals and their families, Suzi Eszterhas, will be joining Jeff and I tomorrow (June 19) at noon CDT. 
https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/ck83ogbg5ugk7u1gs7c4j6cmua4

2013-06-15 14:44:23 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

Men: responsible for female menopause?

Surely some lady suffering through menopause has exclaimed "This must be the fault of men!" Well, now she has science on her side, if this study is to be believed anyway. And the kicker: it's caused by men's preference for younger mates. This is not good, guys.

[I'm not sure I agree with the conclusion that menopause is caused by the absence of positive selection. The "grandmother hypothesis" is more intellectually pleasing, although that doesn't make it correct. Certainly a paper worth reading in detail.]

#sciencesunday #scienceeveryday

2013-06-13 21:45:11 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

+Mark Hoofnagle is equally displeased with today's SCOTUS ruling, for I think similar reasons.

2013-06-13 19:09:30 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Well, that didn't take long

Ambry Genetics offers BRCA testing in US.  Still a bit spendy at $2200, but it's a start.

2013-06-13 18:49:43 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Another great post from +Dan Koboldt at MassGenomics.  This time he has some warnings and tips about all those false positives  hiding in your nextgen sequencing data.

2013-06-13 18:20:40 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Another question on the SCOTUS ruling

They clearly have no idea what a cDNA is.  Am I reading the passage below correctly?  Any copy of DNA that contains a splice junction would be coverable by a patent?

From: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-398_8njq.pdf

“cDNA does not present the same obstacles to patentability as naturally occurring, isolated DNA segments. As already explained, creation of a cDNA sequence from 
mRNA results in an exons-only molecule that is not naturally occurring.8
Petitioners concede that cDNA differs 
from natural DNA in that “the non-coding regions have
been removed.” Brief for Petitioners 49. They nevertheless argue that cDNA is not patent eligible because “[t]he nucleotide sequence of cDNA is dictated by nature, not by
the lab technician.” Id., at 51. That may be so, but the labtechnician u... more »

2013-06-13 18:46:17 (3 comments, 19 reshares, 16 +1s)

What is a cDNA? It's like a TV show on a DVR

The #SCOTUS ruling on #Myriad 's patents today say that a cDNA is not naturally occurring and so it remains patent-able.  But what is a cDNA?  It's simply a DNA copy of the messenger RNA the cell uses when genes are expressed.

The central dogma of molecular biology states that DNA is the store of information; DNA is read (transcribed) into RNA which is a temporary copy used for translation into proteins, which run around and do stuff in the cell.  

DNA->RNA->Protein

The functional parts of genes in the DNA are broken up into short segments (exons) with many long non-functional DNA segments in between (introns).  Think of exons as the TV show you're watching and introns as the commercial breaks.  When you want to watch the show you set your DVR to copy it and it records the wholethin... more »

2013-06-13 15:14:46 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Not really sure what this means.  Anyone else have a link to a better write-up of the decision?

2013-06-11 05:16:08 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 12 +1s)

William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope

In my experience, geeks are often an incredibly theatrical bunch. It’s hardly any wonder—we love epic stuff. We go for the larger-than-life, we’re prone to dressing up, we enjoy imitating what we find inspiring. As a kid, I found most of my friends in the greenroom of our high school, rehearsing Sondheim musicals and the occasional Martin McDonagh or Nicky Silver play. (Yeah, you read that one right.)

So you know what’s a perfect idea? Star Wars as a Shakespeare play. Because as party tricks go, who wouldn’t be into this?

Considering that there are a multitude of Star Wars plays running across the convention circuit on any given year, from musicals to one-man shows to condensed 30-minute trilogies, it’s amazing that Ian Doescher had to point out this gaping chasm to the world with WilliamShakespeare... more »

2013-06-09 12:06:58 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Vancouver, with the Fraser River flowing full, roiling Spring run-off from the Rockies.

2013-06-07 16:59:14 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Is Cancer a 'disease' - I argue here that it is NOT.  what then?  read on...

2013-06-04 03:50:52 (6 comments, 3 reshares, 28 +1s)

What do we want?! 

2013-06-02 21:07:56 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Correlation != Causation

A new paper by Qing-Bin Lu in the International Journal of Modern Physics B is gaining coverage for its claim that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), not CO2, is causing global warming. This sensationalist headline is often repeated with little mention that Lu’s claims are not new, and have not held up to scientific scrutiny in the past. In fact, Lu has been promoting his theories about CFCs for years, and mainstream scientists have found no merit in them. Critics have said Lu makes a fundamental scientific error by confusing correlation with causation, and does not effectively challenge the physical evidence of the warming effects of CO2, a body of knowledge built up over 150 years.

