Science this Week

Another Week, More Science

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/uoc--pbb011613.php Solar power more efficient than biofuels.
http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/11162 Using snail teeth to make better solar cells and lithium batteries. It is always interesting to study how Mother Nature does it to get ideas on how we can do it.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/acs-nsr011613.php Super-omniphobic surfaces. Surfaces which repel all liquids. This is a useful thing to develop.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/ru-npf011513.php Prohibition should be repealed.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/lu-bfs011813.php Interesting development in nano-wire solar cells.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/cu-sg011713.php Interesting use of old chemistry for new technology. A rigid polymer filter for separating gases.
http://www3.uni-bonn.de/Pressemitteilungen/008-2013 Viagra causes fat loss, more testing needed.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/asa-pfh011513.php Parents financial support to college students increases chance of graduation, but reduces GPA. Life is complicated.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/du-nsp011713.php New toy for the spy guys. Impressive development.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/wuso-gma013013.php Poor microbial communities in the stomach cause or increase malnutrition.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/aiop-tte020113.php Brilliant work on studying how antibiotic resistance evolves.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/aiop-iut020113.php Temperature mapping inside individual cells. A major development in studying cell metabolism.
http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=24890&news_item=6000 mass media, fashion experts and consultants more stupid than other industries.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uoo-rtd020113.php Interesting development in graphene manufacture.
http://www.springer.com/about springer/media/springer select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1403841-0 An article on weaknesses involved in computer simulations. A very important potential source of error. Articles like this are very important to the future of science as computers become more and more capable and relied upon.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/uom-jbb012913.php Jocks beat college students on brain test. The headline says bookworms. There is a difference between a college student and a bookworm. The college student is not necessarily dedicated to actually learning anything. Bookworms actually love to learn. An average university student is a person with no motivation doing what he or she has to do to get by.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/du-nms013113.php Interesting now nano-structure approach to bacteria resistant paints.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/au-hl020613.php Interesting article on biofuel mass production.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/vt-vsb020813.php Microbe which can cause cancer, ulcers and gatritis may also help provent diabetes and obesity. Life is complicated.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/sri-cdb020613.php Important work in therapy for heart attack and similar problems.
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/rele...approach-transforms-imaging-technologies.html Using modeling algorithms to sort data to get better images.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/dci-nsp020713.php Nice work fighting arthritis and other auto-immune system diseases.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/wios-agd020613.php Promising early work in nano-medicine.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uond-cad020813.php Interesting bit on human mating behavior.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/sfpa-hco020713.php More on human mating behavior.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/hcfa-epa020513.php Lots of habitable planets within twenty or thirty light years of earth.
http://www.eos.unh.edu/news/indiv_news.shtml?NEWS_ID=1370 Important work in understanding our Solar System environment.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/wuar-urd021113.php Interesting work looking for the general rules which govern complex systems.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/acs-apt021313.php Promising development in crop pest control.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/acs-m021313.php Interesting study about hidden toxins in grains.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/cwru-so020713.php How imperfectly evolved we are.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/giot-apc021113.php Amazing scary stuff in wound treatment, in development.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/aiob-ssa020813.php Ignorance is the major source of evil in the world. Not the point of the article. The article is an example of this. It suggests that the government take a stronger role in manipulating behavioral norms. This is traditionally a role for religion. Every instance in history where this role was united with the state has been a failure. The money and power of the state corrupts the moral authority of the church. No one takes it seriously as a moral authority. The compulsory adherence to the church supported by the states means that there is no personal commitment to its moral teaching. Again it fails to perform its role. So, this idea has failed in numerous accidental experiments in the past, and should not be repeated.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/tkai-kdw021213.php Nice work on transmitting power over short distances for mass transportation.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/sfri-ppp020513.php "Process praise, when parents praise the effort children make, leads children to be more persistent and perform better on challenging tasks, while person praise (praising the individual) leads children to be less persistent and perform worse on such tasks." An important lesson if you are around children.
