295 posts · 161,467 views
I received a PhD in analytical chemistry in Sep 2005, completed postdoctoral research in Jun 2007, and taught chemistry survey and organic chemistry from Sep 2009 - May 2010. I am currently a freelance technical science editor. Phased presents science journalism written for a lay audience. My goal is to discuss technical content (from the technical journals) without sacrificing readability. The topical focus is diverse, but tends to focus on chemistry, technology, and cell biology.
Phased
295 posts
Sort by Latest Post, Most Popular
View by Condensed, Full
- September 9, 2010
- 06:30 PM
- 552 views
Predicting Drug Tolerance via Biochemical Feedback Elucidation
by Michael Long in Phased
Peer Bork (European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany) and coworkers' computational analysis suggests that at least 8% of proteins are subject to drug-induced feedback loops, and therefore less susceptible to effective drug targeting. This news feature was written on September 9, 2010.... Read more »
Iskar, M., Campillos, M., Kuhn, M., Jensen, L. J., van Noort, V., & Bork, P. (2010) Drug-Induced Regulation of Target Expression. PLoS Computational Biology, 6(9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000925
- September 9, 2010
- 10:58 AM
- 346 views
The Younger Dryas Cooling was Limited to the Northern Hemisphere
by Michael Long in Phased
Michael Kaplan (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, United States) and coworkers report that the dramatic Younger Dryas cooling in the Northern Hemisphere was not manifested globally. This news feature was written on September 9, 2010.... Read more »
Kaplan, M. R., Schaefer, J. M., Denton, G. H., Barrell, D. J. A., Chinn, T. J. H., Putnam, A. E., Andersen, B. G., Finkel, R. C., Schwartz, R., & Doughty, A. M. (2010) Glacier retreat in New Zealand during the Younger Dryas stadial. Nature, 467(7312), 194-197. DOI: 10.1038/nature09313
- September 7, 2010
- 07:50 PM
- 433 views
Detecting Explosives with Nematodes
by Michael Long in Phased
Stephen Trowell (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Entomology and Food Futures Flagship, Australia) and coworkers have shown that nematodes exhibit a selective positive chemotaxis response to airborne cyclohexanone, a solvent present in some explosives, in at least the low parts per million range. This news feature was written on September 7, 2010.... Read more »
Liao, C., Gock, A., Michie, M., Morton, B., Anderson, A., & Trowell, S. (2010) Behavioural and Genetic Evidence for C. elegans' Ability to Detect Volatile Chemicals Associated with Explosives. PLoS ONE, 5(9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012615
- September 5, 2010
- 01:45 PM
- 531 views
Antibiotic Resistance via Bacterial Charity
by Michael Long in Phased
James Collins (Boston University, United States) and coworkers have investigated the basis of antibiotic resistance from a communal perspective. This news feature was written on September 5, 2010.... Read more »
Lee H. H., Molla M. N., Cantor C. R., & Collins J. J. (2010) Bacterial charity work leads to population-wide resistance. Nature, 467(7311), 82-5. PMID: 20811456
- September 2, 2010
- 11:33 AM
- 447 views
Racial Bias of Adult Sensitivity to Infant Facial Care-Seeking Cues
by Michael Long in Phased
John Hodsoll (Queen Mary University, United Kingdom) and coworkers have shown that preferential adult attention to infant facial features is affected by the race of the infant relative to that of the adult, suggesting an influence of experience and environment. This news feature was written on September 2, 2010.... Read more »
Hodsoll, J., Quinn, K. A., & Hodsoll, S. (2010) Attentional Prioritization of Infant Faces Is Limited to Own-Race Infants. PLoS ONE, 5(9). info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0012509
- August 31, 2010
- 08:50 PM
- 314 views
Seabird Bycatch via Deep Sea Longlines is Vastly Understated
by Michael Long in Phased
Eric Gilman (Hawaii Pacific University, United States) and coworkers' 15-year study strongly suggests that deep sea longlines understate seabird bycatch by approximately 50%, reinforcing the serious threat to birds posed by longline fisheries. This news feature was written on August 31, 2010.... Read more »
Brothers, N., Duckworth, A. R., Safina, C., & Gilman, E. L. (2010) Seabird Bycatch in Pelagic Longline Fisheries Is Grossly Underestimated when Using Only Haul Data. PLoS ONE, 5(8). info:/10.1371/journal.pone.0012491
- August 30, 2010
- 10:05 PM
- 534 views
All Thirteen Priority Elemental Pollutants Emitted via Oil Sand Extraction
