128 posts · 126,156 views
A science blog from award-winning science writer David Bradley covering everything from astronomy to zoology by way of bio, chemistry, nano and physics
sciencebase
128 posts
Sort by: Latest Post, Most Popular
View by: Condensed, Full
- May 25, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 696 views
Wheels within wheels – the scientific lifecycle
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
An oft-repeated message from scientists involved with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), mapping the human genome, the search for extraterrestrial life and other vast scientific projects, such as supercomputing experiments is that the tera-bytes, peta-bytes, perhaps even the yotta-bytes of data generated by large-scale projects is hard to handle, to say the least.
Not only has [...]Wheels within wheels – the scientific lifecycle is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
You can also connect........ Read more »
Mattoso, M., Werner, C., Travassos, G., Braganholo, V., Ogasawara, E., Oliveira, D., Cruz, S., Martinho, W., & Murta, L. (2010) Towards supporting the life cycle of large scale scientific experiments. International Journal of Business Process Integration and Management, 5(1), 79. DOI: 10.1504/IJBPIM.2010.033176
- April 28, 2010
- 09:00 AM
- 954 views
Lifelong learning online is about connecting people
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Individuals now have the autonomy to make their own learning choices and in recent years there has been an emphasis on the “self made learner”, especially in adult education and ongoing professional development. As such, online communities and other so-called web 2.0 tools have come to the fore as potentially useful for educators and students [...]Lifelong learning online is about connecting people is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Cristina Costa. (2010) Lifelong learning in Web 2.0 environments. Int. J. Technology Enhanced Learning, 2(3), 275-284. info:/
- April 21, 2010
- 09:00 AM
- 697 views
Understanding online students and virtual supervisors
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
The numbers of international students taking on graduate degrees is on the increase, partly due to the advent of rapid communication and information tools and partly due to the recognition that globalisation is taking over the world. Hah!
Supervisors I’ve spoken to over the years have always seen the mix of cultures in their laboratories as [...]Understanding online students and virtual supervisors is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Kenneth David Strang. (2010) Improving supervision of cross-cultural postgraduate university students. Int. J. Learning and Change, 4(2), 181-202. info:/
- April 15, 2010
- 09:00 AM
- 504 views
Young children see the moon illusion
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Why does the full moon seem bigger when it’s near the horizon than when it’s high in the sky? The moon illusion, which also applies to the perception of the size of the sun in the sky, has intrigued artists and puzzled psychologists for many years.
The moon illusion refers to the fact that the sun [...]Young children see the moon illusion is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Helen E. Ross, & Adele Cowie. (2010) The moon illusion in children’s drawings. Int. J. Arts and Technology, 3(2/3), 275-287. info:/
- March 31, 2010
- 09:00 AM
- 575 views
Press releases should be about people
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
We’re all increasingly familiar with corporate press releases. There are countless websites that regurgitate the corporate and institutional public relations output for wider and wider audiences.
If you’re familiar with the blogosphere, you will almost certainly recognise that many posts simply echo the notices provided by the likes of Eurekalert, AlphaGalileo, and the more generic wire [...]Press releases should be about people is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Johanna Kujala, Tiina Toikka, & Anna Heikkinen. (2010) Communicating corporate responsibility through media. Progress in Industrial Ecology – An International Journal, 6(4), 404-420. info:/
- March 10, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 547 views
Whatever happened to the audiophile?
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Back in the 1970s my parents had friends who had stacks of hi-fi separates with gold contact wiring and speaker stands on metal spikes. They were only playing Perry Como on vinyl, but that was their idea of fun, so good luck to them. When the CD emerged on to the market with its claims [...]Whatever happened to the audiophile? is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Jerald Hughes. (2009) Emergent quality standards for digital entertainment experience goods: the case of consumer audio. Int. J. Services and Standards, 5(4), 333-353. info:/
- March 4, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 689 views
Forensic saliva test within spitting distance
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
The latest issue of SpectroscopyNOW is online. This week I cover everything from MRI for testicular cancer to egg-shaped carbon balls by way of energy molecules, copper proteins, secret writing, first up a forensic test for distinguishing saliva deposits from other substances at a crime scene:
Non-destructive spit test – Raman spectroscopy can identify samples of [...]Forensic saliva test within spitting distance is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Virkler, K., & Lednev, I. (2010) Forensic body fluid identification: The Raman spectroscopic signature of saliva. The Analyst, 135(3), 512. DOI: 10.1039/b919393f
- March 3, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 806 views
Hacking your online identity
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Geo-location services are very useful, helping you find a post office, ATM, decent restaurant, or hooking up with friends. They are commonly used in conjunction with smart phones and other mobile devices that ping your location (based on network coordinates or the global positioning system, GPS) back to the owner of a given system.