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2013/02/016.html The Leprechaun's magical secret, how to catch rainbows. Interesting materials science work.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/sfri-nsa020513.php Negative stereotypes about boys hinder their academic achievements. How times have changed.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/aiop-mso021313.php Nice work on improving the efficiency of ion thrusters.
http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=5562 Promising work on converting heat to electricity more conveniently and efficiently.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/asfm-wsb022113.php Why sourdough bread resists mold. Nice to know.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/plos-met021513.php Mosquitoes can learn to ignore repellent.
http://www.csiro.au/en/Portals/Media/CSIRO-solar-sponge-soaks-up-CO2-emissions.aspx Nice work creating CO2 absorbing materials.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/asoa-rmd021813.php What is it about horsemeat? Unwanted horsemeat in people food, not enough horsemeat to feed big cats in zoos. Is the world just totally irrational on the issue?
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/nu-ast021513.php Interesting development in fighting biofilms.
https://www.uta.edu/news/releases/2013/02/carbondioxide-methanol.php Using sunlight and a catalyst to convert CO2 from fuel back into fuel thus removing it from the air. Promising.
http://www.kit.edu/visit/pi_2013_12623.php New and better LED's using nanotechnology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/apa-ira022113.php Giving to others makes us feel better.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/umso-pcd022013.php A sense of empowerment and decision making.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/aquarius/news/data-first-year.html How salty is the sea? A couple of really nice videos showing annual fluctuations in salt levels.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/euot-iot022713.php Hmm, plastic circuits which monitor food for freshness.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/msu-wi022513.php Genetically modifying plants to produce more oil. Interesting work.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/acs-ana022713.php Amazing nanomaterials, again. Interesting application of nanoscale structures.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/plos-hih022213.php To me, very counter-intuitive. Flu virus becomes less dangerous in humid atmosphere.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uonc-rss022613.php Interesting research on large scale wind farm impacts and efficiency.
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S36/12/94E59/ Important work on predicting disease organisms reactions to changes in the climate. Really nice theory with interesting research.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/pifc-we022513.php Possibly significant work on subtle large scale patterns of weather.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/lb-con022813.php Promising new method of studying changes in the brain associated with various pathologies.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uoc--nsc022813.php Interesting scientific work on understanding acne and how to prevent acne pimples.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/foas-pmb022813.php Pregnancy can suppress the immune system, producing reduction of arthritis and other autoimmune disease. Birth control pills can have a similar effect. This can cure some problems and make other problems worse. This study helps to explain how this happens.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/dumc-bia022713.php Wooo! Scary science. As is this, https://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2013/02/wireless
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uotf-psa022813.php Testing for diseases is making amazing progress.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/miot-ruc022713.php Promising work on fighting cancer.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/iop-rlt022513.php Interesting work on detecting stress.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/hfae-wdi022713.php Not using ergonomics in designing drone pilot workstations may be causing multimillion dollar accidents.
http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/narayan-electric-2013/ Nice work improving sintering.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/asoa-sit030613.php Frankenpork. Genetically modified pigs which can digest food nutrients more effectively to use their feed more effectively. Interesting.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoea-fid030613.php Deer population bomb in the UK.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/ip-std030613.php Better recognition software for fruit varieties. Impressive development.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/su-ssc030813.php Very interesting paper on energy storage for the grid. http://canal.ugr.es/production-technologies/item/63528 turning surplus electricity into fuel by taking carbon out of the air is another option which new technology may make viable.
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=127133&org=NSF&from=news Interesting article on global temperature over the last twelve thousand years or so.
http://www.melisainstitute.com/pr-03082013-english.html Abortion tied to violence against women.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/nios-nqr030813.php Really cool technology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/nios-npi030813.php Nice new way of producing X-rays.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/acs-daa030713.php Interesting work in solar cell improvement.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/acs-air030713.php Microfactory solar powered chemical synthesis. Interesting.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/short-algorithm-long-range-consequences-0301.html Important work in mathematics.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org...ence-explains-patterns-of-moral-behavior.html Interesting research on moral and ethical mindset.
http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2013/03/06/asteroiddeflection Asteroid defense system.

