Archive of Interesting Code

Chronic exposure to cannabinoids during adoles... [Neurobiol Dis. 2010 18. Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story Sources: Deseret Morning News, November 10, 2005 Title: “Y. Professor Thinks Bombs, Not Planes, Toppled WTC” Author: Elaine Jarvik Brigham Young University website, Winter 2005 Title: “Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Collapse?” Author: Steven E. Jones Deseret Morning News, January 26, 2006 Title: “BYU professor’s group accuses U.S. officials of lying about 9/11” Author: Elaine Jarvik Faculty Evaluator: John Kramer Student Researchers: David Abbott and Courtney Wilcox Research into the events of September 11 by Brigham Young University physics professor, Steven E. In debunking the official explanation of the collapse of the three WTC buildings, Jones cites the complete, rapid, and symmetrical collapse of the buildings; the horizontal explosions (squibs) evidenced in films of the collapses; the fact that the antenna dropped first in the North Tower, suggesting the use of explosives in the core columns; and the large pools of molten metal observed in the basement areas of both towers.

Chronicle: Figs kill when wasps dont pollinate A female fig wasp (Tetrapus americanus) is about to enter a flowering fig (Ficus maxima). Once inside, the fig wasp will pollinate and lay her eggs in the flowers that line the inside of the fig. Figs and fig wasps have evolved to help each other out: Fig wasps lay their eggs inside the fruit where the wasp larvae can safely develop, and in return, the wasps pollinate the figs. But what happens when a wasp lays its eggs but fails to pollinate the fig? The trees get even by dropping those figs to the ground, killing the baby wasps inside, reports a Cornell and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (published online Jan. 13). The findings suggest that when one species in a mutually beneficial relationship fails to hold up its end of the bargain, sanctions may be a necessary part of maintaining the relationship. The study was supported by the Cornell Graduate School and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

Scientists 'Switch Off' Brain Cell Death in Mice Scientists have figured out how to stop brain cell death in mice with brain disease and say their discovery deepens understanding of the mechanisms of human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. British researchers writing in the journal Nature said they had found a major pathway leading to brain cell death in mice with prion disease, the mouse equivalent of Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD). They then worked out how to block it, and were able to prevent brain cells from dying, helping the mice live longer. The finding, described by one expert as "a major breakthrough in understanding what kills neurons," points to a common mechanism by which brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and CJD damage the nerve cells. In neurodegenerative diseases, proteins "mis-fold" in various ways, leading to a buildup of misshapen proteins, the researchers explained in the study. © 2014 Thomson/Reuters.