Location-based services [...]Hacking your online identity is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
T. Martin, C. Durbin, M. Pawlewski, & D. Parish. (2010) Future vision of identity. Int. J. Liability and Scientific Enquiry, 3(1/2), 86-98. info:/
- February 17, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 600 views
Interview with David J Newman (Pt. II)
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
This is Part II of the unabridged transcript of an interview with Dr David Newman, Chief at the Natural Products Branch of the NCI in Maryland. The interview was conducted for a new quarterly newsletter – Chemistry Matters. You can read Part I in which Dr Newman discussed how natural products can lead to novel [...]Interview with David J Newman (Pt. II) is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Newman, D. (2008) Natural Products as Leads to Potential Drugs: An Old Process or the New Hope for Drug Discovery?. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 51(9), 2589-2599. DOI: 10.1021/jm0704090
- February 15, 2010
- 10:00 AM
- 762 views
Prostate problem probed
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Pinpointing prostate problems – The chemical cousin of magnetic resonance imaging, MR spectroscopy, could be used to pinpoint the exact location of prostate cancers and to determine the aggressiveness of a tumour without major surgical intervention, according to research published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
“Magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy which can analyse the biochemistry rather [...]Prostate problem probed is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Wu, C., Jordan, K., Ratai, E., Sheng, J., Adkins, C., DeFeo, E., Jenkins, B., Ying, L., McDougal, W., & Cheng, L. (2010) Metabolomic Imaging for Human Prostate Cancer Detection. Science Translational Medicine, 2(16), 16-16. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3000513
- February 12, 2010
- 06:45 AM
- 655 views
Summer born lucky are born rich
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
If you want to feel lucky in life, make sure you are born to well-off parents and don’t worry about whether you’re birthday is in the summer or winter.
In 2005, well-known psychologist Richard Wiseman and his colleagues surveyed 30,000 people via the internet to see if there is a relationship between the season in which [...]Summer born lucky are born rich is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
CHOTAI, J., & WISEMAN, R. (2005) Born lucky? The relationship between feeling lucky and month of birth. Personality and Individual Differences, 39(8), 1451-1460. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2005.06.012
Gerd Grözinger. (2010) Born lucky – or just lucky to be born rich? A note. Int. J. Public Policy, 5(4), 430-435. info:/
- February 3, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 654 views
Science based risk assessment
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Ask people why the enter the lottery and they will usually tell you that “you’ve got to be in it to win it”. As far as it goes that’s true, but it still doesn’t get around the odds of you picking the right numbers being vanishingly (although not quite homeopathically) small at 14 million to [...]Science based risk assessment is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Terje Aven. (2009) A new scientific framework for quantitative risk assessments. Int. J. Business Continuity and Risk Management, 1(1), 67-77. info:/
- January 18, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 546 views
Indian urban wetland heavy metal
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
A study of heavy metal contaminants in the urban lakes of India, particularly around Bangalore have revealed that attempts at mitigation meant to remove these pollutants have not so far worked and may not be a long-term remedy for the problem. I’ve provided more detail on the analysis in the Atomic ezine on SpectroscopyNOW this [...]Indian urban wetland heavy metal is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Aboud S. Jumbe, & N. Nandini. (2009) Heavy Metals Analysis and Sediment Quality Values in Urban Lakes. American Journal of Environmental Sciences, 5(6), 678-687. info:/
- January 15, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 682 views
Alcoholic drug discovery truths
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
As with much of medical science, the appearance of a fascinating research paper and an accompanying press release do not usually mean that a new pharmaceutical intervention, a medicine, is ready to be prescribed to patients on the very day that the paper appears. The drug discovery, research, and testing processes are much more long-winded [...]Alcoholic drug discovery truths is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Perez-Miller, S., Younus, H., Vanam, R., Chen, C., Mochly-Rosen, D., & Hurley, T. (2010) Alda-1 is an agonist and chemical chaperone for the common human aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 variant. Nature Structural . DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1737
- January 12, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 564 views