by Michael Long in Phased
David Schindler (University of Alberta, Canada) and coworkers have thoroughly destroyed the claim that oil sand extraction, as currently practiced, is safe for the environment. This news feature was written on August 30, 2010.... Read more »
Kellya, E. N., Schindlera, D. W., Hodsonb, P. V., Shortc, J. W., Radmanovicha, R., & Nielsena, C. C. (2010) Oil sands development contributes elements toxic at low concentrations to the Athabasca River and its tributaries. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. info:/10.1073/pnas.1008754107
- August 29, 2010
- 04:45 PM
- 696 views
A Mathematical Description of Cell Aggregate Mechanical Deformation
by Michael Long in Phased
Luigi Preziosi (Politecnico di Torino, Italy) and coworkers have developed a mathematical model for the mechanical stress experienced by cell aggregates, relevant to cellular function in normal health (blood flow) and disease (cancer). This news feature was written on August 29, 2010.... Read more »
Preziosi, L., Ambrosi, D., & Verdier, C. (2010) An elasto-visco-plastic model of cell aggregates. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 262(1), 35-47. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.08.023
- August 28, 2010
- 03:40 PM
- 349 views
Social vs Physical Causality Cognition in Chimpanzees and Bonobos
by Michael Long in Phased
Esther Herrmann (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany) and coworkers have found that, relative to each other, bonobos possess a superior grasp of social causality, while chimpanzees possess a superior grasp of physical causality. This news feature was written on August 28, 2010.... Read more »
Herrmann, E., Hare, B., Call, J., & Tomasello, M. (2010) Differences in the Cognitive Skills of Bonobos and Chimpanzees. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012438
- August 26, 2010
- 07:20 PM
- 482 views
Improved Protein Minimotif Prediction for Drug Development
by Michael Long in Phased
Sanguthevar Rajasekaran (University of Connecticut, United States), Martin Schiller (University of Nevada Las Vegas, United States), and coworkers have improved upon Minimotif Miner computer software for predicting functional relationships among proteins, relevant to drug discovery. This news feature was written on August 26, 2010.... Read more »
Rajasekaran, S., Mi, T., Merlin, J. C., Oommen, A., Gradie, P., & Schiller, M. R. (2010) Partitioning of Minimotifs Based on Function with Improved Prediction Accuracy. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012276
- August 25, 2010
- 06:50 PM
- 595 views
Correlating Drug Side Effects, Biochemical Pathways, and Diseases
by Michael Long in Phased
The computational model of Izhar Wallach, Navdeep Jaitly, and Ryan Lilien (Unversity of Toronto, Canada) will accelerate drug development, and help scientists understand the origin of adverse drug side effects. This news feature was written on August 25, 2010.... Read more »
Wallach, I., Jaitly, N., & Lilien, R. (2010) A Structure-Based Approach for Mapping Adverse Drug Reactions to the Perturbation of Underlying Biological Pathways. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012063
- August 24, 2010
- 08:15 PM
- 274 views
Ant Nestmate Recognition is Fast and Dynamic with Minimal Neural Processing
by Michael Long in Phased
Nathalie Stroeymeyt (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) and coworkers have shown that ant chemical recognition of nestmates can be fast, is adaptable to evolving conditions, and does not require extensive neural processing. This news feature was written on August 24, 2010.... Read more »
Stroeymeyt, N., Guerrieri, F. J., van Zweden, J. S., & d'Ettorre, P. (2010) Rapid Decision-Making with Side-Specific Perceptual Discrimination in Ants. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012377
- August 23, 2010
- 09:05 PM
- 529 views
A Web Server for Identifying the "Hot Spot" of Protein-Protein Interfaces
by Michael Long in Phased
Narcis Fernandez-Fuentes (University of Leeds, United Kingdom) and coworkers' web server will greatly accelerate the development of drugs which target protein-protein interfaces. This news feature was written on August 23, 2010.... Read more »
Segura Mora, J. S., Assi, S. A., & Fernandez-Fuentes, N. (2010) Presaging Critical Residues in Protein interfaces-Web Server (PCRPi-W): A Web Server to Chart Hot Spots in Protein Interfaces. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012352
- August 23, 2010
- 04:00 PM
- 329 views
Why Do Orb-Weaving Spiders Decorate Their Webs?