2013-06-01 14:07:11 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Do This

Because I'm ploughing through 90 notifs typing one handed with a 4-day old girl in my other arm, and her new Mum and Dad will pile #stem  on her aplenty, but not every girl gets that and +Girlstart is there for those in need!

https://secure.commonground.convio.com/girlstart/sendagirltocamp2013/project.html?personalFundraisingProjectId=a0iU00000011X9PIAU



ps yes yes i am working on posting photos... #sendagirltocamp   while you wait

2013-06-01 05:36:25 (1 comments, 6 reshares, 17 +1s)

Violence is never, ever, a choice a man should make. Ever.

Patrick Stewart is awesome. How many actors are so cool on-stage but so not-cool once they step off? So many. But Patrick Stewart... he should be a role model to all the young and not-so-young boys in the world.

2013-05-30 20:15:17 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Hey everyone - +Cara Santa Maria is on G+.  Add her to all those fantastic Science and Cool People circles you surely have.

2013-05-27 20:50:48 (2 comments, 7 reshares, 24 +1s)

via +The Finch & Pea blog

2013-05-25 16:37:07 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Evolutionary lifehack A recent paper in Science [1] indicates that many “wild” (synanthropic) populations of cockroaches evolved an elegant mechanism to survive in the world of toxic baits.

According to the authors, toxic baits with sugars (usually D-glucose and D-fructose) are used for pest control over last three decades. As a response 7 out of 19 sampled wild populations of cockroaches became glucose-avert, i.e. they avoid eating sugary foods altogether. The paper shows that in these cockroaches glucose does not stimulate those gustatory receptor neurons that normally respond to sweets, but instead produces a response in the bitter-taste neurons.

This evolutionary approach is a classic example of a lifehack [2]. Instead of evolving resistance to toxins themselves or an ability for a fine discrimination between the poisoned and harmless sugars, cockroaches took anune... more »

2013-05-25 00:05:26 (1 comments, 6 reshares, 15 +1s)

Gotta love Morgan Freeman: "Regarding my recent interview, I wasn't actually sleeping. I'm a beta tester for Google Eyelids and I was merely taking the opportunity to update my Facebook page."  [http://goo.gl/B3oH5]

2013-05-24 16:58:06 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me think I deserved it.

http://xkcd.com/1216/

2013-05-25 16:41:01 (1 comments, 7 reshares, 7 +1s)

BRCA? What are those things?

Thanks to Angelina Jolie there has been much public discussion about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. This is great. But I have also been seeing lots of (in my opinion) misinformation, confusion and bad advice regarding hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and #BRCA gene testing on the interwebs, most recently in the comments on an +Annika O'Brien post. So I thought I would try providing my answers to some of the more common questions and misconceptions I have run across.

tl;dr version: Talk to your doctor. 23andMe didn't test you. DTC and DIY aren't good alternatives. Get reliable info from your national cancer program.

1) What are BRCAs, do I have them and how are they related to breast cancer?

The US National Cancer Institute has a great fact sheet full of information without a lot of science lingo. Many... more »

2013-05-23 01:31:36 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Huge genome alert

+John Timmer has a great write-up of the recent publication of the Norway spruce genome sequence. In contrast to the svelte bladderwort genome I mentioned last week, the spruce has a gigantomungous genome about 250X bigger - 20GB! - despite having the same approximate number of genes. Each of the spruce's 12 chromosomes are about 2GB is size, close to the size of the entire human genome.

Read the link for some interesting discussion about why and how a plant would become a genetic packrat like this. It might inspire you to finally sort through all the junk in your basement.

#sciencesunday +ScienceSunday

2013-05-22 00:17:09 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 12 +1s)

2013-05-21 23:16:57 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

A toddler wearing Google Glass.  This is pretty cute, although when a kid wanders into your room at 5am it probably would not be good if your reaction is on video.

2013-05-20 22:00:57 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Dear +Marissa Mayer,

I've been a #Flickr  "Pro" member for 8 years but haven't been by in the last 4.  Coming back now.

Thanks,
+Ian Bosdet 

2013-05-20 17:58:20 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Daily chart: The house-price boom that preceded the financial crisis was remarkable for its scope and scale. With few exceptions, there seemed only one way for prices to go: up. Things have been more diverse since then. Our interactive chart reveals the world’s housing market and allows users to compare the ups and the downs of 21 different markets over time using five different measures http://econ.st/18YWHNV

2013-05-20 02:20:18 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

This is an absolutely appalling article on #BRCA and breast cancer testing. I wish +TechCrunch had thought to do some more research before posting.

2013-05-23 01:07:37 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 9 +1s)

You really have to hear what this guy can do with two chopsticks and an amped-up ukulele.  Hip-hop anyone?

2013-05-19 03:14:50 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Sunset in Vancouver's English Bay

2013-05-18 04:18:14 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

2013-05-17 14:36:07 (4 comments, 8 reshares, 4 +1s)

*Hungry plant, tiny genome*

The plant Utricularia gibba is, perhaps unfortunately, more commonly known as the humped or floating bladderwort. While that sounds like a name that would get a plant beat-up on the playground, U. gibba is decidedly bad-ass in a few ways. Firstly, it's a carnivore. Carnivorous plants are cool. It eats water insects with the tiny bladders pictured below, and it's quite efficient at it apparently. Secondly, it's classified as a weed in most of the world. "Weed" is actually just shorthand for "well adapted to its environmental niche". That's what we're all striving for and U. gibba seems to be doing a good job of it so far.