Chemophobia and risk
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
As a chemist by training, I’ve always been loath to give credence to unfounded criticism of synthetic chemicals that might stoke up chemophobia. Indeed, on several occasions I have written about how our bodies have evolved to cope with all kinds of chemicals regardless of whether they are synthetic or “natural”. I’ve never been a [...]Chemophobia and risk is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Sarigiannis, D., Gotti, A., Reale, G., & Marafante, E. (2009) Reflections on new directions for risk assessment of environmental chemical mixtures. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 13(3/4), 216. DOI: 10.1504/IJRAM.2009.030697
- January 7, 2010
- 08:00 AM
- 638 views
Scientists torn between cash and kudos
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
With ailing banks propped up by billions in taxpayers’ money and nations rolling through the mud of economic recession is it any surprise that we get mightily frustrated to hear of their enormous bonuses and golden pension pots? Of course not… But, here’s a thought…
As the lines drawn between commercial and academic research become increasingly [...]Scientists torn between cash and kudos is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Rose H.C. Wong, & Robert Westwood. (2010) The public good vs. commercial interest: research scientists in search of an accommodation. Int. J. Learning and Change , 4(1), 77-97. info:/
- December 23, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 701 views
Five-step plan for green design
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
I recently saw a research paper discussing the lack of tools for designers hoping to make their products greener, more environmentally benign, sustainable even. The paper focused more on the likes of coming up with a green espresso machine and offered a five-step scheme for getting the green credentials booked into a the design and [...]Five-step plan for green design is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Dominique Millet, Nicolas Tchertchian, & Daniel Brissaud. (2009) How to identify the most promising areas of environmental improvement at the early stages of the design process?. Int. J. Design Engineering, 2(3), 299-319. info:/
- December 9, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 586 views
Thinking about electric vehicles
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Electric vehicles reduce noise and local air pollution, such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and ground-level ozone, but do they simply relocate the carbon tire-tracks to fossil-fired power stations or are there benefits on the global scale?
Fundamentally, an electric engine can achieve 85 to 90% energy conversion efficiency, which contrasts starkly with the internal combustion [...]Thinking about electric vehicles is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Åsgeir Helland. (2009) Well-to-wheel CO2 analysis of electric and ICE vehicles: are global CO2 emission reductions possible?. Int. J. Global Warming, 1(4), 432-442. info:/
- November 19, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 643 views
Homeopathy really doesn’t work
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
A couple of years ago, I re-posted an old article of mine about homeopathy discussing its ludicrous claims, its feeble attempts to provide a scientific explanation for those claims, and basically pointing out that no solid evidence has ever been found that infinitely diluted solutions of spurious ingredients have any more beneficial effect on a [...]Homeopathy really doesn’t work is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Jonas WB, Kaptchuk TJ, & Linde K. (2003) A critical overview of homeopathy. Annals of internal medicine, 138(5), 393-9. PMID: 12614092
Baum, M., & Ernst, E. (2009) Should We Maintain an Open Mind about Homeopathy?. The American Journal of Medicine, 122(11), 973-974. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.03.038
- November 13, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 694 views
Genetically engineered heavy metal fans
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
The wastewater released from industry often contains high levels of toxic heavy metals, which can kill organisms, damage ecosystems, and accumulate in the foodchain. Electroplating, lead smelting, mining, and countless other processes produce enormous volumes of such wastewater.
In a perfect world, remediation would be powered by a renewable energy supply, there would be no solid [...]Genetically engineered heavy metal fans is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Bhupinder Dhir. (2010) Use of aquatic plants in removing heavy metals from wastewater. Int. J. Environmental Engineering, 2(1/2/3), 185-201. info:/
topics
join us!
Do you write about peer-reviewed research in your blog? Use ResearchBlogging.org to make it easy for your readers — and others from around the world — to find your serious posts about academic research.
If you don't have a blog, you can still use our site to learn about fascinating developments in cutting-edge research from around the world.