by Michael Long in Phased
Daiqin Li (National University of Singapore) and coworkers have shown that silk decorations help orb-weaving spiders attract prey, although the jury is still out on the effect of dead plant matter decorations and their effect on predator defense. This news feature was written on August 23, 2010.... Read more »
Tan, E. J., Seah, S. W. H., Yap, L.-M. Y. L, Goh, P. M., Gan, W., Liu, F., & Li, D. (2010) Why do orb-weaving spiders (Cyclosa ginnaga) decorate their webs with silk spirals and plant detritus?. Animal Behaviour, 79(1), 179-186. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.10.025
- August 21, 2010
- 01:20 PM
- 313 views
Reef Heterogeneity Can Mask No-Take Marine Reserve Efficacy
by Michael Long in Phased
Brittany Huntington (University of Miami, United States) and coworkers have disentangled the complexity underlying a rigorous evaluation of no-take marine reserve efficacy, demonstrating conservation benefits that are commonly overlooked. This news feature was written on August 21, 2010.... Read more »
Huntington, B. E., Karnauskas, M., Babcock, E. A., & Lirman, D. (2010) Untangling Natural Seascape Variation from Marine Reserve Effects Using a Landscape Approach. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012327
- August 20, 2010
- 04:10 PM
- 727 views
Genome-Scale Epigenetic Marker Detection Across Populations
by Michael Long in Phased
Lior Pachter (University of California at Berkeley, United States) and coworkers have developed MetMap software for uncovering epigenetic data hidden by standard MethylSeq analysis, which will advance our understanding of the role of epigenetics in human health and medicine. This news feature was written on August 20, 2010.... Read more »
Singer, M., Boffelli, D., Dhahbi, J., Schoenhuth, A., Schroth, G. P., Martin, D. I. K., & Pachter, L. (2010) MetMap Enables Genome-Scale Methyltyping for Determining Methylation States in Populations. PLoS Computational Biology, 6(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000888
- August 18, 2010
- 09:20 PM
- 399 views
PAINTing Individual Protein Molecules in Neural Synapses
by Michael Long in Phased
Laurent Cognet (Universite de Bordeaux, France) and coworkers have used PAINT microscopy to track tens of thousands of protein binding events in cell membranes within a few minutes, extremely useful for unraveling secrets of cell membrane physiology. This news feature was written on August 18, 2010.... Read more »
Giannone, G., Hosy, E., Levet, F., Constals, A., Schulze, K., Sobolevsky, A. I., Rosconi, M. P., Gouaux, E., Tampé, R., & Choquet, D. (2010) Dynamic Superresolution Imaging of Endogenous Proteins on Living Cells at Ultra-High Density. Biophysical Journal, 99(4), 1303-1310. DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.06.005
- August 18, 2010
- 03:00 PM
- 338 views
Direct Yearly Cost of Scientific Misconduct in the United States May Exceed $100 Million USD
by Michael Long in Phased
Arthur Michalek (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, United States) and coworkers show that scientific misconduct costs a tremendous amount of money, and is definitely not a "victimless crime." This news feature was written on August 18, 2010.... Read more »
Michalek, A. M., Hutson, A. D., Wicher, C. P., & Trump, D. L. (2010) The Costs and Underappreciated Consequences of Research Misconduct: A Case Study. PLoS Medicine, 7(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000318
- August 17, 2010
- 03:25 PM
- 421 views
The Future of Scientific Research in the United States
by Michael Long in Phased
Is science "unimportant" to your life? Really? Eugene Kolker (Seattle Children's Research Institute, United States) and coworkers have shown that science and engineering research, critical for the advancement of human civilization, has recently been dominated by the United States, but faces increasing competition from the European Union and China. This news feature was written on August 17, 2010.... Read more »
Hather, G. J., Haynes, W., Higdon, R., Kolker, N., Stewart, E. A., Arzberger, P., Chain, P., Field, D., Franza, B. R., Lin, B.... (2010) The United States of America and Scientific Research. PLoS ONE, 5(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012203
- August 16, 2010
- 01:30 PM
- 340 views
Epigenetics of Blood Stem Cell Differentiation
by Michael Long in Phased
Andrew Feinberg (John Hopkins University, United States) and coworkers have investigated the epigenetic basis of blood stem cell differentiation into leukocytes and lymphocytes. This news feature was written on August 16, 2010.... Read more »
Ji, H., Ehrlich, L. I. R., Seita, J., Murakami, P., Doi, A., Lindau, P., Lee, H., Aryee, M. J., Irizarry, R. A., Kim, K.... (2010) Comprehensive methylome map of lineage commitment from haematopoietic progenitors. Nature. info:/10.1038/nature09367
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.
