A pharmacist and a little science sideblog. "Knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world." - Louis Pasteur
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Latest Posts by contradictiontonature - Page 3
Watch: Bill Nye uses science to defend women’s reproductive rights
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Today is UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
We’ve pulled together this collection of quotes from inspiring women who have made huge contributions in their scientific fields.
Please share this inspiration!
NASA unveils greatest views of the aurorae ever, from space in HD
“When the free electrons finally find the ions they bind to, they drop down in energy, creating an incredible display of colorful possibilities. Of all of them, it’s the oxygen (mostly, with the strong emission line at 558 nanometers) and the nitrogen (secondary, with the smaller line at a slightly higher wavelength) that create the familiar, spectacular green color we most commonly associate with aurorae, but blues and reds — often at higher altitudes — are sometimes possible, too, with contributions from all three of the major atmospheric elements and their combinations.”
The northern (aurora borealis) and southern (aurora australis) lights are caused by a combination of three phenomena on our world, that make our aurorae unique among all worlds in our solar system:
Outbursts from the Sun that can go in any direction,
Our magnetic field, that funnels charged particles into circles around the poles,
And our atmospheric composition, that causes the colors and the displays we see.
Put all of these together and add in a 4k camera aboard the ISS, and you’ve got an outstanding recipe for the greatest aurora video ever composed. Here’s the in-depth science behind it, too.
Getting Enraged By Specific Noises Has A Genuine Neurological Basis. Does the sound of whistling enrage you? How about the noise of someone eating? It now seems likely that those people who get infuriated by certain sounds might not just be being fussy, but actually have brains hardwired to produce an excessive emotional response to particular noises.
These are rainbow eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus deglupta) and hail from the Philippine Islands.
The trees get their name from the striking colours observed on their trunks and limbs. Although it may look like someone took a paintbrush to them, these colours are entirely natural. Unlike most trees, the rainbow eucalyptus does not have a thick, cork-like layer of bark on its trunk. The bark is smooth and as it grows it ‘exfoliates’ layers of spent tissue. This exfoliation technique occurs at different stages and in different zones of the tree.
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Even after someone is declared dead, life continues in the body, suggests a surprising new study with important implications.
Gene expression — when information stored in DNA is converted into instructions for making proteinsor other molecules — actually increases in some cases after death, according to the new paper, which tracked postmortem activity and is published in the journal Open Biology.
“Not all cells are ‘dead’ when an organism dies,” senior author Peter Noble of the University of Washington and Alabama State University told Seeker. “Different cell types have different life spans, generation times and resilience to extreme stress.”
In fact, some cells seem to fight to live after the organism has died.
“It is likely that some cells remain alive and are attempting to repair themselves, specifically stem cells,” Noble said.
Even after someone is declared dead, life continues in the body, suggests a surprising new study with important implications.
Gene expression — when information stored in DNA is converted into instructions for making proteinsor other molecules — actually increases in some cases after death, according to the new paper, which tracked postmortem activity and is published in the journal Open Biology.
“Not all cells are ‘dead’ when an organism dies,” senior author Peter Noble of the University of Washington and Alabama State University told Seeker. “Different cell types have different life spans, generation times and resilience to extreme stress.”
In fact, some cells seem to fight to live after the organism has died.
“It is likely that some cells remain alive and are attempting to repair themselves, specifically stem cells,” Noble said.
Art and science in beautiful conversation!
Here’s a 30-something Santiago Ramón y Cajal hanging out in his library:
For more, check out this article or visit the Weisman Art Museum in Minnesota before May 21.
Images courtesy of Instituto Cajal del Consjo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid
Brain Parasites: part II.
Taenia solium:
The pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, is the most harmful tapeworm in humans. Taenia solium infection is acquired either from human feces that contains Taenia solium eggs or from uncooked pork which contains larval cysts. If larvae are ingested, they mature into adults in the small intestine. This infection type is called taeniasis and is often asymptomatic. If eggs are ingested, the resulting disease is cysticercosis. It gets its name from larval Taenia solium called cysticercus. Both diseases are common in Africa, Asia, South America and Southern Europe. Taeniasis is rare in Muslim countries since people there do not consume pork.
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The multiverse might not be madness after all.
Alternate realities, parallel dimensions, and multiple universes. Whatever you call it, the notion of other versions of existence is one of the most popular tropes in science fiction. In some other universe, you’re not reading this sentence but skydiving. In another, you’re nothing but a cockroach. In yet another, not only is life impossible, but atoms don’t even exist.
In recent years, though, such seemingly crazy ideas have shifted from fantasy and speculation toward bona fide science. Even among physicists, the multiverse has gone mainstream.