Another week, more science

http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/16247_ENG_HTML.php Copying materials from nature. Nice work.


http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/mar13/concrete31413.html Concrete that is 32% stronger using waste from biofuel. Nice.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoc--gmw030713.php Frankenmilk.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uosc-mcs030813.php Maybe clogged arteries aren't caused by our modern diet. Artherosclerosis detected in mummies around the world.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/su-srm031113.php How to run New York State on green energy.


http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/discovery-could-yield-treatments-for-cocaine-addicts/ Promising research towards treating cocaine addiction.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/e-ttb031213.php Way better than the shock treatment my Uncle Steve used to get.


http://www.kit.edu/visit/pi_2013_12574.php I suspect this is an important building block.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/acs-pei031313.php Heat storage with nanomaterials made from wax and sand.

Another Week, More Science

http://news.ku.dk/all_news/2013/2013.3/squid_dna_tom_inger/ Giant squids are the same species all over the world.


http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/infos...ichlids-prevent-their-young-from-being-eaten/ Adoption in the fish world.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uob-eoe031913.php Analysis of word usage in Google EBooks over the twentieth century shows that books have become less emotional over time, with American books being more emotional than British books.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/gwu-arm031913.php 1.77 billion people in the world use pit latrines. Amazing statistic. Someone needs to promote composting.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/acs-amf032013.php Interesting work on clean coal technology.


http://drexel.edu/now/news-media/releases/archive/2013/March/Nerve-Axon-Growth/ Interesting work on nerve cell regeneration.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/ehs-mci032213.php Healthy food choices is military dining halls.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/gu-mdt032213.php Promising work on fighting malaria.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/bumc-bri032013.php Promising work towards a broad spectrum antiviral.


http://munews.missouri.edu/news-rel...ltery-with-friends’-wives-says-mu-researcher/ Men are biologically programmed not to mess with their friends wives. I suspect feminists will be outraged.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/l-ms032013.php Mediterranean diet cheaper than processed foods in the US. A month or so ago there was a study saying that people in Italy could no longer afford a Mediterranean diet. Interesting.


http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/news/enzymes-allow-dna-to-swap-information-with-exotic-molecules This is a kind of WOW! they can do that science.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/asfm-prs032113.php Naproxen aka Aleve works as a treatment for the flu. Nice.


http://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/short/article/30589/ Nanomechanical computers based on vibrating nanotubes. Interesting.


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoo-tfo032013.php Catalysts for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Another Week, More Science

