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Science Errors & Conflicts
A tiny molecule harvested from a soil bacterium on Easter Island that evolved billions of years ago for no obvious purposes should have nothing to do with human beings. Yet it turns out miraculously to have potent immunosuppressive properties that allow doctors to successfully perform a liver transplant in a young girl. Figure 1: A plaque on Easter Island commemorating the discovery of a bacterium producing rapamycin, a potent immunosuppressant. Since its discovery, rapamycin has allowed the successful transplantation of organs into millions of patients (Image credit: Wikipedia ) In India, an excited young bride celebrates her upcoming wedding by coloring her hands bright yellow with turmeric, a spice that has been used for centuries as a key culinary ingredient. In France, a similar hallowed tradition demands a copious flow of red wine at weddings.
Guest Blog: Chemistry: The Human Science
Give geo- and genetic engineering a fair trial - 07 September 2011
Frontier science must not be feared, but cautiously embraced IN A city in eastern Brazil, scientists are preparing to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild. If the trial works, the people of Juazeiro will have GM technology to thank for keeping them safe from dengue fever (see " Swarm troopers: Mutant armies waging war in the wild ").
False memories generated in lab mice - life - 22 March 2012
In the 1940s, neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield found his patients would recall seemingly random information – the smell of cookies for instance – when he stimulated different brain areas with electric shocks.
Computers vs. Brains
Graphic Science | Technology See Inside Computers are good at storage and speed, but brains maintain the efficiency lead By Mark Fischetti | October 25, 2011 | For decades computer scientists have strived to build machines that can calculate faster than the human brain and store more information.A case for modernization as the road to salvation by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus Illustration: Thom Lang / Corbis SOMETIME AROUND 2014, Italy will complete construction of seventy-eight mobile floodgates aimed at protecting Venice’s three inlets from the rising tides of the Adriatic Sea. The massive doors—twenty meters by thirty meters, and five meters thick—will, most of the time, lie flat on the sandy seabed between the lagoon and the sea.
Technology Is One Path Toward Sustainability
Interactive Features | More Science Whether gas, liquid or solid; radioactive or stable; reactive or inert; toxic or in your vitamin pill, the 118 building blocks each has its own chemically idiosyncratic characteristics--and certain commonalities. See what makes your favorite element unique on this interactive periodic table By Davide Castelvecchi | March 13, 2012 | In the October 2011 issue of Scientific American , we celebrate the International Year of Chemistry. Learn more about its impact on our daily lives in our Special Report .
The Elements Revealed: An Interactive Periodic Table
More Science :: Feature Articles :: January 26, 2012 :: :: Email :: Print See Inside
The Brittle Star's Apprentice
Nature can be extremely devious in the way it hides its secrets.
The secret molecular life of soap bubbles (1913)
CultureLab: The tiny things that rule the world
Wendy Zukerman, Asia-Pacific reporter Looking through the microscope, we can not only learn how the building blocks of life mix and interact, but also get a glimpse of the intricacy and beauty of this tiny world. Currently showing at Questacon, Australia’s Science and Technology Centre in Canberra, The Incredible Inner Space is an exhibition of stunning microscopic images dedicated to just that.How Many Neutrons and Protons Can Get Along? Maybe 7,000
More Science :: TechMediaNetwork :: June 27, 2012 :: :: Email :: PrintTriple-Bond: Boron Joins Elite Chemical Club
More Science :: News :: June 15, 2012 :: :: Email :: Print Boron joins carbon and nitrogen as one of the few elements in the periodic table known to form stable compounds featuring triple bonds. The compound could be useful in organic electronic materialsAlthough it seems that modern technology is all about making everything smaller, when it comes to unlocking the secrets of the universe, science is all about going big .