Archive for the ‘A Serious Moment’ Category
Cancer Genomes Revealed: Sun And Smoke Have A Lot (Of Mutations) To Answer For
December 16th, 2009 | 
Author: 
A large collaborative effort has sequenced the entire genomes of two of the most common cancer types: skin (’melanoma‘) and lung (’small-cell lung cancer)’. The scientists involved report tens of thousands of mutations in the tumors’ genomes, and speculate that their work may expedite the development of specific drugs to treat these diseases.
Hoorah!
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City In North Carolina Bars Democratically Elected Official From Office For Being An Atheist
These are strange times. On the one hand, mankind is photographing individual molecules, smashing space rockets into the moon and flinging together sub-atomic particles in the hope of observing the most fundamental units of our universe.
And on the other: they’re barring a guy from taking elected office in the USA because he doesn’t believe in gods.
Jesus, as they say, wept. Read the rest of this entry »
Scientists Cure Huntington’s Disease In Mice
Work carried out at several North American research institutes, and headed by Dr Stuart Lipton,has come up with a novel strategy for treating the terrible neurodegenerative condition called Huntington’s Disease (or Huntington’s Chorea).
They used a mouse model of the disease and found that, in the mice at least, disease progress can be halted by a drug currently being used to treat patients with Alzheimer’s. Read the rest of this entry »
FDA Propose A Major Buzzkill: No More Caffeinated Beers?
We are once again in debt to Eric Spitler for the accompanying image. Why not go and check the fellow out at EricSpitler.com?
The FDA is a marvelous institution. Just look at their recent efforts to stamp out the con artists producing useless swine flu cures. But sometimes they go beyond their remit.
Yes, we would like to be protected from scamsters. Yes, we would prefer it if new drugs were thoroughly tested before we were prescribed them.
But do we want you telling us that we can’t have a couple of Red Bull/Jaegermeister DeathBombs on a Friday night? We. Do. Not.
Read on, as we tell you how the FDA is planning to crash our party. Read the rest of this entry »
Going Naked To Beat Cancer, Part Two: Nude Mice
If you arrived here after an internet search for ‘nude mice‘, then you’re either in need of psychiatric care, or else you’d like some more information on a very important laboratory animal. Or both.
Either way: welcome!
Our recent story, describing the significance of the naked mole rat in cancer research, reminded us of another example of nudity in this field. And so we give to you the nude mouse: over 40 years at the forefront of the race to develop new treatments for cancer and other diseases. Read the rest of this entry »
The Hajj And H1N1: Religious Pilgrimage And Epidemiology
The scientific and religious worlds are soon to collide in an unusual way (that is, one which doesn’t involve Richard Dawkins, a Southern minister, and several tedious hours spent shouting questions at each other about the shape of giraffe’s intestines and the discovery of fish fossils on mountaintops). No, this time the stakes are rather higher than a bruised ego: they could include the welfare of millions of citizens during the winter months.
The reason is that muslims are about to perform their divine duty, and gather together in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to…well, whatever it is that religious people do when they arrive in the most magical of their magic places. Take drugs and smile stupidly, if our experience at the Led Zeppelin reunion gig is anything to go by.
Anyway, here is how this mass gathering may impact the entire world. Read the rest of this entry »