http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-s...ell-walls-to-boost-sugar-yields-for-biofuels/ Very interesting work on bio-engineered plants for various purposes.
http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10546 Interestng work on getting plants to germinate in hot weather.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/bc-gut032613.php Work on turtle genome. Pythons evolve fast, humans so so, turtles evolve slow. Who knew?
http://blog.smu.edu/research/2013/0...-than-flies-fed-nonorganic-diets-study-finds/ Fun study by a high school student and scientist working together.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoc-dod032113.php Home hydrogen and oxygen generator for energy storage. In the future, but promising.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/acs-tfc032713.php Using bacteria to clean up caffeine pollution in waste water.
http://news.uga.edu/releases/articl...ientists-to-make-fuel-from-co2-in-the-atmosp/ Making organisms which make fuel from air.
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/teachers-gestures-boost-math-learning/ Using gestures helps students learn. Interesting.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uom-lmr032513.php Unexpected Science. It really works that way? kind of stuff.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/mtu-mtr032113.php Printing optical materials for laboratories. Very nice.
http://engineering.stanford.edu/news/new-type-solar-structure-cools-buildings-full-sunlight This is the breakthrough that could really change things paper of the month. Passive cooling, passive refrigeration, and even direct cooling of the globe by shooting straight out to space. The most amazing bit of nano-tech this month.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/tu-uvd032513.php Vegetation in cities is associated with low crime areas.
http://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2013/mar/bp28wilderness.cfm Children safer in the wilderness than at home.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the old version of Everquest.
Everquest is now F2P. Everquest has made the science news a number of times in the past decades. It was the FRPG MMORPG whose economy was larger than that of some third world countries. It made news when people were able to sell their old powerful characters for thousands of dollars. It is something of an ongoing Social Science experiment in virtual reality, economics, sociology, etc.
It recently went F2P. I am not sure exactly when, but I checked its status recently and discovered it was F2P, and so decided to check it out to see how things were.
I used to play. I started on the Stromm server when the Stromm server was new. I played for a few years, never a great player, I spent too much time playing on different servers to see what was what and playing different types and classes, etc.
I stopped a couple of years ago because I got started doing computer art and just ended up not playing and letting my subscription lapse. I played some other F2P games off and on.
Which means I should explain what F2P means. F2P means free to play. You play for free, if you want you buy special items with real money. Mostly vanity items to look kewl. Vanity thy name is bankruptcy. It is a business model I think the Chinese invented. It was successful and has become a standard model. I like it because I don't have to pay a subscription when I am not using the game. I only pay to buy things I want in the game. I believe in supporting game designers.
I have played Perfect World, a chinese game, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons online, and Everquest.
Perfect World has nice pretty graphics but is weak in plot and quest development. Lord of the Rings is at the other extreme with the most plot and quest development towards story telling, which cramps the players freedom. Dungeons and Dragons online is a towards the LotR side of the scale. Everquest is a little more to the Perfect World side of the scale in this dimension.
Everquest, however, has fourteen years of game development behind it, which means that there is a lot of variety and stages of creation incorporated into it. It probably has about five different quest systems, from the very old to the pretty new running side by side. It goes from a very unstructured basic game where you just go out and kill stuff to gain experience to very structured timed team quests in LDON. There is more freedom in Everquest. There is more variety in Everquest. There are more player races in Everquest. The graphics in Everquest are older, and vary with the age of the part of the game you are in.
I did a quick survey of all the servers available in the F2P game. There are a couple of servers not available unless you pay. The servers which are available are the old servers that were available when it was entirely a subscription game. I used to have toons on all of them.
It is worth noting that Everquest keeps your toons on file in case you ever want to start playing the game. So if you ever played Everquest it is likely that you can just log on to the subscription server, put in a request and get your old toons back.
Here is the survey. It is a count of how many traders there are in the bazaar. This provides a rough population estimate for that server.
Antonious Bayle (European Server) 182 traders
Bertoxxolus 279 traders
Bristlebane 246 traders
Cazic Thule 245 traders
Drinal 205 traders
Erollisi Marr 242 traders
Firiona Vie (Roleplaying preferred) 330 traders
Luclin 220 traders
Povar 232 traders
The Rathe 222 traders
Trakanon 1 trader
Tunare 201 traders
Xegony 240 traders
Zek PVP 40 traders
You will notice that they all fall into a similar area except for Zek, which is player vs. player and has never been as popular as the other servers. Firiona Vie has changed its relations with the other servers. Possibly old players fled to it when the game went F2P.
Trakanon is the outlier. The most likely reason for this is it falls into the middle back in order of alphabetical listing. People normally choose front, back, middle in lists. Middle back is probably the last place in a list people choose when just choosing randomly. Then when people do log on, they find no one to play with, and they don't stay, so over time it loses population and does not gain. It is also possible that Trakanon appears dead because of play style and server culture.
There are not as many people in the new players zones on Trakanon as there are on the other servers. This means that if you want to go to a server and look around and not feel like a fool, it might be the one you want. There is almost no one there to notice you.
It is easier to start on the other servers if you know what you are doing. You can sell bone chips and other items in the bazaar for plats and then use the plats to buy magical items to help your character out. This is much easier to do on a server with two hundred traders than on a server with less than ten traders in the Bazaar.
To start on any server, do the tutorial. You will get some good magical items. Then, while the fourteenth anniversary celebration lasts, ends in May, run out of Hollowshade Moor to the right as you leave, click on the PoK book, and grab a festive doll for free from the merchants celebrating the anniversary. Major magical item.
Crescent Reach is the new home city. In the old days each race started in their own home city. No, it's not PC run amok. With fewer new players it makes sense to start them all in the same place so they get a chance to meet each other. All the old home towns and old quests are still there, you just have to run through PoK to get to them.
CR is a lot easier to play in. The mobs don't aggro as much. Magical armor, really good magical armor, drops off as loot frequently. The quests give you really good gear compared to what was available at low levels in the old days. Do the Disgruntled Boawb quest on the second floor of Crescent reach to see what I mean.
So, since it's free, log on, take a look around. Explore one of the olders accidental experiments in virtual reality social science in history.