Now it has one more quality to add to its coolness: a svelte genome. U. gibba has a respectable 28,500 genes but they're all squished into a genome that is just 82 megabases... more »

2013-05-14 17:44:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Collective Nouns

+Josh Witten at The Finch and Pea has a post with some new collective nouns.  These are always fun to make up so include your favorites in the comments below and I'll highlight the best.  I'll start with two of my own:

A tedium of professors
A band of cytogeneticists 

2013-05-13 05:56:05 (1 comments, 10 reshares, 10 +1s)

xkcd: Birds and Dinosaurs

By any reasonable definition, T. Rex is more closely related to sparrows than to Stegosaurus.

http://xkcd.com/1211/

2013-05-12 15:00:59 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Happy Mother's Day, Moms!  Here's a Galapagos sea lion pup looking for a cuddle from her own Mom.

2013-05-11 15:32:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

The reason they regularly check their gloves is for damage. Even though multi-layer, even a tiny leak requires immediate haste to airlock.

2013-05-11 06:53:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Science quote of the day.

But what is more, if we have succeeded in adding to the basic understanding of our universe and ourselves, we will have made a contribution to the totality of human culture

Haldan Keffer Hartline

#sciquote  

2013-05-07 23:30:55 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 31 +1s)

Hands up all realists

2013-05-07 14:10:18 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

The History of Typograpy

2013-05-06 20:25:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-05-06 18:35:22 (3 comments, 20 reshares, 33 +1s)

Genetic Analysis

http://xkcd.com/830/

There's still a chance you were conceived via IVF. But we've checked your mom's college yearbook photos, and whether or not she and your father had sex, it's clear that ... listen, I know this is hard for you.

2013-05-06 04:06:34 (19 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

Bill Nye is basically the best person.

2013-05-05 18:51:21 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Beard-second

The beard-second is a unit of length inspired by the light-year, but used for extremely short distances such as those in nuclear physics. The beard-second is defined as the length an average beard grows in one second. Kemp Bennet Kolb defines the distance as exactly 100 angstroms, (i.e. 10 nanometers), as does Nordling and Österman's Physics Handbook. However, Google Calculator supports the beard-second for unit conversions using the value 5 nm, i.e. half the value according to Kolb and Physics Handbook.

2013-05-05 18:42:46 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

[+] Science Sunday Hangout On AIr [+]

"Ferreting out the Truth": Panel Discussion on H5N1 Influenza Virus || Event Page: http://goo.gl/MjFCB 

Later today, +Buddhini Samarasinghe and I are hosting the +ScienceSunday Hangout On Air. This week's topic is on the research being done on the H5N1 Influenza Virus. We'll be discussing not only the research that's been done, but also why there's been so much controversy about it in the news and social media. Is there something we should be concerned about?


Our discussion panel consists of:

+Tommy Leung of University of New England. Tommy is a lecturer and research on parasitology and evolutionary biology. You can find more about Tommy on the web: http://www.une.edu.au/ers/research/eepl/ | http://the-episiarch.deviantart.com/

+William McEwan: Post-doctoralresear... more »

2013-05-05 06:12:13 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

New research proves that America's first colonists were cannibals. Americans could so easily have ended up with the constitutional right to eat people. Crumb my cold, dead hands...My column this week. Love T xo

2013-05-05 00:07:32 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Vancouver's Kits Beach

It's quite a nice day.

2013-05-01 03:46:48 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 4 +1s)

+Josh Witten is, of course, entirely correct. There is no greater proof that humans are free from natural selection than the cry of a baby. Or a toddler. Or a big boy who should know better and should really start acting his age. Because "Oh my god there is a [large hungry predator] out there who is going to eat us if you don't be quiet" doesn't work.

And yes, I have tried.

2013-04-29 16:46:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Sharing data, research or presentations? Get a DOI for it!

+Christian Kummer offers some reasons why using FigShare for sharing your data is a good idea.

https://ckummer.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/data-citation-figshare-doi/

2013-04-28 14:41:42 (15 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

5 Steps to Separate Science from Hype, No PhD Required

1. Separate the sales pitch from the science
2. Find the data
3. Evaluate the data
4. Put the story into context
5. Ask an expert

2013-04-26 15:45:26 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Detail

Google defends the swiveling roof-mounted scanning electron microscopes on its Street View cars, saying they 'don't reveal anything that couldn't be seen by any pedestrian scanning your house with an electron microscope'.

http://xkcd.com/1204/

2013-04-26 14:10:03 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Prenatal exposure to anti-epilepsy drug increases risk of autism

Valproate was the only anti-epilepsy drug shown to have this effect.  The numbers are low but the relative risk is quite high in this study.