Theoretically, infinite universes might stretch beyond our own, like endless bubbles in a sea of boiling water. Each bubble has its own laws of physics, and although we may never visit or even see another bubble, some physicists say growing evidence is making the multiverse increasingly plausible—and even probable. Learn more here.
Quote by #rosalindfranklin How do you make science a part of your life? What are you doing to fight for scientific literacy? More quotes and questions in my #ilovescience journal. #womeninscience #scientificliteracy
Leopard shark makes world-first switch from sexual to asexual reproduction
A leopard shark in an Australian aquarium has reproduced asexually after being separated from her mate.
It is the first reported case of a shark switching from sexual to asexual or parthenogenetic reproduction and only the third reported case among all vertebrate species.
The leopard shark, Leonie, was captured in the wild in 1999 and introduced to a male shark at the Reef HQ aquarium in Townsville, Queensland, in 2006. Leopard sharks are also known as zebra sharks.
One of the baby sharks born to leopard sharks at Reef HQ aquarium in Townsville, who have produced live young through asexual reproduction. Photograph: Tourism and Events Queensland
Leonie, the world’s first shark known to have switched from sexual to asexual reproduction, at Reef HQ aquarium in Townsville. Photograph: Tourism and Events Queensland
With the simplest assumptions, you end up with eternal inflation and the multiverse. Being conservative on that front lands you at this radical thing.
Physicist Andreas Albrecht of the University of California, Davis. The idea of a multiverse might not be as crazy as it sounds. (via sciencefriday)
Popcorn’s explosive pop looks pretty cool in high-speed video, but just watching it with a regular camera doesn’t show everything that’s going on. If we take a look at it through schlieren optics, the kernel’s pop looks even more extraordinary:
The schlieren technique reveals density differences in the gases around the corn–effectively allowing us to see what is invisible to the naked eye. The popcorn kernel acts like a pressure vessel until the expansion of steam inside causes its shell to rupture. The first hints of escaping steam send droplets of oil shooting upward. The kernel may hop as steam pours out the rupture point, causing the turbulent billowing seen in the animation above. As the heat causes legs of starch to expand out of the kernel, they can push off the ground and propel the popcorn higher. As for the eponymous popping sound, that is the result of escaping water vapor, not the actual rupture or rebound of the kernel! See more of the invisible world surrounding a popping kernel in the video below. (Image credits: Warped Perception, source; Bell Labs Ireland, source; WP video via Gizmodo; BLI video submitted by Kevin)
Quote from #JaneGoodall primatologist and anthropologist. More quotes like this to inspire you in my new journal I Love Science, in stores March but ready for preorder now! #womeninscience #ilovescience #anthropology #scientificliteracy
This massive virus with its own immune system could hold the future of medicine
French researchers think they’ve found a giant virus big enough to house its own virus-killing devices using a system like CRISPR, and it could be a completely new form of life.
Called a mimivirus, it was first found growing in amoebae in a water tower. At four times the size of a typical virus, you can even see it under a light microscope
When the mimivirus encounters another virus, it stores some of the invader’s genetic material. That way, when it encounters the same kind of virus again, the MIMIVIRE system goes into gene-editing berserker mode, finding the key genes of the virus and cutting them to inert oblivion. This could have major applications.
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Quote from Sau Lan Wu, scientist who discovered the #higgsboson. More quotes like this one to inspire you in my I Love Science Journal coming to stores in March. Preorder now on Amazon! #ilovescience #womeninscience #scientificliteracy
Solidification of liquid Gallium
Gallium is a chemical element with symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Gallium is a soft, silvery metal, and elemental gallium is a brittle solid at low temperatures, and melts at 29.76 °C (85.57 °F) (slightly above room temperature). Elemental gallium is not found in nature, but it is easily obtained by smelting.
Gallium metal expands by 3.1% when it solidifies, and therefore storage in either glass or metal containers are avoided, due to the possibility of container rupture with freezing. Gallium shares the higher-density liquid state with only a few materials, like water, silicon,germanium, bismuth, and plutonium.
Giffed by: rudescience From: This video
Birch reduction in ethylamine as a solvent.
Birch reduction is a really special thing in organic chemistry, it’s a dissolving metal reduction, that uses alkali metals, most often lithium or sodium and in most cases liquid ammonia as a solvent.
Liquid ammonia is a quite nasty thing, it boils at -33.34 °C, and has a really bad odor, so dry ice based cooling mixtures should be used for these reactions. However, in some cases, other amines, like ethylamine could be used instead of the liquid ammonia, and in this case normal ice based cooling mixtures are also good, since ethylamine boils at ~20 °C.
The mechanism of the Birch reduction has been the subject of much discussion, but it involves radical steps and solvated electrons that could result the deep color as seen on the above picture/gifs.