Another Week, More Science

http://asas.org/membership-services...mposium-highlights-epigenetic-effects-of-milk Milk, it is more subtle than we know.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/vt-bih040313.php Using sugar as an energy source to split water to produce hydrogen. Interesting.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/ip-ppd040313.php Papyrus cleans slaughterhouse waste from water. Interesting.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/osu-do1040113.php Ice cores reveal global climate patterns. Stored for future studies.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/djc-oin040413.php Chemists don't understand Osmosis but Physicists do.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uom-bbb040413.php Promising work on growing new blood vessels.
http://web.mit.edu/press/2013/ionic-thrusters.html This is smart and fun. It bears further investigation.
http://blogs.princeton.edu/research...o-probe-the-universe-physical-review-letters/ Truly interesting thinking.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/cwru-csb040313.php Wow. Nice work on looking for ways to make better materials for medical uses.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/biomedicine/news/item/secrets-of-bacteria-protection-revealed Nice work on attacking biofilms.
There are a number of satellite photos of fires around the world available this week.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130408-indochina.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/20130328-southeastus.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130412-centralamerica.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130408-india.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130409-yucatan.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130409-australia.html
http://asas.org/membership-services...ckens-with-bigger-gizzards-are-more-efficient Breeding chickens to make better use of their feed.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/fiot-ftp040313.php Dark Lightning produces Gamma Rays. Possibly dangerous to airplane passengers.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/nifp-rph040913.php Artificial nerves to bypass injured spine. Promising.

Another week, More Science

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelea...ads_to_other_potential_medical_uses_for_algae Nice work on developing vaccines using algae.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uoic-fni041813.php Important work on finessing the application of fertilizer for plant nutrition.
http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/outreach/slice.html Children will eat sliced fruit more than whole fruit. Nice to know.
http://www.washington.edu/news/2013...inctions-could-boost-food-biofuel-production/ Hippocrates said that there is a poison in every medicine and a medicine in every poison. Hydrogen Sulfide at very small levels makes plants grow faster. At larger levels it kills them. Promising work.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/bawh-bon041113.php Microneedles as a surgical adhesive. Promising work.
http://www.irbbarcelona.org/index.p...revention-of-the-side-effects-caused-by-drugs Very promising work on how to make safer drugs.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/cmu-spg041813.php A nice project to help people.
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=17745 Now this is neat. An elegant method of cleaning antibiotics from wastewater.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/miot-nsc041813.php Interesting development in solar cell technology.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/e-stb041613.php Promising work on treating addiction.
http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2013/04/16/anxious-about-life-tylenol-may-do-the-trick/ Tylenol treats angst. Interesting.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/esfr-mmo041713.php Computers are getting smarter than doctors, in some cases anyway.
http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/wms-davis-toxalgorithm/ Computers helping select relevant studies for scientists to read. Hmmm.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/cns-mta041613.php Good work on the limits of current neuroscience in the Courtroom.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uond-nda041713.php Two potentially habitable planets around the same star. It would make a great setting for a science fiction story.