For more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_reduction
Molecule of the Day: Limonene
d-Limonene (C10H16) is a naturally occurring, chiral cyclic hydrocarbon with an orangey scent, and is found in citrus peels and citrus essential oils. It is a colourless liquid that is immiscible with water at room temperature and pressure.
Limonene undergoes reactions typical of an alkene, such as electrophilic addition and oxidative cleavage. It is biosynthesised from geranyl pyrophosphate in plants, and is classified as a terpene.
While limonene can be synthesised in the lab, as shown below, it is produced industrially from the steam distillation of citrus peels due to its natural abundance. Furthermore, citrus peels are a by-product of orange juice manufacturing, which makes it environmentally-friendly.
Limonene is commonly used in perfumes, soaps, and foods due to its fresh, citrus-like scent, and can also act as a pesticide. It is gaining prominence as an environmentally-friendly solvent and paint stripper. However, it is also a skin sensitiser, as it can dissolve the oils and fat underneath the skin!
Links:
Extraction of limonene from orange peels - YouTube
Dissolving styrofoam using limonene - YouTube
The Blue Lava of Kawah Ijen Volcano. The ‘blue lavas’ are a rare phenomenon, only visible on the Kawah Ijen Volcano, in Indonesia. It may look like the volcano is spewing blue lava, but in fact, the shocking blue fire occurs when the volcanic sulphuric gases combust. Emerging from cracks in the volcano’s side, these gases ignite when coming into contact with air. It’s not actual blue lava, but blue flames. (video)
A required read from Michael Oman-Reagan.
This is all true. This all happened in Canada, and its very likely it will happen in the USA under Trump and be worse than Harper’s crackdown on Science ever was.
Links cited in this twitter essay:
The Big Chill: “Scientists Can’t Do the Job They Were Hired to Do”
More than 1000 Jobs Lost, Climate Program Hit Hard in Coming Environment Canada Cuts
Harper Government Trashes Another Federal Science Library
Federal scientists closely monitored during polar conference
Science Silenced: US Scientist Caught in Canadian Muzzle Climate-change scientists feel ‘muzzled’ by Ottawa: Documents
The Canadian War on Science: A long, unexaggerated, devastating chronological indictment
http://ourrighttoknow.ca/
http://write2know.ca/
https://evidencefordemocracy.ca
Antibody Therapy Creates New Opportunities For Treating Brain Diseases
Immunotherapy has proven to be effective against many serious diseases. But to treat diseases in the brain, the antibodies must first get past the obstacle of the blood-brain barrier. In a new study, a research group at Uppsala University describes their development of a new antibody design that increases brain uptake of antibodies almost 100-fold.
Immunotherapy entails treatment with antibodies; it is the fastest growing field in pharmaceutical development. In recent years, immunotherapy has successfully been used to treat cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, and the results of clinical studies look very promising for several other diseases. Antibodies are unique in that they can be modified to strongly bind to almost any disease-causing protein. In other words, major potential exists for new antibody-based medicines.
The problem with immunotherapy for diseases affecting the brain is that the brain is protected by a very tight layer of cells, called the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier effectively prevents large molecules, such as antibodies, from passing from the bloodstream into the brain. It has therefore been difficult to use immunotherapy to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, which affect the brain, as well as cancerous tumours in the brain.
It has been known for a long time that some large proteins are actively transported across the blood-brain barrier. These include a protein called transferrin, whose primary task is to bind to iron in the blood and then transport it to the brain. The research group behind this new study has taken advantage of this process and modified the antibodies they want to transport into the brain using components that bind to the transferrin receptor. Then, like a Trojan horse, the receptor transports antibodies into the brain. The number of modifications to and placement of the antibodies have proven to be important factors for making this process as effective as possible.
“Bivalent Brain Shuttle Increases Antibody Uptake by Monovalent Binding to the Transferrin Receptor” by Greta Hultqvist, Stina Syvänen, Xiaotian T Fang, Lars Lannfelt, and Dag Sehlin in Theranostics. Published online January 2017 doi:10.7150/thno.17155
The green antibody is modified using two components that bind to the transferrin receptor and enable the antibody to pass through the blood-brain barrier. The components are placed in such a way that prevents them from being able to bind simultaneously. The placement is important, because otherwise the antibody would not detach on the far side of the blood-brain barrier. NeuroscienceNews.com image is credited to Greta Hultqvist.
Blood is red, urine is yellow, and faeces are brown. Why? Chemistry*! *Disclaimer: shout-outs to biology and physics too.
Antibiotic Resistance Will Soon Hit the Tipping Point, Unless We Act
Antibiotic Resistance Will Soon Hit the Tipping Point, Unless We Act
Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are enough of a severe, genuine threat to global populations that the UN has placed the issue on par with the spread of Ebola and HIV. The livestock industry is a major factor contributing to the rapid proliferation of these superbugs, swift action is required.