Another Week, More Science

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uoic-mso042413.php Pig semen does not travel well. Who knew?
http://www.agu.org/news/press/pr_archives/2013/2013-14.shtml Groundfire effects on soil can be counterintuitive.
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/the_asian_monsoon_is_getting_predictable Nice work on predicting monsoons.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/giot-pa041913.php Robot skin which feels. Promising work.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/iop-bsb042413.php Breathalizer for drugs for traffic stops possible.

Another Week, More Science

Lots of fires around the world.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130503-mexico.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130503-russia.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/20130503-california.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130502-southaustralia.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130502-angola.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/usa/20130502-california.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130430-westaustralia.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/20130430-russia.html
http://news.illinois.edu/news/13/0501honey_detox_MayBerenbaum.html Promising work on treating Colony Collapse Disorder in honeybees.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uoc--npp042913.php Important developments in plant genetics.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uosd-nas043013.php Interesting notes on eating seaweed.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/gsoa-gso042913.php East Asians have more neanderthal genes than Europeans. Maasai in Africa have some neanderthal genes.
http://www.washington.edu/news/2013...service-is-greener-than-driving-to-the-store/ Grocery delivery services cut greenhouse gas emissions. If stores schedule deliveries to customers by neighborhood it cuts fuel use. If customers shop online for what they need they can save money on impulse purchases which will offset the fee for home delivery of groceries. This is the future for a number of reasons.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/foas-gha050313.php Scientists have discovered why hair goes gray and how to reverse it at the root. It can also be used to treat vitiligo, loss of pigmentation in the skin.
http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/gu-insulin-2013/ Pretty amazing nanotech treatment for diabetes.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/hu-rim050113.php A roboinsect flies. It is amazing, edge of technology stuff. It still needs to be wired to a power source and a control computer. They are working on those.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/04/understanding-student-weaknesses/ Knowing what students are likely to misunderstand can help teachers teach better.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/vcu-rlt043013.php Fractal patterns in genes of TCells. This is one of those weird math is magic moments.
http://www.hml.queensu.ca/morephone I see phones dancing frantically around the desk while someone ignores a call.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/jhm-mcl042613.php Interesting work on reducing cancer morbidity.

Another Week, more Science


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/si-src050913.php This is very fundamentally important research. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/lifc-mte050913.php and http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/uouh-dgm050713.php
http://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/short/article/30832/ Radioactive elements from a nearbye supernova hit the earth around the same time modern humans first appeared, about 2.2 million years ago. Well that is what the study says. Not sure Modern Human is the term. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...umans-smarted-great-apes--key-childbirth.html and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-evolutionary-history-of-humans.htm that is about when the genus homo appeared.
http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=130078 Early human ancestors started eating meat about two million years ago.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/cfb-sma050613.php Don't skip meals, and have a bite to eat before going shopping.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/bc-pt050313.php Interesting and fun for gardeners. Plants stimulate other plants to grow.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/bc-sab050213.php Cassava is being widely planted in Africa and viruses are evolving to take advantage of this, causing people to suffer. This is a constant threat to all forms of large scale agriculture.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2013/may/13_80.shtml A survey of the medieval town of Dunwich which was submerged begining in the thirteenth century. I wonder if this helped inspire the Lovecraft story.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/steel-without-greenhouse-gas-emissions-0508.html NASA wanted a way to make oxygen on the moon. Hmm, it produces high quality steel as a byproduct. It turns out you can make high grade steel without producing carbon dioxide this way. Pretty amazing.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/msu-ubt050913.php Nice work on fighting malaria.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/hu-toh050513.php Amazing potential development in heart medicine.
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/homeownership Owning a home ties you to a place making you less likely to move to get a new job, this increases unemployment and hurts the labour market. Not surprising, but people should not be forced to be transients just for the convenience of businesses.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/gumc-cdp050313.php Nice work on developing treatments for Parkinson's.